Accessibility for the Disabled

The Federal Communications Commission took steps to improve Internet-based relay services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and communicate by speaking.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai appointed members for the third two-year term of the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee. Will Schell, Attorney Advisor, Disability Rights Office (DRO), Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB), will continue to serve as the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) of the DAC, and Debra Patkin, Attorney Advisor, DRO, CGB, will serve as the deputy DFO of the DAC.

Co-Chairs: Brian Scarpelli, Senior Policy Counsel ACT – the App Association Isidore Niyongabo, Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement National Black Deaf Advocates

The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau seeks comment on recent developments in the video description marketplace to inform a report to Congress required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) on the availability, use, benefits, and costs of video description, which must be completed no later than October 8, 2019. As mandated by Congress, the FCC seeks public comment on specific issues related to video description in television programming:

People with disabilities affecting mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive function often move to cities to take advantage of their comprehensive transit systems and social services. But US law doesn’t specify how municipalities should design and implement digital services for disabled people. As a result, cities sometimes adopt new technologies that can end up causing, rather than resolving, problems of accessibility.

A legend is leaving the Federal Communications Commission as the new year begins. Her name is Karen Peltz Strauss. Some of you may not have heard of her, but to the nation’s disabilities communities, she is a hero. She achieved this status the old-fashioned way. She earned it. In over 40 years in Washington, I have been privileged to work with many brilliant public servants. Karen Peltz Strauss is in the top-most tier of these incredibly able people.  Her star shines brightly in the public service firmament. She came to the agency with a goal, she never wavered from that goal, and she achie

The House passed by bipartisan voice vote the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, or 21st Century IDEA, which would require agencies to improve online customer experience by making new websites more user-friendly. The bill ultimately aims to make citizens less reliant on paper processes when interacting with federal agencies. The bill would set minimum accessibility, searchability and security standards for all new government websites, and require agencies to adopt web analytics tools to constantly improve sites’ functionality.

The Federal Communications Commission will accept nominations for the eighth Chairman’s Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman’s AAA). The nomination period opens on Dec 1, 2018 and continues through Feb 28, 2019 for products, services, technologies or practices introduced to the public between Jan 1, 2018 and Dec 31, 2018. Nominations may be submitted for the development of new mainstream or assistive technologies introduced into the marketplace, the development of standards, or the implementation of best practices that further accessibility.

The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a Report and Order that:

The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on the subjects listed below on Thursday, November 15, 2018:

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the Nov Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, Nov 15, 2018:
Galileo Order – The Commission will consider an Order that addresses waivers of certain satellite licensing requirements for receive-only earth stations operating with the Galileo Radionavigation-Satellite Service. (IB Docket No. 17-16)