Policy and Outreach Initiatives (DS1)

The Wireless RERC conducted our annual content review of the Technology and Disability Policy Highlights newsletter. The top five most cited words were accessibility, assistive, COVID, broadband, and public. This past year’s hot topics mostly centered around expanding access to broadband amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year we also celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Not long after, 2020 saw movement to codify inclusive access to...

Helpful Alert Originator-Focused Websites

12 Considerations for Accessible Emergency Communications: http://bit.ly/12considerationsfor

IPAWS Alerting Authority Online Training: http://bit.ly/IPAWStraining

Common Misconceptions Regarding People who are Deaf and Rely on ASL: http://bit.ly/CommonMis

Effective Communications...

The third of December was International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), and the United Nations themed the 2020 celebration "Building Back Better: Toward a Disability-Inclusive, Accessible, and Sustainable Post-COVID-19 World." The key messages for IDPD 2020 were health equity-focused and included among others: (1) “The COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to build back better our health systems so that they are more inclusive and responsive to the needs...

In October, the federal government acknowledged the 75^th observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) in the U.S. Department of Labor commemorated the occasion with various events and activities based on this year’s theme: “Increasing Access and Opportunity.” ODEP also provided employers and companies with 31 Days...

In September, National Preparedness Month was celebrated. Many counties, cities, and nonprofits across the country took the opportunity to virtually educate citizens on the importance of being prepared in the event of a local or national emergency. And the celebrations continued with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).  They hosted a...

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) policies and regulations in response to COVID-19 had the opportunity to profoundly shape digital experiences and social outcomes for Americans with disabilities. However, the FCC's response must be met with an equal effort by other stakeholders to fully realize the intended outcomes. This policy brief identifies and describes the FCC's response to the global health pandemic and the implications of the same for people with disabilities...

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Inclusive Technologies (Wireless RERC) published its third Biennial Review of Mobile Phone Accessibility, quantifying accessibility levels of mobile phones available in the U.S. market as of February 2020. The study analyzed 141 phones from the Tier 1 wireless carriers (e.g., Verizon and Sprint), one prepaid carrier, and five Lifeline carriers. The Review assessed the presence of 35 features associated with device...

As August concluded, attention was paid to voters with disabilities’ access to upcoming elections. Hawaii passed Act 136, expanding access to electronic ballots, which had previously only been available to military personnel. Similarly, a Virginia federal court released a consent decree regarding expanded accessibility options. The Decree requires that all counties and cities in Virginia have electronic absentee ballots that are compatible with screen-reader technology and...

In May, the world celebrated the Eighth Annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) with virtual events. Microsoft hosted its annual Ability Summit, open to the public, and discussed a variety of disability access and inclusion topics. IBM also celebrated with the launch of an open-source Equal Access Toolkit. This toolkit was created to provide web designers with resources to create accessible websites and applications. Other tech companies, like Apple and Google, released new...