Federal / Regulatory

This fall, the country celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) with hosted talks about best practices for employers on how to increase disability inclusion. Numerous organizations hosted events, awareness campaigns, and initiatives in support of NDEAM. Dell convened an "Accessibility Driving Innovation" panel, and Microsoft published videos and blog posts about their vision that accessibility and...

In September, National Preparedness Month was celebrated, and many took the opportunity to inform citizens of the importance of being prepared in the event of a local or national emergency. For example, ReadyDC’s campaign objective was to provide information that was both accessible and readily available. Their website contains information and resources on how to create emergency kits, communications plans, and how to remain informed about various types of emergencies. Also, the site...

July 2019 marked the 29^th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Local celebrations were held around the United States, and national access and inclusion initiatives were highlighted, as well. For example, at the local level, to kick off the 29th Anniversary of the ADA, Rapid City, South Dakota an official proclamation for the city was signed to recognize July 26th as ADA Awareness Day, emphasizing inclusion. At the national level, the Federal Emergency...

Wireless RERC project director (PD), Salimah LaForce, and DeeDee Bennett, former Wireless RERC PD and currently, associate professor at the University at Albany, The State University of New York co-authored Text-to-Action: Understanding the Interaction Between Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts and...

In May, the eighth annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) was celebrated to bring about awareness and activities that support access and inclusion for people with all types of disabilities. The primary audience of GAAD is the “design, development, usability, and related communities who build, shape, fund, and influence technology and its use.” As a result, many companies launch accessibility initiatives on GAAD. This year saw access and inclusion news from Procter and...

The FM Radio and RBDS-Based Emergency Alerting research brief, and 2-page executive summary Save Lives, Withstand Catastrophe, and Stimulate the Marketplace, were submitted as Ex Parte comments replying to the FCC’s Hurricane Response Public Notice [PS Docket # 17-344].[1] The Public Notice sought input on the effectiveness of emergency communications technologies, procedures, and policies that...

This report presents findings from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wireless Inclusive Technologies’ (Wireless RERC) Survey of User Needs (SUN) for 2017-2018. In this report, we present key findings regarding the use of wireless technology features by SUN respondents, including real-time-text, intelligent assistants, and visual and audio display options. We also discuss the use of wireless devices by individuals with disabilities for a variety of activities. Whereas...