"Idiots in Washington" Have Left Blind People Behind with DTV Accessibility: HR 3101 Fixes This

On February 16, 2010, at about 11:05 p.m., Ray Campbell, Board member at COAT affiliate American Council of the Blind, spoke about HR 3101 on WGN Radio 720 AM, broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. The radio program,  "The Steve and Johnnie Show," focused on how the digital TV transition left viewers with vision disabilities behind. Program participants pointed the finger at "the idiots in Washington" for not addressing accessibility issues in the digital TV transition legislation and regulations. WGN Radio 720 AM, a talk radio station, is listened to in over 30 states and Canada.

Ray Campbell, interviewed by the radio program hosts, raised critical concerns about accessibility for people with vision disabilities such as how TV menus are inaccessible, the lack of means to navigate channels and find programs, and remote controls without access features. He also mentioned how cheap and easy it is to make TV more accessible as much of the means to make technology accessible to people with vision disabilities has already been developed.  He discussed how some provisions in H.R. 3101, “The 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act” would resolve these, including reinstatement of video description rules. The radio program lasted about 45 minutes and is available via an MP 3 audio file on WGN's website. If a text transcript becomes available, COAT will post it here.

Ray Campbell, a person who is blind, is a well-known  Adaptive Technology specialist at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind.

Sections 201, 202, 203, 204 and 205 of HR 3101 include legislative fixes for these problems. COAT asks: When will Washington bring viewers with vision disabilities into the 21st Century?