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ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS RELATED TO INDIVIDUALS

WITH DISABILITIES

BILL LUTHERFEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

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ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES INTRODUCTION TERMINOLOGY STATISTICS MAIN TYPES OF ACCESS TO CONSIDER HUMAN INTERPRETERS ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY U.S. ACCESSIBILITY STATUTES FCC REGULATIONS DETERMINING STANDARDS

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INTRODUCTION

FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL

FIRST,

NOT THE DISABILITY

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TERMINOLOGY

USE:PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF

PEOPLE WHO ARE HARD OF HEARING

PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

NOT:DEAF-MUTES

DEAF AND DUMB

HEARING IMPAIRED

USE: PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

NOT:THE DISABLED

THE HANDICAPPED

USE:PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND

PEOPLE WITH LOW VISION

PEOPLE WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

NOT: THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

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DISABILITY STATISTICS

SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, 1997 DATA.

% DISTRIBUTION

INDIVIDUALS WITH A DISABILITY 23.0

DIFFICULTY SEEING WORDS/LETTERS 3.7

DIFFICULTY HEARING CONVERSATION 3.8

DIFFICULTY WITH SPEECH 1.1

DIFFICULTY WALKING/USING STAIRS 12.1

USES A WHEELCHAIR 1.0

USES A CANE/CRUTCHES/WALKER 3.1

MENTAL DISABILITY 6.9

LEARNING DISABILITY 1.7

MENTAL RETARDATION 0.7

ALZHEIMER’S/SENILITY/DEMENTIA 0.9

OTHER MENTAL/EMOTIONAL CONDITION 1.6

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MAIN TYPES OF ACCESS TO CONSIDER

MOBILITY DISABILITIES HEARING DISABILITIES VISION DISABILITIES SPEECH DISABILITIES

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MOBILITY DISABILITIESACCESSIBILITY FOR:

WHEELCHAIRS

SCOOTERS

CANES

CRUTCHES

MEANS SIDEWALKS, CURBS,

ENTRANCES, DOORWAYS, AISLES,

TABLES, AND CHAIRS

NEED CONSIDERATION

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HEARING DISABILITIESACCESSIBILITY FOR:

PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING - -

MEANS ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES,CAPTIONING, LAPTOP OR PROJECTIONSCREEN TRANSLATION, CUED SPEECH

TRANSLITERATORS, NOTETAKERS,TACTILE INTERPRETERS, AND ORAL OR

SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS NEED CONSIDERATION

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VISION DISABILITIES

ACCESSIBILITY FOR:

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE LOW VISION - -

MEANS BRAILLE, ELECTRONIC FORMAT,AUDIO FORMAT, GRAPHICS, ANDTACTILELY ACCESSIBLE MEDIA

NEED CONSIDERATION

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SPEECH DISABILITIES

ACCESSIBILITY FOR:

PEOPLE WHO HAVE IMPAIRED SPEECH - -

MEANS RE-VOICERS, COMMUNICATIONBOARDS, SPEECH OUTPUT DEVICES, OR

OTHER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES NEED CONSIDERATION

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HUMAN INTERPRETERS

AFTER 30 MINUTES, ACCURACY ANDCOMPLETENESS OF SIMULTANEOUS

INTERPRETERS DECREASEPRECIPITOUSLY, FALLING 10% EVERY 5MINUTES - - THE HUMAN MIND CANNOTHOLD FOCUSED CONCENTRATION FOR

LONGER PERIODS

SOLUTION: TEAMING

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ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY

TELECAPTIONERS TTY/TDD DEVICES FOR TELEPHONES ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES VOICE-RECOGNITION SYSTEMS VOICE SYNTHESIZERS SCREEN READERS COMPUTERS

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U.S. ACCESSIBILITY STATUTES - 1

REHABILITATION ACT, 1973, as amended in 1978 (Section 504):provides for participation in, and access to any program or activity receiving federal financing, and requires federal agencies, including the Postal Service, to promulgate relevant regulations for reasonable accommodation

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 1990:addresses state and local governments, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, telecommunications and the U.S. Congress

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U.S. ACCESSIBIILITY STATUTES - 2

ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS ACT, 1968:

requires new and altered buildings and facilities designed, constructed, or altered with federal funds or leased by a federal agency comply with federal standards for physical accessibility

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT, 1996:

requires manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and providers of telecommunications services to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to, and can use their equipment (telephones, cell phones, pagers, etc.) and services (call-waiting, operators, etc.), if readily achievable; required the FCC to promulgate rules for TV closed captioning (video description requirements are being considered)

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U.S. ACCESSIBILITY STATUTES - 3

TELEVISION DECODER CIRCUITRY ACT, 1990:

requires all TV sets with screens 13 inches or larger, made or imported, to have built-in closed-captioning decoder circuitry

HEARING AID COMPATIBILITY ACT, 1996:

requires all manufactured or imported telephones, including cordless phones, be hearing aid compatible by internal means, with exemption for secure, public mobile, and private mobile telephones

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FCC REGULATIONS

WITHIN THE U.S. CODE OF FEDERALREGULATIONS: (TITLE 47, PART 1, SUBPART N)

“ENFORCEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION ONTHE BASIS OF HANDICAP IN PROGRAMS ORACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE FEDERALCOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION”(PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION ANDPROVIDING FOR ACCESSIBILITY)

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DETERMINING STANDARDS

ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS FORINDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AREDETERMINED WITH:

ATTITUDE OF INCLUSION

COMMITMENT TO ACCESS

ACCOMMODATIONS

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DETERMINING STANDARDS

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

ARE THE BEST SOURCES OF

INFORMATION REGARDING

NEEDED STANDARDS AND

ACCOMMODATIONS