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A New Beginning VOLUME 40, NO. 3 ■ FALL 2009 WORLD Technology News and Commentary for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People A New Beginning NETWORKING RECOGNITION In the Nation’s Story begins on page 10 Capital PROGRAM ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED SERVICE ADDRESS ALSO INSIDE: 2009 TDI Awards See page 28 Dr. James Marsters See page 30 Permit No. 163 No. Permit Dulles, VA Dulles, 20910-3822 PAID Silver฀Spring,฀Maryland฀฀ U.S. Postage U.S. 8630฀Fenton฀Street฀•฀Suite฀604 Non-Profi t Org. t Non-Profi TDI TDI WORLD 1 TDI’S MISSION “TDI provides leadership in achieving equal access to telecommunications, media, and information technologies for deaf and hard of hearing people.” WORLD Volume 40, Number 3 FEATURE ARTICLES Summer 2009 Editor-in-Chief: Claude Stout Managing Editor: James House Advertising: Chad Metcalf Publication Production: Electronic Ink A New Beginning in the Nation’s Capitol .................................................................................................pg 10 TDI BOARD OF DIRECTORS NORTHEAST REGION 2009 TDI Awards ...........................................................................................................................................pg 28 Phil Jacob (NJ) [email protected] TDI Mourns the Passing of TTY Pioneer, Dr. James Marsters ............................................................pg 30 SOUTHEAST REGION Fred Weiner (MD), Vice President NEWS FLASH! (Senate Introduces Companion Bill to H.R. 3101) ......................................................pg 29 [email protected] MIDWEST REGION Stephanie Buell (WI) [email protected] REGULAR COLUMNS CENTRAL REGION Rebecca Rosenthal (KS) [email protected] WEST REGION Judy Viera (CA) BOARD VIEWS by Dr. Roy Miller, TDI President .......................................................................pg 2 [email protected] Washington: Where Access Begins MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Dr. Roy E. Miller, President [email protected] CAPITOL COMMENTARY by Claude Stout, TDI Executive Director .......................................pg 4 Joe Duarte, Treasurer [email protected] Staying in Touch with the Rest of the World Carol Sliney, Secretary [email protected] ACCESSIBLE TECH by James House, TDI World Editor ..........................................................pg 8 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Claude฀Stout฀•฀[email protected] HR #3101 – What’s in It For You? PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR James฀House฀•฀[email protected] TDI IN ACTION July–August 2009 ..............................................................................................pg 32 CEPIN PROGRAM DIRECTOR TDI Membership Form ..................................................................................................................pg 36 Neil฀McDevitt฀•฀[email protected] ADVERTISING MANAGER & MEMBER SERVICES OFFICER Chad฀Metcalf฀•฀[email protected] BUSINESS MANAGER Thanks to these Advertisers: Scott฀Recht฀•฀[email protected] EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Purple฀(inside฀front฀cover)฀•฀At&t฀Relay฀(pg.฀5)฀•฀Ultratec฀(pg.฀7)฀•฀BlackBerry฀(pg.฀11)฀•฀Sprint฀Relay฀(pg.฀15) Gloria฀Carter฀•฀[email protected] Verizon฀(pg.฀17)฀•฀maryland฀Relay฀(pg.฀6)฀•฀ZVRS฀(pg.฀34) hamilton฀Relay฀(pg.฀35)฀•฀At&t฀(pg.฀36)฀•฀Snap!VRS฀(inside฀back฀cover)฀•฀Sorenson฀(back฀cover) TDI 8630 Fenton Street - Suite 604 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3822 www.tdi-online.org - www.cepintdi.org Contact TDI WORLD Managing Editor for reprints of articles in PDF format. TELEPHONES: Voice: .......................................................301-589-3786 TDI WORLD is published quarterly by TDI to provide information about telecommunications, media Video: .....................71.166.174.51 or 301-563-9112 and information technology access for people who are deaf, late-deafened, hard of hearing and deaf- TTY: .........................................Toll Free 888-202-1120 blind. You may freely copy and distribute all or portions of TDI WORLD for non-commercial use with credit FAX: ......................................................... 301-589-3797 given to TDI. TDI has no affi liation with any company advertised, and the mention of company names, TDI eNotes products฀and฀services฀in฀the฀articles฀herein฀comes฀solely฀from฀the฀authors’฀own฀experiences฀and฀does฀ To subscribe to , send an email to [email protected] not imply accuracy nor endorsement by TDI. Furthermore, TDI does not warrant any products or services mentioned in TDI WORLD to be in compliance with any applicable federal, state or local disability access laws and regulations or industry standards. 2 TDI WORLD Board฀Views Washington: Where Access Begins BY DR. ROY MILLER TDI President he 18th TDI Biennial analog landline telecommunications International Conference network to a digital world built T was held at the Renaissance around the Internet. The session Mayflower Hotel in Washington, also included the presentation of the HR 3101 is a bill that DC last summer, and it’s theme was TDI 2009 Karen Peltz-Strauss Public appropriately “Washington: Where Policy awards to Representative would amend the Access Begins.” Honoring that theme, Edward Markey from Massachusetts TDI was able to do something at this (sponsor of HR 3101) and Senator Communications Act past Conference that had never been John McCain for their many years of done – at least not to the knowledge legislative service to improve access for to add new consumer of present Board members. It took Americans with hearing loss. advantage of the Conference location After the award presentations and to engage in its principal activity, panel presentations concluded, TDI protections that will namely to put “boots on the ground” and an army of supporters broke and advocate for improved access for into eight advocacy teams to visit ensure that people deaf and hard of hearing people. the offices of twenty-four of the The Conference opened on Wednesday Representatives who are members with disabilities do night with a keynote speech by Mr. of the House Committee on Energy Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to and Commerce, the Committee to not get left behind the President for Disability Policy. which HR 3101 has been assigned. The opening ceremony was held on Each team was lead by a member of as telephones and Wednesday night to allow for a special the TDI Board of Directors, and at event on Capitol Hill the following each of the offices that they visited television programming morning. The Thursday morning they explained why HR 3101 was session was held in the Caucus Room needed in order to provide continued of the Cannon House Office Building, telecommunications and media increasingly rely on and featured a panel of experts and a access for deaf and hard of hearing panel of consumers explaining what Americans. So what would HR 3101 digital and Internet the 21st Century Communications and do, and why is it important enough for Video Accessibility Act of 2009 (HR TDI to dedicate half a day out of its Protocol (IP) 3101) was all about, and why it was Conference to advocate for its passage critically needed to ensure that people by Congress? technologies. with hearing loss do not get left behind as society marches away from an Continued on page 3 TDI WORLD 3 BOARD฀VIEWS฀Continued฀from฀page฀2 HR 3101 is a bill that would amend Today there are many smaller Currently only common carriers the Communications Act to add new size devices that display TV who use the Public Switched consumer protections that will ensure programming, such as PDAs, Telephone Network (PSTN) that people with disabilities do not computers, iPods, MP3 players, and VoIP service providers are get left behind as telephones and cell phones, DVD players, TIVO required to contribute to the television programming increasingly devices, and battery operated TVs. Interstate Relay Fund, but Internet rely on digital and Internet Protocol enabled relay services (such as 3. HR 3101 would require (IP) technologies. Some of the things VRS and IP relays) are rapidly that distributors of video that HR 3101 would do, if passed, growing. programming over the Internet and the reasons why these new legal pass through closed captioning requirements are needed, are as To ensure a healthy Interstate that is already covered by the follows: Relay Fund, and the continuance FCC’s closed captioning rules. of relay services for people with 1. HR 3101 would extend FCC hearing loss, it is essential that all requirements to ensure that When TV networks re-run their Internet enabled relay services people who have a disability and TV programs over the Internet, contribute to the Fund. use relay services can use those those programs would have to be services to communicate with captioned to the same extent that These are just some of the provisions of other people who have disabilities, they are required to be captioned HR 3101 and reasons why its passage that is, connect one form of relay on TV. is important for deaf and hard of service to another form of relay hearing people. TDI is working with service. When websites like Hulu run TV the Coalition of Organizations for shows over the Internet, those Accessible Technologies (COAT) in Today the FCC interprets shows would have to be captioned its efforts to get HR 3101 enacted into current law to only allow relay to the same extent that they are law. But we need all the help we can conversations between people required to be captioned on TV. get! What can you do? Contact your with disabilities and people U.S. Representative and urge him or 4. HR 3101 would require easy without disabilities.
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