FCC Seeks Comment on Making Handsets Accessible for Blind
The FCC sought comment on how wireless devices can be made more accessible for the blind. “We are concerned that people who are blind or have other vision disabilities have few accessible and affordable wireless phone options,” said a notice Monday by the Wireless and Consumer Affairs bureaus.
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They asked for advice on the handset features and functions currently not accessible for the blind and those with hearing loss “and the extent to which gaps in accessibility are preventing wireless communication access by these populations.” The bureaus also sought comment on the “cost and feasibility of technical solutions to achieve wireless accessibility for these populations” and the “reasons why there are not a greater number of wireless phones -- particularly among less expensive or moderately-priced handset models -- that are accessible to people who are blind or have vision loss.” Comments are due Sept. 13, replies Sept. 30. Commissioners are scheduled to vote on a hearing-aid compatibility order and rulemaking notice at the commission’s Aug. 5 meeting.
The FCC is strongly committed to making all the industries it regulates more accessible to the handicapped, Chairman Julius Genachowski said Monday at a Commerce Department event marking the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. “Before the ADA, many people with disabilities were unacceptably dependent and isolated, couldn’t easily communicate with family and friends, or anyone who didn’t live right near by,” he said. “Today many Americans with disabilities can use communications technologies that would have been hard for any of us to imagine 20 years ago.”
The FCC “has come along way” from the TTY relay service, Genachowski said. “Now we have video relay service, which the FCC is fully committed to supporting and which has enabled deaf people to communicate naturally using American Sign Language. We've had great advances in speech-to-speech service, captioned telephones, hearing-aid compatible handsets, and the most thorough closed-captioning program of any nation in the world.” Verizon, AT&T and a number of other companies demonstrated devices and technologies marketed to those with disabilities. Commissioner Michael Copps also attended the event.