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 Advocates Soldier On Despite Blizzards, Cancellations, Power Failures

Progress of the Bill

Friday, February 12, 2010, Washington, DC:--COAT organizational leaders are back to work on HR 3101 despite two record-breaking snow blizzards the past week that shut down several meetings and activities that would have advanced HR 3101. Talks arranged with major industry organizations and companies scheduled on Feb. 3 (CTIA, NCTA, CEA et al.), Feb. 8 (Google) and Feb. 16 (NAB) were postponed due to the wicked weather causing delays. Watching the National Weather Service became a preoccupation!

With schools, roads, airports, transportation systems and federal and local governments closed, there was little advocates could do but dig out and soldier on. With some experiencing power outages and some phone systems not working, even telecommuting became problematic for some of us. Nevertheless, meeting planning and legislative activities are back underway. We gained additional co-sponsors for our bill, now at 30 co-sponsors for HR 3101. We gathered six new COAT affiliates the past two weeks with a dozen others queuing up to join. COAT affiliates stayed in touch via email and social media; we now have over 574 followers on Twitter and 256 friends in our Facebook group! COAT laughs at snow! We know the 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act will happen!

Forward this page to a friend

Your Personal Message: *

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT).

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture your email address.

Your Email: *

Your Name: *

Send To: *

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You can only email up to 5 recipients

Message Subject: (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology

Message Body: (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology web site.

Add new comment

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.

Search

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.