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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.

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COAT Comments to FCC on Emergency Alert System

On April 14, 2010 COAT sent Comments to the FCC as it begins to review the nation's Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is a never-yet used Presidential radio & TV broadcast alert system set up for national emergencies. COAT made recommendations to support equal access to emergency information for people with disabilities. COAT asserted that next generation EAS systems should be developed with better accessibility and usability, such as availabillity of both Text-to-Speech (TTS) and Speech-to-Text ("captioning") for emergency messaging.

COAT also made recommendations for clearer language in emergency messages, a public informational website about EAS, and for wireless technologies to be accessible.

FCC Fact sheet on EAS

COAT Comments are also attached below.

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Comments of COAT to the FCC re EAS testing FINAL.doc44 KB
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COAT leaders at the FCC

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.

21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

President Obama signs the Accessibility Act

President Obama signed the 21st
Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act into law on October 8, 2010, with many key advocates and lawmakers in attendance.

Senator Mark Pryor (AR)

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. Sesame Street video with captioning and description.

Closed Caption button on remote. Closed Caption button on remote.