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.
Telecommunications Relay Service
Speech-to-Speech
COAT Position Statement: Expand Telecommunications Relay Service Obligations to VoIP Providers
COAT recommendation: Extend existing telecommunications relay service (TRS) obligations, including the obligation to contribute to the interstate relay fund that supports these services, to all communication service providers, including VoIP and cable providers that enable conversations to take place between two or more people.
People with Speech Disabilities Need Advocacy Support For FCC Rulemaking
January 4, 2012. As COAT members may recall, affiliate SCT is spearheading a movement to ask the FCC to approve a new version of the Speech-to-Speech (STS) form of relay service which will allow Communications Assistants (CAs) to see the consumer with a severe speech disability. This will make telephone access possible for people whose speech is so hard to understand that they need to be seen to be understood. Advocates are needed to tell the FCC to change its rules by going to the SCT website and clicking on the box (on left side) that says “New FCC filing information request
Death of Dialtone? COAT Leaders Explore the Telephone Network in Transition
December 6, 2011. Once again COAT leaders were called upon by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for input about people with disabilities. This involved participation in a workshop to examine the transition from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to new technologies, such as Internet-Protocol (IP) based voice phone service. Speakers were Paul Schroeder of American Foundation for the
Leading COAT Affiliates Support Internet-Enabled Relay for People with Speech Disabilities
On October 19, 2011, nine COAT affiliates filed a petition at the FCC that would modernize the Speech-to-Speech (STS) form of relay services used by people with speech disabilities. These affiliates included Speech Communication Assistance By Telephone, Inc.
FCC Issues Two More Sets of Rules to Implement 21st CVAA: TRS Contributions and Advanced Communications Services
On October 7, 2011 the FCC released two sets of final rules that will further implement the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (21st CVAA). These included new rules for "Contributions to the Telecommunications Relay Services Fund" and "Advanced Communications Services."
National Association of Deaf Sues Chase Bank For Refusing Relay Calls
September 21, 2011. COAT leading affiliate National Association of the Deaf (NAD) filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Company, a bank in Ohio, on behalf of the Ohio Association of the Deaf (OAD) and Lisa Toppin, a deaf Ohio resident.The bank has apparently been refusing to accept phone calls through relay services.
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