COAT Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

July 26, 2010. COAT is delighted that, on the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 348 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for H.R. 3101, "The Twenty-First Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act." In summary 220 Democrats and 128 Republicans voted for H.R. 3101. See who voted how here.

July 26, 2010. Happy Birthday ADA!  COAT's over 300 affiliates all across America salute and honor the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) twentieth anniversary today.  With celebrations in every state and many towns and cities, we appreciate how our civil rights are being implemented and look forward to full equality, especially in regard to greater availability of  accessible, usable and affordable technologies. Equality and Technology Accessibility!

On June 10, 2010 the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) was very pleased to sponsor two witnesses from leading COAT affiliates to testify at a U.S. House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet hearing on the "21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act" (H.R.

May 18, 2010, Washington, D.C.-- COAT commends the FCC for again issuing Public Notices about the number of disability-specific complaints it receives per quarter.  However, COAT remains very concerned about the lack of reporting about resolution of these concerns or if any are moved for further action to the FCC's Enforcement Bureau. COAT expects and demands better enforcement of the longstanding federal requirements for accessibility of communications technologies, especially now, in a world of a great technological change.

May 5, 2010, Washington, DC:--The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) thanks Senators Mark Pryor (AR) and John Kerry (MA) for introducing the “Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act” (S. 3304).  The measure is a major step forward for people with disabilities in ensuring accessible technology. Also co-sponsoring are Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, both from North Dakota.

April 9, 2010, Washington, DC:-- COAT encourages activists to plan now to set aside time during the day on Thursday April 15th to call and/or write your U.S. Congressional Representative in support of the “21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act” (HR 3101). If you planned to take a lunch break or chat a little longer at the water cooler, save this time and contribute towards a greater cause by taking action that day!

March 31, 2010. COAT commends Best Buy stores for adding tactile keypads to improve the checkout experience for customers with visual impairments. Tactile keypads, added to point-of-sale devices, enable shoppers who cannot read information on a touch screen to privately and independently enter their personal identification number (PIN) in order to protect their financial privacy. The keypads will  be installed in all Best Buy stores by September 30, 2010.