Each day, many of us listen to the radio, fax a document, place dozens of phone calls, surf the Internet, and watch several hours of television. These se rvices have become so much a part of our society that we cannot imagine life without them. In fact, most of us could not perform our jobs without them.
But we must never forget that there are millions of Americans who cannot fully enjoy these service s, because of vision, hearing, mobility and other disabilities. These citizens are no less entitled than other Americans to share in the benefits of the Information Age.
That is why, in March of 1995, the Federal Communications Commission set out on a new mission, and created the Disabilities Issues Task Force.
Our nation is rapidly becoming an information society, and new digital technologies are changing the face of our communications infrastructure. The new Telecommunications Act of 1996 has co mpletely re-tooled the way in which our country will obtain and use its telecommunication services. The Disabilities Issues Task Force is one of the most powerful tools we have at the Commission to ensure that we do not become a society of information hav es and have-nots.
This Annual Report describes some of the accomplishments we've achieved in our very first year. And this is just the beginning. In the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress directed the FCC to continue on this course, and to ensur e that telecommunications equipment and services are accessible to people with disabilities.
The experience of people with disabilities in American society has profound lessons for all of us. The opportunities of the communications revolution are limi tless; and there should be no limits placed on those opportunities.
Reed E. Hundt
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
At the Federal Communications Commission, we are committed to expanding the universe of accessible communications for people with disabilities.
In this past year as Director of the Task Force, I've met hundreds of people with disabilities at various conferences, symposiums, and o utreach events who tell me their personal stories about how the Internet, telecommunications relay services, closed-captioning, hearing aid compatible telephones, and telephones with volume controls have enhanced the quality of their lives. By promoting a ccess for people with disabilities, we are empowering millions of Americans who would otherwise be shut out of an information society.
Our Disabilities Issues Task Force traverses all lanes of the information superhighway - wireless, mass media, telep hony, cable, international, enforcement and consumer education. Working with every Bureau and Office of the Commission, we ensure that all of our policies and rules will include access for people with disabilities wherever possible. Through contact with c onsumers and the telecommunications industry, the FCC is responsive to the concerns of people with disabilities. As you can see from this Annual Report, we have had a productive first year. The Task Force members have worked day and night to accomplish th ese initiatives, and I would like to express my gratitude to them for their dedication. It's a honor to work with such a fine group of talented, committed individuals.
Why do we work so hard for disability access? Is it because it's the right thing t o do? Yes, that's one reason. But disability access policies also promote economic growth and competition in our economy. There are 50 million Americans with disabilities who will purchase and use telecommunications equipment and services if they are desi gned to be accessible from the design stage. The market demand for captioned television is unquestionable. People with disabilities form a powerful consumer market that the highly competitive telecommunications industry just can't afford to ignore. Access ible telecommunications also translates into educational and employment opportunities - empowerment - for people with disabilities.
Years of working to establish and improve Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS), and working on other disability acce ss issues at the FCC, have convinced me of one thing: people with disabilities are the best judges of what works for them. As we enter our second year, we look forward to continuing to work closely with the disability community, especially as we move to i mplement the historic disability access mandates of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Linda B. Dubroof
Director, Disabilities Issues Task Force
The FCC Disabilities Issues Task Force (DITF) was created in March 1995 by FCC Chairman Reed Hundt. The DITF is an internal, FCC-wide Task Force with representatives from every Bureau and Office. The DITF is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities, to the greatest extent possible, will b e able to access telecommunications equipment and services in the Information Age.
The DITF has many roles:
In its first year of operation, however, the DITF found that its
most important role was as a "br
idge-builder" between
the telecommunications industry and people with disabilities.
The DITF reached out to both industry and consumers, and sought
to bring former adversaries into forums where disputes could be
resolved without the need for extended
rulemakings. This proactive,
consensus-oriented approach is highly effective in today's fast-paced
and competitive telecommunications environment. This approach
also has significant long-term benefits, because it provides consumers
with disabilities and
the industry with the opportunity to form
strategic alliances.
On February 8, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104-104 (1996 Act). This legislation represents the most sweeping overhaul of American telecommunications law since the Communications Act of 1934.
In the 1996 Act, Congress reaffirmed the goals and purpose of the Disabilities Issues Task Force, and gave the Commission several specific mandates designed to enhance accessibility of the information infrastructure to Americans with disabilities.
Section 255 of the 1996 Act requires all manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment (CPE) to ensure that their equipment is designed to be accessible to individuals with disabilities, if readily achievable. Section 255 also requires providers of telecommunications services to ensure that their services are accessible to and usable by people w ith disabilities, if readily achievable. Manufacturers and service providers are also required to ensure that their equipment and services are compatible with peripheral devices commonly used by people with disabilities (i.e., TTYs and screen readers), if direct access is not readily achievable.
The 1996 Act also contains a historic mandate requiring providers of video programming to ensure that their programming is accessible to people with hearing and vision disabilities. Section 713 of the Act req uires the Commission to report to Congress on the current availability of closed-captioned video programming, and to develop regulations promoting closed-captioning within 18 months of enactment of the 1996 Act. The Commission is also directed to conduct a study on the use of video description services for people with visual disabilities.
The DITF has taken a lead role in implementing the disability access sections of the 1996 Act. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) has primary responsibili ty for the implementation of Section 255, and WTB staffers have been working closely with DITF members and staff from the Common Carrier Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology. The Commission will be coordinating its efforts with those of the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) in developing equipment accessibility regulations, and the Commission will also initiate proceedings on accessible equipment and services in the summer of 1996.
The Cable
Services and Mass Media Bureaus have also worked closely
with the DITF as they implement the video programming requirements
of the 1996 Act. In fact, in anticipation of the new video programming
requirements, the DITF coordinated, with the Mass Media Bure
au,
the release of a historic Notice of Inquiry on closed-captioning
and
video description in December 1995. This Notice of Inquiry
has now become the basis of the Commission's implementation of
Section 713.
In March 1995, Chairman Hundt officially established the Disabilities Issues Task Force, and named himself to serve as Disab ilities Issues Commissioner. Speaking before the American Foundation for the Blind in Washington, D.C., Chairman Hundt remarked:
The Task Force will serve as a monitor and educator, ensuring that the interests and needs of the disability community are represented at the Commission and in industry. It will ensure a vigorous exchange of information from the disability community to the Bureaus, and vice versa. Working together, we can ensure that everyone has access to the information highway.
Karen Brinkmann, then Special Assistant to Chairman Hundt (now Associate Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau), was named the Acting Director of the Task Force.
In March, DITF representatives toured the AT & T "Tech Center of the Future," and visited several telecommunications relay service (TRS) centers, to get an up-close understanding of how telecommunications services and equipment can be designed to be accessible to people with disabilities.
The electromagnetic spectrum is a valuable national resource, and individuals with disabilities have a vested interest in Federal spectrum policies. One example of this interest is in the use of assistive listen ing devices (ALDs), also referred to as auditory assistance devices (AADs). ALDs are used by individuals with hearing disabilities to enhance their ability to hear spoken speech in public settings such as theaters and lecture halls. Some types of ALDs use radio frequencies to amplify and transmit sound to the user.
As the radio spectrum becomes increasingly crowded, users of ALDs are finding that sometimes these devices may be rendered useless by interference from other wireless systems. Many ALDs whi ch use the radio spectrum currently operate in the general 72 - 76 megahertz (MHz) band. These devices are currently used on an unlicensed basis.
The FCC is acutely aware of the potential for interference with ALDs. In April of 1995, the Commission re leased a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which proposes to create a new Low Power Radio Service that would include assistive listening devices. This NPRM proposes to allocate 30 new channels on a licensed basis, and the operation of these channels would be on a secondary, non-interference basis. Licensees would be required to cooperate in the selection of frequencies in order to reduce interference.
Delivering the keynote address at the Eleventh Annual Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. (TDI) Convention in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Chairman Hundt announced a "Top Ten List" of activities which the Commission could do to facilitate access to the Information Superhighway for pe ople with disabilities:
Telecommunications Relay S ervices (TRS) provides access to the voice telephone network for Americans with hearing and speech disabilities. Required by Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), TRS is currently offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in all 50 states, th e District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The DITF places a high priority on the Commission's oversight of the TRS program, which is one of the fastest-growing segments of the telecommunications industry.
On June 9, 1995, the C ommon Carrier Bureau released a Memorandum Opinion and Order in response to a complaint that the State of Arkansas' TRS program was not in compliance with the Commission's rules, because it failed to offer access to optional and discount calling plans and directory assistance services which were provided by local carriers. The Commission's Order held that TRS providers must provide access to such optional plans and directory assistance services, and found the Arkansas program to be in non-compliance. This Order confirmed the Commission's and the Disabilities Issues Task Force's strong belief that TRS must provide the greatest possible level of "functional equivalence" to the public telephone network, both in the types of services provided and in the rates charged for such services.
On July 26, 1995, Miss America 1995 Heather Whit estone, the nation's first Miss America with a disability, visited the FCC. Ms. Whitestone and Chairman Hundt joined together in the Commission Meeting Room to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the 2nd Anniv ersary of TRS services, which were required by Title IV of the ADA to be established on or before July 26, 1993. Ms. Whitestone and Chairman Hundt also participated in a live TRS call, to demonstrate to the public how easy TRS is to use, and how TRS provi des access to Americans with hearing and speech disabilities.
Also in July, Linda Dubroof, Deputy Chief of the Network Services Division, Common Carrier Bureau was named permanent Director of the Task Force. Linda's duties at the Network Services Divi sion (formerly Domestic Facilities Division) included the development of the Commission's TRS rules, and the implementation of the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (HAC Act).
The Commission's rules for the provision of Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) require TRS providers to be capable of handling any type of call normally provided to voice t elephone users, including coin sent-paid calls (such as calls made by depositing coins in a public telephone). Because of technical difficulties, the Commission initially suspended enforcement of the coin sent-paid requirement for two years, until July 26 , 1995.
As the end of the two-year suspension neared, industry representatives indicated that they still had no feasible solutions to the coin sent-paid problem. Industry representatives and representatives of consumers with hearing and speech disabil ities, accordingly, presented an interim plan to the Commission which was adopted in an Order on August 26, 1995. The Order suspends the coin sent-paid rules for another two years, until August 26, 1997, and directs carriers and TRS providers to implement an interim plan. The interim plan provides TRS users with access to pay phones during the suspension through the following means: (1) local TRS pay phone calls are to be provided free of charge; (2) toll TRS payphone calls are to be chargeable to calling cards and prepaid cards; and (3) the industry will provide outreach and education to TRS users about these interim payment methods. The industry will also present 12-month and 18-month status reports to the Commission. This ongoing process provides an ex ample of how the industry and consumers can work together, in consultation with the Commission, to resolve accessibility problems without having to resort to adversarial proceedings.
In September 1995, the DITF formed nine Working Groups. Each Working Group addresses a particular area of the telecommunications industry or Commission operations, and is assigned the duty of completing any Top Ten items whic h fall within its purview. The original nine Working Groups are:
Also, in February 1996, an ad hoc Working Group, the Telecommunications Act Working Group, was formed, and consists of DITF m embers working directly on rulemakings to implement the disability access sections of the 1996 Act.
The Commission has recognized that if it is to expect the enti ties which it regulates to comply with any accessibility standards, the Commission itself must take steps to ensure that its own internal processes and facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. In the past year, the Accessibility Working Gro up has made great inroads into improving overall FCC accessibility.
In a Public Notice released October 12, 1995, the Commision announced that all of its open meetings would be closed-captioned. Chairman Hundt echoed the goals of the DITF in this Publ ic Notice, stating "It is important that the Commission not only develop policies that ensure that communications serves all Americans, including those with disabilities, but that we follow our own policy advice by making our public meetings availabl e to the segment of the public with hearing disabilities." The Commission has also taken steps to ensure that sign language interpreters are provided for Commission meetings and special events.
The rapid pace of development in the telecommunications industry renders traditional forms of enforcement (i.e., fi ling complaints) impractical. By the time telecommunications equipment or new services reach consumers, accessibility cannot be "retrofitted" into the equipment or services without great expense.
Before the enactment of the 1996 Act, the dis ability community, the telecommunications industry and the Commission conducted ongoing, collaborative processes to ensure that telecommunications equipment and services are accessible to the greatest number of users, disabled and not disabled, from the d esign and manufacturing stage. This concept of "universal design" is changing the way in which the industry and the Commission view issues of disability access to telecommunications. In February 1996, Congress and the President embraced the prin ciple of universal design and codified it into law, in Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Chairman Hundt delivered remarks at the WID/Trace Center/WGBH-Boston Universal Design Forum at the U.S. Department of Commerce, stating, among o ther things, that:
One of the Task Force's most important objectives is to urge companies
to get it right at the design stage. That is, we want to educate
companies to the necessity, and to the social and financial benefits
of universal design right
from the start. . . . Including universal
access principles during the design phase avoids costly retrofitting
or expensive auxiliary devices. It permits persons with disabilities
to take full advantage of advances in technology and services
such as PCS,
the Internet, e-mail and electronic banking.
Cable industry representatives meet with disability community
and DITF representatives to resolve issues regarding the Emergency
Alert System
(EAS), October 1995
The Commiss
ion is currently undertaking proceedings to replace
the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), which was established in
1963 by President Kennedy, with the new Emergency Alert System
(EAS). EAS is a national system which is used to deliver emergency
messages t
hrough television broadcasts and cable systems. EAS
can be used to provide nationwide early-warning of national emergencies,
and can also be used by regional, State, county, and local authorities
to provide emergency information to specific communities.
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As with other emergency services, the Commission recognizes that
it is essential to ensure that EAS is accessible to persons with
disabilities. In October of 1995, therefore, the DITF and Commission
staff from the Cable Services and Compliance and Info
rmation Bureaus
organized a meeting between cable industry representatives and
representatives of people with hearing disabilities, so that technical
issues regarding EAS access could be discussed among the parties.
Having all parties sit at the same tabl
e was a crucial step towards
a proactive resolution, and the Commission is confident that a
consensus solution to some difficult accessibility issues posed
by EAS will be reached in the near future.
Commission completes negotiated rulemaking and relea
ses Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking on wireline hearing aid compatibility
and volume control, November 1995
The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (HAC Act) requires the FCC to take steps to ensure that all essential w ireline telephones are compatible with hearing aids. The HAC Act also requires that all telephones manufactured or imported for use in the U.S. after August, 1989 must be hearing aid compatible.
The Commission has implemented most of the HAC Act. Com mission regulations which would have required all workplace telephones, telephones in confined settings (i.e., hospitals and nursing homes), and hotel and motel telephones, however, were suspended in April 1993 by the Commission. This action was taken in light of mounting protests from various industry representatives.
In 1995, the Common Carrier Bureau formed a nineteen-member Hearing Aid Compatibility Negotiated Rulemaking Committee to resolve this controversy. Members of this Committee were select ed from the telecommunications industry, other industries affected by the rules, and representatives of consumers with hearing and speech disabilities, to ensure that all interested parties were represented in this proceeding. After an intense negotiating schedule, the Committee reached full consensus on all work items and presented its Report to the Commission in August of 1995, recommending rules to replace the suspended rules. The Committee also recommended that the Commission explore the feasibility o f requiring all telephones manufactured or imported for use in the U.S. to contain volume controls. In November 1995, the Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopting the recommendations of the Committee.
The success of the HAC Negoti ated Rulemaking Committee represents the type of collaborative approach which is becoming the most effective means of resolving accessibility issues in the Information Age. Former adversaries - who had fought over these rules long and hard for nearly fift een years - were able to come to the bargaining table and reach agreement on solutions to this controversial issue.
Video programming is perhaps our nation's most powerful and most pervasive communications medium. For many years, the Commission has recognized the value that closed-captioning provides for television viewers with hearing disabilities. In 197 6, the Commission adopted rules providing that Line 21 of the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) of the television signal would be primarily used for the transmission of closed-captions. In 1991, to implement the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, th e Commission adopted regulations requiring that all televisions manufactured or imported for use in the U.S. with screens of over 13 inches must contain internal circuitry for decoding closed-captions.
The Commission has also long recognized the treme ndous market demand for captioned video programming, not only among people with hearing and speech disabilities, but also as an educational tool for improving child and adult literacy, and a tool for learners of English as a second language. The Commissio n has also recognized that closed-captioning has many other ancillary benefits, i.e., it allows for the viewing of television in noisy environments, and it allows older Americans who are losing their hearing to continue their enjoyment of television. The Commission has also been studying the provision of video descriptions for people with visual impairments, a technique which uses the Second Audio Program (SAP) channel to insert narrative descriptions of actions occurring on the television screen in the n atural pauses of the program dialogue.
Video programming in the twenty-first century will truly be a new frontier of possibility and growth. New technologies, such as Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) and advanced digital television (ATV) hold great p romise, and we are also witnessing the convergence of cable, telephony and computer technology into one integrated video-voice-data medium. One of the primary goals of the Disabilities Issues Task Force is to ensure that people with disabilities are not d enied access to new video technologies. In this spirit, Chairman Hundt addressed a WGBH-Boston/U.S. Department of Education symposium on closed-captioning in December 1995, in New York City entitled Captioning: The New Frontier. Chairman Hundt announced t he release of a Notice of Inquiry on closed-captioning and video description, and stated:
The public interest, which is the guiding principle of the FCC, requires equal access to the information superhighway for all Americans. We have no higher respo nsibility, and no greater calling, than making sure people with disabilities share in the communications revolution. . . .Through forging cooperation between public and private interests, we can ensure that all of us have the ability to travel the informa tion superhighway as it leads to the New Frontier.
In conjunction with Chairman Hundt's remarks at Captioning: The New Frontier, the Commission released a historic Notice of Inquiry seeking comment on the availability of closed-captioning and video description, whether and to what extent closed-captioning and video description should be required, an d the impact of new technologies such as ATV on the provision of closed-captioning and video description.
The Commission and the Disabilities Issues Task Force released this Notice of Inquiry in anticipation of upcoming requirements for closed-captio ning and video description in landmark telecommunications reform legislation before Congress. On February 8, 1996, President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law, and Section 713 of this Act, for the first time in history, requires t he Commission to develop regulations promoting closed-captioning, and to study the availability of video description.
Personal Communications Services (PCS) represent the next generation of wireless communications. As opposed to traditional analog cellular telephones, PCS systems can utilize digital transmission methods to deliver a variety of services through the electromagnetic spectrum, including voice telephony, paging, and voice mail. PCS services are the latest step in the continuing shift from "point-to-point" com munications to true "person-to-person" communications. The Commission has conducted several auctions of highly coveted radio spectrum for PCS licensees, raising billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury.
Consumers with hearing disabilities, however, have raised concerns that digital PCS devices create interference problems for hearing aid wearers, both users and bystanders, and are otherwise incompatible with hearing aids. In light of these concerns, the wireless services industry, telecomm unications equipment manufacturers, hearing aid manufacturers and consumer groups met at a Summit in Washington, D.C., in January 1996. They formed working groups, which since then have written technical reports evaluating this issue and proposing solutio ns. Also, the working groups have sponsored a number of tests to better understand this issue. The Commission expects to receive recommendations from the Steering Committee of this joint effort on April 30, 1996.
At the initial Summit meeting in Washi ngton which launched the joint effort, Chairman Hundt and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Chief Michelle Farquhar represented the FCC. In opening remarks, Chairman Hundt commented:
This country of ours is a country of dreamers and doers. The dream I have is that the FCC is going to do just what you conclude we should do. And I believe that all the dreams of everyone here can be accomplished if you work together in good faith and if you spend the time tackling the hard issues. . . .There should be n o issue about the willingness of everyone here to find solutions to the problem of compatibility. And I believe that there are no disputes about the willingness to find solutions. Because of that, I'm positive that you will find solutions.
The first year of the Disabilities Issues Task Force came full circle in March 199 6, when Chairman Hundt again appeared before the American Foundation for the Blind. Chairman Hundt and Senator Howell Heflin of Alabama, a long-time advocate for persons with visual disabilities, were honored with the Helen Keller Outstanding Public Servi ce Award at the Washington National Cathedral. Accepting this honor on behalf of the Commission and the Disabilities Issues Task Force, Chairman Hundt remarked:
I'm sure that if Helen Keller were here today, she would be faxing me, knocking on my door , or walking the FCC hallways advocating for equality for all persons with disabilities. And I'd be happy to see her. I'd like your advice as to how we can best implement the new telecommunications law. We need your input now more than ever. Give us some guidance. Tell us how we can do things right. We aim to give everyone the tools to help them reach their goals.
The Public Affairs working group of the DITF has constructed a "Disabilities Home Page" on the FCC World Wide Web (WWW) page. In addition to timely information on Commission rulemakings impacting disability access, and links to a ll Commission documents and information, the Disabilities Home Page contains information about the Task Force, frequently asked questions (FAQs) about disability issues, and monthly "hot topics."
A Notice of Inquiry is scheduled for June of 1996, as part of the Commission's continuing obligation to monitor the provision of Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) and ensure that TRS takes advantage of current technology and n etwork capabilities. The Commission views TRS as an evolving and flexible program, which should never become "entrenched" into one type of technology, but should constantly move towards the goal of functionally equivalent access to the telephone network by persons with hearing and speech disabilities. The Notice of Inquiry will focus on: video relay interpreting (VRI), which uses PC video conferencing equipment and ISDN lines so that people who are deaf can use the relay service in their natural mode of communication (i.e., sign language or lipreading); speech-to-speech relay services, for people with severe speech disabilities and voice synthesizer users; and multilingual TRS services. Comment on other ways to improve TRS will also be requested .
The Commission is also considering the use of an abbreviated dialing code, or N11 code, a three-digit code that would access all nationwide TRS centers.
Th e Telecommunications Act of 1996 contains historic universal service requirements which will benefit all Americans. These provisions seek to ensure that, among other things, low-income populations, customers in rural, insular and high-cost areas, and heal th care facilities will be able to obtain essential telecommunications services at just, reasonable and affordable rates. The 1996 Act also contains language which is geared at networking America's classrooms and libraries at discounted rates, which would provide a crucial educational "jump-start" into the twenty-first century. All of these provisions have potential benefits for people with disabilities, as well as the general population.
Pursuant to the 1996 Act, a Federal-State Joint Board has been convened to lay out the parameters of universal service, and the Commission's Common Carrier Bureau has initiated a rulemaking on universal service. The Joint Board will be making many important decisions, such as what services must be provided through universal service, what are "affordable rates," and what support mechanisms should be used to fund universal service. The Disabilities Issues Task Force also will work with the Commission's newly created Education Task Force, to ensure t hat the needs of students with disabilities are addressed in the Commission's educational initiatives.
In 1995-96, the Commission dramatically increased the availabil ity of FCC information and dockets through its World Wide Web (WWW) Home Page on the Internet. The FCC Home Page has grown explosively over the past year, and nearly every Bureau and Office makes its documents and press releases accessible via the Interne t. The Internet provides instant access for persons with disabilities, and transcends many architectural and communication barriers historically encountered by persons with disabilities in their efforts to obtain timely information from Federal agencies.
The Internet, and graphical user interface (GUI) software in general, however, are not always "user-friendly" for people with visual disabilities. The Commission, therefore, has been gathering input from members of the blind and visually-im paired communities to ensure that its electronic information resources, to the maximum extent possible, afford access to people with visual disabilities. Furthermore, DITF members and staff from the Commission's Office of the Managing Director (OMD) have been consulting with Commission document contractors and Reference Room staff on how to provide docket information in accessible formats. The Commission will make every effort to ensure that all Americans, disabled or non-disabled, can obtain information they need from the Commission and its contractors, so that all segments of the public will have an equal opportunity to participate in Commission proceedings.
DITF members and OMD staff have also been conducting an intensive survey of Commission offic es and facilities for accessibility, with the intent to develop and publish a formal "Accessibility Handbook" for the use of all Commission staff. The availability of TTYs has been inspected, as well as the physical accessibility of Commission b uildings and parking garages. The Commission has received considerable input from all segments of the disability population, and other Federal agencies, on how it can make its facilities and resources more accessible.
Finally, the Commission plans to develop a video to educate Commission staff about disability access issues and about disability-related initiatives which the Commission has undertaken. In addition to interviews with Working Group leaders, the video will also contain information and dem onstrations of technologies commonly used by persons with disabilities to achieve access to telecommunications, such as Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). This video is an important step in the Commission's continuing efforts to become the most &quo t;disabilities-friendly" Commission possible.
As the second year of the Disabilities Issues Task Force begins, the Commission is moving forward with the implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Implementation of the disability access sections of this Act - in particular, Section 255 (accessible equipment and services) and Section 713 (closed-captioning and video description) - will be the focus of the DITF's sophomore year. The Task Force looks forward to another highly productive year, and will continue its work towards "building bridges" between the disability community and the telecommunications industry.
Federal Communications Commission
Disabilities Issues Task Force
2000 M Street, Room 210
Washington D.C., 20002
Linda Dubroof, Director
ldubroof@
fcc.gov
(202) 418-2335 (voice)
Andy Firth, Legal Counsel
afirth@fcc.gov
(202) 418-2224 (TTY)
(202) 418-1898 (voice)
Sheryl Todd, Special Assistant
stodd@fcc.gov
(202) 418-2313 (voice)
Pam Gregory, Special
Assistant
pgregory@fcc.gov
(202) 418-0484 (TTY)
(202) 418-2498 (voice)
FCC World Wide Web Home Page: http://www.fcc.gov
For information on obtaining this document in alternative, accessible formats, please contact Pam Gregory or