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President Obama Expands Technology Access For Disabled

A bipartisan bill spearheaded by Representative Edward J. Markey will help blind and deaf people use smart phones, the internet, television and other technologies on a daily basis. The new law will improve the quality of  life for 25 million people who are blind and 35 million people who are hearing impaired. President Obama signed the bill into law with the help of a sign language interpreter and a large screen that that displayed the text of the presidents speech. The bill, signed into law last Friday will set new federal guidelines that will require:

• Making smartphone  interfaces easier to use
• Provide audible descriptions of on-screen action, making it easier for blind people to enjoy television
• Making captions mandatory for online tv programs to help the hearing impaired
• Ensuring that VOIP (internet phone calls) calls and equipment will be compatible with hearing aids
• Provide a dedicated button on remote controls that enable one touch access to closed captioning
• $10 million annually for low-income Americans who are both deaf and blind to use for purchasing accessible internet access

Currently some of these items are available but they come in the form of costly accessories or software and are generally not easy to use. Flanked in the East Room of the White House by lawmakers and singer Stevie Wonder (Wonder born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1950 was born blind due to a condition called Rethinopathy of the premature), Obama proclaimed the occasion as another step in guaranteeing equal access, opportunity and respect for all Americans. "It sets new standards so that Americans with disabilities can take advantage of the technology our economy depends on, and that's especially important in today's economy when every worker needs the necessary skills to compete for the jobs of the future," Obama said. Earlier in the week, Obama signed a bill that removes the phrase “mentally retarded” from all federal health, education, and labor laws. It replaces the phrase with “intellectual disability.”