History of Disability Access to Telecommunications

This event will describe the amazing 40-year movement for telecommunications by people who are deaf and hard of hearing disabilities in America - the hard fought struggles that succeeded in winning legislative victories on hearing aid compatibility, telecommunications relay services, closed captioning, and access to telecommunications equipment and services.  It will also explore where we go from here, as Internet-enabled technologies take the place of legacy telecommunications products and services.  The information provided will be useful to consumer advocates, educators, students, lawyers, audiologists, social service providers and others who regularly come into contact with people with hearing loss. In addition, it will be beneficial to any entity that either is covered by telecommunications access laws or has some responsibility for their implementation (telecommunications companies, broadcasters, cable companies, information service providers, federal and state agencies), as well as individuals in other countries who may be interested in developing or implementing new telecom access laws in their jurisdictions.  The session will draw heavily on a new book covering this subject written by the presenter:  "A New Civil Right:  Telecommunications Equality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans."