Proposed legislation in Congress would require consumer electronics, entertainment and communications industries to make their technologies accessible to blind and deaf consumers. And Standing Rock Telecom launches this month and becomes the first tribally owned wireless communications company in the United States.
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Proposed legislation in Congress would require consumer electronics, entertainment and communications industries to make their technologies accessible to blind and deaf consumers. And Standing Rock Telecom launches this month and becomes the first tribally owned wireless communications company in the United States.
Transcript
Media Minutes
Show Date: 8-20-10
Producers: Stevie Converse, Candace Clement
& Megan Tady
TRANSCRIPT
New Legislation Closes Digital Divide for Blind, Deaf
We often think about the digital divide in terms of people who don’t have Internet access. But what about the folks who can’t access new digital devices and technology because of sensory disabilities? Millions of blind and deaf Americans are being left out of the digital age as technology evolves and society demands a connection.
But a new bill traveling through Congress could help. The legislation, introduced in the House by Rep. Ed Markey, would mandate that consumer electronics, entertainment and communications industries make their technology accessible to blind and deaf consumers. It would, for instance, allow blind consumers to purchase smartphones with built-in speech software that helps them to surf the Net. And it...
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