21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act Signing Ceremony
By Cheryl Heppner
Friday, October 8, 2010 was a beautiful sunny day in Washington, D.C. where
I shared the high spirits of many advocates for the rights of individuals
who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, blind, and visually impaired. It
was a day of joy as we witnessed the President of the United States make
official a landmark new law with his signature.
This law requires certain 21st century technology to become accessible to
us. The deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind community can look forward to
the law’s requirement that new television programs that are being shown
online have closed captions. Television remote controls will have to allow
easy access to closed captioning on both broadcast and pay television.
Telephones that are used to make calls over the Internet must be hearing aid
compatible. Individuals who are both deaf and blind and who have low incomes
will benefit from a fund of up to $10 million per year for purchasing
communication equipment that gives access to the telephone system and
Internet.
Those of us invited to the signing had the pleasure of sharing the day with
advocates celebrating the passage of “Rosa’s Law” which had been signed by
the President earlier in the week. This law amends the language in all
federal health, education and labor laws to remove the word “mentally
retarded” and use “intellectual disability” in its place.
After working in the office Friday morning, I arrived in D.C. before noon.
Hearing dog Galaxy and I walked from a parking garage across the city’s
lovely streets to join the queue of invitees at the entrance to the White
House grounds. As the line slowly moved along, I mingled with a charming
group of people with intellectual disabilities and their family members, and
then spoke briefly with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman
Julius Genachowski, who followed me in line. I’d seen Chairman Genachowski
receive the prestigious Metcalfe Digital Opportunity Award the previous
evening at the One Economy 10th anniversary gala at the Newseum. I was
pleased that One Economy also gave framed awards to recognize the
contributions of a large number of individuals on the outstanding FCC team
that crafted the National Broadband Plan.
Sigrid Cerf, a long-time NVRC supporter, was a good two dozen people ahead
of me line, standing out in her gorgeous blouse of cobalt blue. I was
thrilled that she left her place in line to come back and trade news with me
as I crept along.
The White House takes security very seriously. We passed through at least
six and possibly seven security checkpoints. At each we were required to
show a driver’s license, and as we were reaching the White House a security
checkpoint also had a belt scanner for screening possessions and a gate for
checking bodies. Everything went smoothly for me until the scanner part,
where the officer screening possessions asked if I had a knife in my purse.
You could have knocked me over with a feather! A check of the contents of my
purse put that to rest, but I am still puzzled by how that knife-like shape
showed up on the screen. I give an enthusiastic A+ to the security team on
duty at the White House that day. They were the perfect mix of both
professional and gracious, and I hope the TSA will emulate them.
After entering the White House, Sigrid, a woman who knows her way around,
led me to the ladies’ room. When we emerged to resume our walk forward, I
recognized the familiar build, hair and dark glasses of the man walking
ahead of us, Stevie Wonder, and thought “how cool is this?”
We entered a hall full of fellow advocates waiting to enter the room where
the President would make his remarks and sign our document. What a din there
was! The people who could sign were fortunate. Everyone else had to shout
over each other and the lovely music being played on the hall’s grand piano.
I spotted organization representatives Claude Stout and Jim House of
Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc., Rosaline Crawford
and Nancy Bloch of National Association of the Deaf, Al Sonnenstrahl, and
Barbara Raimondo.
Also in the crowd were Ken Harrenstien of Google, Larry Goldberg of WGBH,
Heather York of VITAC, Mark Golden of National Court Reporters Association,
Ann West Bobeck of National Association of Broadcasters, and several
individuals on the staff of the Consumer Electronics Association or
representing industry supporters. Yvette Mattiello was smiling broadly while
multitasking by interpreting while taking photos. In the extended hug fest
as I worked my way around the hall, I somehow lost Sigrid.
Eventually I entered the room that was our final destination and found
seating where I could watch the captions on a flat screen TV at the front of
the room while the President made his remarks. I was in the seat at the far
left of the front row, center section, with just enough empty space for
Galaxy on the floor next to me. I happily parked there with Joe Gordon of
New York, and Hearing Loss Association of America’s Brenda Battat and Lise
Hamlin. Jamie Berke, who worked hard on passage of the bill with our
Virginia legislators and others, came to sit next to me in her bright red
suit, making us Team Virginia.
When President Obama strode to the podium, his first order of business was
to recognize the legislators who guided the laws – Senators Pryor, Markey,
Rockefeller, Mikulski, Conrad and Dorgan, and Representative Henry Waxman.
He also recognized FCC Chairman Genachowski, a former classmate and long
time friend, as well as Stevie Wonder.
Next the President talked about Rosa’s Law and recognized Rosa and her
family. He quoted her brother Nick’s words – “What you call people is how
you treat them. If we change the words, maybe it will be the start of a new
attitude toward people with disabilities.”
Moving on to the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act,
President Obama said the law would make it easier “to do what many of us
take for granted, from navigating a TV or DVD menu to sending an email on a
smart phone.”
“Together we put in place one of the most important updates to the ADA in 20
years by prohibiting disability-based discrimination by government entities
and private businesses and by updating accessibility standards.”
Jamie and I were seated directly in front of the table where President Obama
signed the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. I
enjoyed watching him do it with several different pens. He is extremely
skilled at that part of his job.
Following the ceremony, President Obama spent a little time posing for
official photos and he also came off the podium to shake the hands of a
number of people. I enjoyed being one of them.
Rosa Marcellino and her sister asked if they could pet Galaxy, and I gave
Galaxy a command so she could go to them for some TLC. I wish I had a video
to capture the kind and gentle way they petted her and how she leaned toward
them with a look of complete bliss.
As Jamie and I worked our way back through the White House, I had a chance
to take a closer look at the surroundings. Something new was the display of
White House photos that graced the wall along one hallway. Within large
frames, several photos on a common theme were grouped, such as Presidents
with their dogs. One photo that caught my attention was in a group with a
dance theme. It showed an exuberant John Travolta and Princess Diana taking
a spin together on the dance floor. You can find a similar photo on
Wikipedia at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Travolta_and_Princess_Diana.jpg
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(c)2010 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Persons (NVRC), 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, VA 22030;
http://www.nvrc.org; 703-352-9055 V, 703-352-9056 TTY, 703-352-9058 Fax.