COAT advocates for accessibility and usability of technology for people with disabilities. Enacting the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (21st CVAA) was a huge step forward and we are working to implement this new law. COAT’s overall aim is to ensure accessibility, usability, and affordability of all broadband, wireless, and Internet technologies for people with disabilities.

COAT Thanks FCC for Issuing Summary Report on Recent Disability Complaints

May 20, 2009, Washington, DC: COAT is very pleased to see that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now reporting out the number of disability-related complaints it receives via a tracking system using an electronic complaint form. They state that from October to December 2008 they received 154 disability-related concerns. These included 30 involving Section 255 accessible phones and services and 2 hearing aid compatibility complaints, 38 complaints involving relay services, 4 complaints about emergency information on television and, no surprise to us, 80 complaints about closed captioning. The FCC Disabilities Rights Office should be thanked for this new transparency; COAT looks forward to continuance of this regular reporting. We note, however, that the report -- similar to the FCC 4th quarter 08 report on non-disability related consumer-complaints -- does not state any trends, outcomes or resolutions of the complaints, or if further investigatory steps might be taken.FCC Notice.

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Andrew Phillips, National Association of the Deaf; Eric Bridges, American Council of the Blind; Mark Richert, American Foundation for the Blind; and Jenifer Simpson, American Association of People with Disabilities, outside the FCC building, Washington DC, after meetings on pending rules under 21st CVAA.

Celebration of the bill's final passage

Rep. Ed Markey and Legislative Director Mark Bayer celebrate the bill’s final passage on September 28, 2010, in front of the Helen Keller statue, with the leaders from the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology: Karen Peltz Strauss, formerly with Communication Service for the Deaf; Jenifer Simpson, American Association of People with Disabilities; Rosaline Crawford, National Association of the Deaf. Their hands symbolize clapping in sign language.

Congressman Ed Markey in photo of Congressional hearing room dais. Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), center, introduced the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3101) on June 26, 2009.

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President Obama signs the Accessibility Act

President Obama signed the 21^st
Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act into law on October 8, 2010, with many key advocates and lawmakers in attendance.

Senator Mark Pryor (AR) received AAPD’s Justice For All Award July 26, 2011 for his leadership with Senate passage of the 21st CVAA.

Key FCC Staff working on 21st CVAA

Key FCC staff working on 21st CVAA: Karen Peltz Strauss, Rosaline Crawford, Eliot Greenwald

Sesame Street video with captioning and description.

Closed Caption button on remote.

COAT Thanks FCC for Issuing Summary Report on Recent Disability Complaints

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21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

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