Yesterday, October 8th, 2020, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). The CVAA, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 8, 2010, remains one of the greatest legislative achievements for Americans who are blind and visually impaired in the digital age.
On Facebook live, we welcomed leaders from our community, congress and the private sector who were instrumental in the passage of this landmark legislation. Our special guests included Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), his former Chief of Staff and President of Bayer Strategic Consulting Mark Bayer, Apple’s Director of Federal Government Affairs Tim Powderly, AERBVI’s acting Executive Director and ACB First Vice President Mark Richert, Executive Director of Perkins Library and ACB Past President Kim Charlson, Bay State Council of the Blind President Brian Charlson, and ACB’s Executive Director Eric Bridges. Acclaimed musician Stevie Wonder created an exclusive video for our event, which you can access by visiting https://youtu.be/DiaoBxu-FrA. We shared this video over Twitter, which was then retweeted by Apple CEO Tim Cook. To view his tweet, visit: https://tinyurl.com/y442vjyb. During the Facebook live event, our guests reflected on the power of collaboration, the progress made over the past ten years, and what opportunities rest just over the horizon. To access the full video of our CVAA celebration, visit: https://youtu.be/ZH7wQ_yn6mY.
On this week’s episode of ACB Advocacy Update, ACB member Jesse Acosta shared his personal story and advocacy which helped lead to the passage of the CVAA, and Carl Richardson, co-Chair of the ACB Audio Description Project, shared where accessibility and digital inclusion needs to go in the future. Listen to the episode online by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/y5njvhqf.
To read our press release in honor of the CVAA and those who collaborated to facilitate its passage, visit: https://acb.org/cvaa-celebrating-10-years. Senator Ed Markey, who authored the CVAA, also released a press release celebrating the anniversary of this legislation, which you can access by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/y2y658hy.
The CVAA stands as a testament to the power that comes when industry and advocates join together in a collaborative spirit. ACB looks forward to working with industry over the next decade to identify additional ways we can enhance the quality of life and inclusion for Americans with disabilities in this digital age.