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.

Verizon Fios and DirecTV Provide Point of Contact for TV Captioning Concerns

Thanks to efforts this year (2009) by advocates at COAT affiliates in Pennsylvania -- Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf and Hearing Loss Association of Pennsylvania -- we have learned that two major distributors of television have provided a Point of Contact person and contact information for captioning concerns. The information is provided on these companies' bills. Here is the information:

Verizon Fios: Toll free telephone 1-888-553-1555 (if someone can crack this voice menu to get to captioning complaints, let us know). Email videoclosedcaption@verizon.com. Tollfree Fax 1-888-806-7026. Or write snailmail to Verizon, PO Box 33052, 821 First Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Attn: Valerie DeCastro, Manager.

DirecTV: Toll free telephone 1-800-531-5000 for current concerns; for formal inquiries, C. Schrum, Senior Manager, Tel 1-310-964-1010; Fax 1-310-964-3703; Email ClosedCaptions@directv.com Or write snailmail to DirecTV,Closed Captions, PO Box 1076, El Segundo, CA 90245.

When contacting companies with captioning problems, be sure to state the date and time of the problem, the TV channel, the name of the TV program/show and a brief decription of what's happening.

If you find additional TV distributor Point of Contact information, please add these into a Comment to this item. or if you have trouble with these Points of Contact information, also write a Comment below. Thanks!

Point of Contact information at TV companies for closed captioning concerns has long been a customer service request COAT has asked for! These are small but valuable victories!

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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.

Verizon Fios and DirecTV Provide Point of Contact for TV Captioning Concerns

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