Industry

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - November 2018

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Public Notice announcing their call for nominations for the eighth annual Chairman’s Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman's AAA). Nominations are due by February 28, 2019, and can be made for various categories including accessible mainstream technologies, assistive technologies, technology standards, and best practices in delivering accessible solutions. Congruent with identifying best practices, but in the...

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - Fall 2018 Issue: September - October

October 2018 was celebrated as National Disability Employment Awareness (NDEAM), and the contributions and achievements of people with disabilities were recognized and honored at events and in publications. The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) 2018 theme for NDEAM was “America’s Workforce: Empowering All.” In keeping with the theme the Partnership for Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), focused on Empowering All through...

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - August 2018

With the congressional recess occurring in August, this issues’ legislative section includes disability law related activities that occurred over the summer. For example, the Commission on Disability Rights brought Resolution 116C to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates. Resolution 116C advises that Title II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) be expanded in its interpretation of discrimination of people with disabilities to be inclusive of...

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - July 2018

July marked the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Government agencies, advocacy organizations, academia, industry, and people with disabilities around the nation honored the day with activities, speeches, and educational materials detailing the gains made in the past 28 years; the current state of access, equity and inclusion; and the path ahead. For example, Autism Speaks highlighted their legislative activities that align with ADA provisions, and extend to...

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - June 2018

In June, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the winners of its 2018 Chairman's Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman's AAA). The Chairman's AAA is part of an FCC program that seeks to identify "innovative developments that improve the experience of people with disabilities in telecommunications and technology." Winners for 2018 were recognized at an awards ceremony held in conjunction with the M-Enabling Summit in Arlington, Virginia...

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - May 2018

In May, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted several waivers related to emergency communications. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order [12-107], the FCC’s Media Bureau granted requests for waivers of the audible crawl rule, permanently exempting analog-only cable systems, and temporarily waiving requirements for television broadcasters to audibly describe visual, non-textual emergency information. The FCC also granted a limited waiver of the Emergency Alert System (EAS)...

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - April 2018

In April, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Public Notice inviting stakeholder input to Refresh the Record on Facilitating Multimedia Content in Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) [PS Docket Nos. 15-91 and 15-94] was published in the Federal Register, setting the comment and reply comment deadlines as May 29, 2018, and June 11, 2018, respectively. Keeping a laser-like focus on emergency communications, the FCC also released their final report of the 2017 Nationwide Test of the...

Technology and Disability Highlights - March 2018

In March, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Public Notice seeking comment on a Joint Petition for Extension of Waiver of Accessible Emergency Information Requirements [12-107]. The American Council of the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, and the National Association of Broadcasters filed the petition jointly requesting additional time (five years) to develop a technical solution that enables the automatic recognition, tagging, and describing of non-textual...

Supporting Simulation Use for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Brianna J. Tomlinson, of the School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, presented at the 2018 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. She discussed a study that explored how enhancing interactive science simulations with sonifications can scaffold interaction and learning for students with cognitive impairments. The use of sonification technology, developed by Dr. Bruce Walker, is integral to Wireless RERC work that is investigating next-generation auditory...

Technology and Disability Highlights - February 2018

In legislative news, the Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017 [H.R.2465] was passed in the House as part of the bill to temporarily increase the federal government’s budget. The legislation allows for those that purchased voice-generating devices, also referred to as Alternative and Augmentative Communications (AAC), to be reimbursed through Medicaid and Medicare. Originally passed in 2015, this new version would make the Steve Gleason Act of 2015 permanent. The much-debated ADA...

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The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RE5025-01-00). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.