COAT Affiliates Testify at FCC Field Hearing at Gallaudet: Marlee Matlin Rocks!

Representatives from five COAT affiliates dominated the FCC field hearing held at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC on November 6, 2009 and attended by several hundred people. Speaking for NAD, academy award-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin talked about experiencing discrimination as a deaf person and the need for captioning on the Internet. She said: "Although I may be deaf, silence is the last thing the world will ever hear from me!" Her full statement is available on the FCC's Broadband Blog.

Mark Richert of AFB emphasized the importance of accessibility of applications on the internet and how assistive technology often leaves behind the person with a disability and is costly. Jay Wyant of A.G. Bell Association (photo at event) and Elizabeth Spiers of AADB spoke on the pressing need to make communications technology accessible and usable and affordable now for people with disabilities and Karen Peltz Strauss of CSD spoke on how the national broadband plan must address these needs.

Commissioner Copps, who spearheaded this field hearing on disability (photo at event), stated "Access denied is opportunity denied..."  Similar stirring statements were made by FCC Commissioners Clyburn and McDowell. Other speakers included Dale Hatfield, former Head of FCC's Office of Engineering & Technology (photo at event) and Ari Ne'eman of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and others. COAT thanks Elizabeth Lyle, FCC staffer, (photo at event) for all her efforts to pull this extraordinary FCC field hearing together. A captioned recording of the full hearing is now available.