National Broadband Plan Workshop on Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities (see summary)

National Broadband Plan Workshop (Disability Opportunities)

See summary of the townhall

See a summary from the FCC

See a webcast of the event

Federal Communications Commission
Room TW-C305 (Commission Meeting Room)
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

August 20, 2009
9:30am-12:00pm

Contact:
Cheryl King
Cheryl.King@fcc.gov
(202) 418-2284
http://broadband.gov/ws_disability.html

FCC Participants:

• Blair Levin, Executive, Director, Omnibus Broadband Initiative
• Cheryl J. King, Deputy Chief, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs
• Gregory Hlibok, Attorney Advisor, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs
• Elizabeth Lyle, Attorney Advisor, Office of General Counsel

Special Observers:

• Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Issues
• Marcie Roth, Senior Advisor, Disability Issues, Department of Homeland Security

As of Monday, August 17, 2009, registered participants include representatives from the following organizations:

• AT&T, Inc.
• National Council on Disabilities (NCD)
• Sorenson Communications, Inc.
• Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI)
• Telecommunications Industry Association
• Verizon Wireline
• Verizon Wireless
• National Council on Disabilities (NCD)
• National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
• American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB)
• Northern Virginia Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NVRC)
• The Telework Coalition
• Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD)
• Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
• American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
• The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University
• Research in Motion (RIM)
• Media and Democracy Coalition

The goal of the workshop is to promote an open dialogue between the FCC people with disabilities, advocates for people with disabilities, service providers, and other groups that have a stake in the future of broadband and its accessibility for people with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities already benefit from broadband Internet applications. For instance, accessibility software allows a blind person to "hear" what's written in text on a computer monitor. Video Relay Service allows a deaf or hard of hearing person to use sign language to converse with a person who does not. Access to broadband Internet promotes telework options for people with mobility or health issues. The workshop will explore, among other things, additional ways in which access to broadband may benefit persons with disabilities.

The following are some of the preliminary topics that will be covered at this workshop. The FCC is inviting suggestions.

• Challenges persons with disabilities face in gaining access to broadband services
• The potential for broadband services (including Internet-based telecommunications relay services) to enhance the communications options available to persons with disabilities
• Economic, educational, and other benefits of making broadband services more available to persons with disabilities
• Methods to incorporate universal design features into equipment and software to ensure that they are accessible
• Experiences about ways to serve individuals with disabilities through broadband
• Funding from other sources that can help drive broadband adoption among persons with disabilities
• Use of broadband to drive health care, education and job training to persons with disabilities

What some are telling the FCC about broadband and disability opportunities...

Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
The Wireless RERC submits that the build-out of broadband networks, particularly wireless based ones, can potentially create alternative employment arrangements for people with disabilities. Unemployment rates are higher among people with disabilities, with the unemployment rate of persons with a disability in April 2009 estimated at 12.9 percent, compared with 8.4 percent for persons with no disability. Findings from the research conducted by the Workplace Accommodations RERC leads to the conclusion that opportunities for some types of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) related workplace accommodation, such as telework could be enhanced by more widespread deployment of broadband. Ultimately, the use of advanced telecommunications, access to the Internet and broadband services can contribute to the creation of more flexibility in the workplace for everyone, including increasing the potential for people with disabilities to enjoy more job opportunities as well as independent living.

Global Disability Solutions Group
A significant barrier to adoption for the disability community is the cost of acquiring and
maintaining both broadband internet connection and assistive technologies. For those without
the requisite financial means to afford broadband internet access, a USF-like subsidy will help
lower the cost barrier and increase the chance that people with disabilities will connect.
Opportunities to obtain assistive technologies and to learn to use them are critical for some
segments of the disability community.

Telecommunications For The Deaf
The Commission's broadband plan should be mindful of the need to encourage innovation, research, and development and of the need to adopt policies that ensure accessibility for all Americans, including those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, late-deafened, or deaf-blind, to existing and future broadband equipment and services. Broadband accessibility policies should seek to stay ahead of technology rather than reacting to technology developments and trying to retrofit technology. The Consumer Groups specifically urge the Commission to adopt technology-neutral accessibility requirements, regardless of the technology used for transmission or delivery. In doing so, the Commission should, for example, consider reviewing its closed captioning requirements to determine whether modifications should be made in light of the continuous movement of television programming to IP-based platforms. The Commission should also take action, when appropriate, to adopt rules and policies that ensure accessibility to broadband technology in addition to those in its broadband plan.

Coalition Of Organizations For Accessible Technology
In order to ensure the affordability of broadband, the Commission should modify the federal Low-Income Universal Service Fund program to allow people with disabilities to use Lifeline and Link-up subsidies to reduce the costs of broadband service and equipment. In addition, the Commission should adopt rules and policies designed to ensure full access to broadband services and equipment by promoting the development of universally designed broadband products and services that are accessible to the largest population, regardless of their functional limitations.