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.

Airline Passenger Rights Group Presses For Accessible Flight Entertainment

On March 23, 2010, the Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) sent a national sign-on letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking DOT to require accessibility of in-flight video entertainment. More than fifteen COAT affiliates signed on to the letter which asked for both captioning and video description for entertainment such as the movies and television shows now available on many plane flights. A copy of the final letter with all twenty-six signatories is attached below.

COAT commends and thanks Brandon M. Macsata, Executive Director of AAPR, for his leadership on taking up this specific disability issue. Learn more about the other issues that Association for Airline Passenger Rights works on at their website.

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Good to see this being

Submitted by Alex Varley (not verified) on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 19:41.

Good to see this being pushed. In Australia the biggest domestic airline Qantas, has a daily news service and this has been captioned for nearly 10 years. Originally it was done as a promotion during Hearing Awareness Week and then the airline got positive comments from business people (ie the only customers that matter!) who said: "I like those subtitles on the news because I can glance up from my work and see the headlines."

Captioning is also on a monthly magazine show (travelogue heavily Qantas branded) and on some of the in-flight entertainment - with the new hard drive systems - they provide a second version of the movie with open captions.

Virgin has a pay-per-view on seat back, but no captions. The Qantas one is included in the ticket price.

Alex Varley CEO, Media Access Australia (COAT International Affiliate)

Wow! This really helpful

Submitted by Jenifer Simpson on Fri, 04/09/2010 - 21:28.

Wow! This really helpful information! Thanks, Alex.

COAT International Friend

Submitted by Jenifer Simpson on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 09:53.

COAT International Friend Media Access of Australia publicizes this effort. See their website story.

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.

Airline Passenger Rights Group Presses For Accessible Flight Entertainment

Good to see this being

Wow! This really helpful

COAT International Friend

COAT

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21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

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