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The Washington Connection 10-29-24

Welcome to the Washington Connection, the legislative and information service of the American Council of the Blind. The Washington Connection is brought to you by the ACB national office. If you have any questions or comments on the information provided, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask to speak with Swatha Nandhakumar.

The Washington Connection is updated any time we have new information to share with you. The following articles are available as of October 29, 2024. All 8 messages are new.

Thank you for calling the Washington Connection.

Summary of the October 2024 Meeting of the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee

 

On October 18, 2024, the Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met for one of its regularly scheduled meetings with the entire committee composed of advocates, government representatives, and industry representatives from across the country. Claire Stanley, ACB’s Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, attended as a member of the DAC. The Committee overviewed three reports that had been put together by established subcommittees. The three reports were presented to the Committee and successfully voted into the record by the DAC. ACB specifically assisted on one of the reports that explored communications accessibility for video games. ACB participated on the subcommittee over the last year or so and helped draft the report. A recording of the whole meeting can be found online. ACB was excited to see it accepted by the DAC. The meeting also examined topics that can be addressed in the new DAC session that will begin in December of 2024. ACB has submitted an application to once again serve on the DAC for the next two-year session.

 

Introduction to Accessibility & Training Services

 

You may have heard that ACB is starting an Accessibility & Training Services program. This new initiative will include multiple elements: assessment of websites & mobile applications; remediation of inaccessible components; monitoring of digital content; training on various topics; usability studies; and surveys for our members.

The usability studies and surveys will provide opportunities for compensation to our members who choose to respond and are qualified for the specific project being done. ACB will collaborate with different entities to bring important work to our members; from pharmaceutical studies to technology to entertainment and more. If you are interested in the opportunity being offered, please respond to that particular outreach. If you do not have any interest, by all means just delete those emails!

My commitment to you is that we will do our due diligence on the organizations we present to you to ensure they are providing accessible formats for engaging as well as being professional operations. This Accessibility & Training Services is a great opportunity for us to provide more support to our members and gain a new source of revenue for ACB while also giving our members ways to obtain compensation. We have valuable knowledge as individuals living the experience of blindness or low vision and it is time we demonstrate that value by receiving compensation for the information we have gained.

All my best,
Scott Thornhill
Executive Director

 

ACB Collaborating with Global Perspectives, Seeking Patients with Advanced Dry AMD

 

The American Council of the Blind is collaborating with Global Perspectives, an IQVIA business, which specializes in recruiting patients for scientific studies. They are launching a new non-interventional study on Geographic Atrophy (advanced dry AMD).

The purpose of this study is to understand patients’ views and preferences related to treatments for advanced dry AMD (age-related macular degeneration), also known as geographic atrophy (GA), including some that are in development. No treatments will be administered in this study; we are only interested in opinions. In order to ensure people with advanced dry AMD can participate, a virtual moderator will complete the survey on behalf of participants. The moderator will screen share to show the survey with a large font size, which can be increased, or they can read study materials aloud.

As compensation for your time, you would receive $75 if you are eligible and complete the 40-minute online survey.

If possible, you are encouraged to provide confirmation of diagnosis (e.g., letter from your physician, proof of treatment for GA, or any other documentation confirming you have GA), for which we will provide an additional $50. You can still participate if you do not have a confirmation of diagnosis. We have a letter that you can use to collect this confirmation of diagnosis from your physician.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with advanced dry AMD (age-related macular degeneration) and are interested in participating or would like more information about the study, please send an email to [email protected]. 

Please let the research team know that you have been referred by the American Council of the Blind for this study as we are collaborating on this project.

 

ACB Staffers at M-Enabling Summit of 2024

 

Several of ACB’s staff attended the M-Enabling Summit in October of 2024 to learn about new assistive technology and policies on such technology to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. The conference is put on each year by the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technology (G3ICT). G3ICT is a global nonprofit organization that was launched in December of 2006. It is composed of academics, industry, the public sector, and disability organizations. It works in collaboration with the United Nation’s Secretariat on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The M-Enabling Summit is a well-known conference where experts showcase new assistive technology and discuss new advancements in policy in technologies that can enhance the lives of people with disabilities. ACB staff attended sessions on issues such as how technology will enhance the lives of aging Americans, and the use of artificial intelligence in the development of new assistive technology. ACB forged new relationships with governmental officials and business leaders to further advocate for digital access for the blind and low-vision community.

 

DOT Announces $50 Million Penalty Against American Airlines for Serious Violations of the ACAA

 

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2024 — Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $50 million penalty against American Airlines for serious violations of the Air Carrier Access Act. DOT's investigation reviewed complaints filed against the airline between 2019 and 2023, including three sets of formal complaints filed by PVA. DOT determined AA violated the ACAA by mishandling wheelchairs and scooters; failed to provide prompt assistance in enplaning and deplaning; failed to provide adequate assistance in moving within terminals; failed to timely return passengers' wheelchairs and scooters; and failed to ensure personnel and contractors were trained to proficiency in providing aisle chair assistance. DOT's findings and consent order are posted online. The announcement is being covered by many major news networks and PVA also issued a statement.

The fines against AA are unprecedented. As part of the $50 million penalty, American will be required to pay $25 million to the U.S. Treasury. In addition, American will be credited $25 million for investments in equipment to reduce incidents of wheelchair damage; investments in a systemwide wheelchair tagging system to reduce incidents of wheelchair delay; deployment of hub control center employees to coordinate wheelchair handling on a centralized, systemwide basis at large airports; and compensation for affected passengers during the timeframe covered by DOT's investigation.

We appreciate everyone's continued advocacy to hold airlines accountable for ACAA violations and we will continue to advocate for additional protections for the safety and dignity of passengers with disabilities.

 

FCC Seeks Comment on Customer Service Experience, Including Accessibility

 

On October 23, the Federal Communications Commission launched a formal proceeding to review the quality of support that cable, broadband, satellite TV, and voice service providers give their customers. The Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeks information on current customer service practices. It aims to empower consumers to easily cancel subscriptions, talk to live customer service representatives, easily consent to or decline automatic service renewals, and improve the accessibility of customer service engagement, among other things.

The Commission seeks to build a public record on the current state of customer support and ways that the FCC can further protect families and businesses that rely on these critical services.

Specifically, the Commission seeks comment on:

  • Simple Cancellation – Providing more cancellation options and better disclosure of cancellation practices at the point of sale and on bills.
  • Automatic Renewal of Service – Ensuring providers obtain explicit customer consent for broadband and voice service providers before automatically renewing a service and/or increasing prices after a trial or promotional period expires.
  • Access to Live Representatives – Helping to avoid bouncing consumers from one call menu list to another in a time-consuming effort to obtain resolution.
  • Installation, Outage, and Service Calls – Extending cable operator installation, outage, and service call rules to also apply to satellite TV, voice, and broadband services.
  • Individuals with Disabilities – Improving the accessibility of customer service resources for individuals with disabilities.
  • Expanded Cable Customer Resources – Updating current cable operator customer service requirements to reflect marketplace and technology changes.

Additionally, the NOI explores whether to harmonize the FCC’s existing cable operator customer service rules with customer service requirements for voice, broadband, and Direct Broadcast Satellite (a.k.a. satellite TV) consumers.  The Notice is part of a broader government effort, “Time is Money,” to crack down on everyday headaches that waste our time and money.

For more information, visit https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-review-customer-support-offered-consumers.

 

Exercise Your Creativity and Help Make National Park Brochures Accessible

 

Join the 2025 Descriptathon and help make national parks more accessible! ACB, the National Park Service, and UniDescription (UniD) are recruiting volunteers to create audio descriptions for selected national park brochures. Teams are composed of people who are sighted and people on the blindness spectrum, all of whom will collaborate to describe maps, paintings, and visual images within park brochures. All meetings are held remotely, so you might find yourself learning about a park in your state or across the continent.

The Descriptathon will be a full-day event, taking place February 25-27, 2025 (volunteers are expected to attend all three days). Participants will likely spend ten hours of prep time in the five weeks before the kick-off on February 25 (approximately two hours a week). During this prep time, team members will learn about audio description, how to use the UniD tool to describe their brochure, and get to know their teammates. Four to six hours might be needed to finalize the brochure description after the three-day event. Volunteers should have solid computer skills and be comfortable learning new technology.

If this sounds great and you're ready to commit and join a team, please complete this short online form: D11 Registration form or email [email protected].

 

Know Your Rights on Election Day

 

November 5th is Election Day, and blind and low vision voters are entitled to an accessible, private, and independent voting experience. Legislation like the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Help America Vote Act mandate that voters needing assistance at the polling place receive assistance from the person of their choosing. The law also mandates that polling places have at least one accessible voting machine that provides large print ballot content and audio output for voters to use on site. Learn more about your rights for voting in person at www.acb.org/voting. You can also learn about other mandates for accessible voting experiences, including for absentee voting and voter registration, at www.acb.org/voting. To find out what accessibility options are offered in your state, including type of accessible voting machines used and how to use them, whether your state has electronic vote by mail, and other options for early voting and same-day registration at www.accessiblevoting.net.