TDI eNotes November 1, 2012 – TDI Shares Advice From FCC after Hurricane Sandy
We’re forwarding a message we received from the Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI). We believe this information is useful and want to share this with our members. With sincere thanks to TDI for sending us this important message.
Our hearts at TDI goes out to our members and friends who were affected by the storms on the East Coast as well as those who experienced anxiety by a possible tsunami following an earthquake centered off the west coast of British Columbia.
As a public service, TDI want is passing along some advice to ensure that your communication needs remain accessible throughout your recovery as you work to get your lives back to normal. These tips should be saved as a reference for any future severe weather or disasters.
If your area has been declared a disaster zone, government officials are ready to work with you on your immediate needs, and to provide whatever assistance is necessary to help you deal with your loss.
Later, when circumstances permit, if you need assistance in filing a complaint addressing gaps in accessibility, or pointing out good practices that should be noticed and used by others, do email us at [email protected].
Thank you.
FCC DISABILITY RIGHTS OFFICE/CGB OFFERS COMMUNICATION GUIDANCE TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE SANDY
The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) offers the following information to individuals with disabilities seeking information and assistance during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy:
Phone Calls
According to an October 30, 2012 FEMA news release, the President declared major disasters for New York and New Jersey, making disaster assistance available to those in the heaviest hit areas affected by the storm. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties in New York and New Jersey can begin the disaster application process by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants who have a hearing or speech disability and use TTYs should call 1-800-462-7585 directly. If you do not use a TTY and are calling through any relay service or by voice, you can also access the following voice telephone number: 1-800-621-3362. These toll-free telephone numbers (provided by FEMA) will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.
If you have a hearing or speech disability, you also can use telecommunications relay services to make calls for assistance. In your local area, dial 711 to access these services by TTY or by voice. Alternatively, you can access IP Relay, IP Captioned Telephone or video relay services on line.
If you are trying to send someone a text message and it is not going through, wait 10 seconds before redialing a call. On many wireless handsets, to re-dial a number, you simply push “send” after you’ve ended a call to redial the previous number. If you do this too quickly, the data from the handset to the cell sites do not have enough time to clear before you’ve resent the same data. This contributes to a clogged network.
If you do not have electric power in your home, consider using your vehicle to charge cell phones or listen to news alerts on the car radio. But don’t try to reach your car if it is not safe to do so, and remain vigilant about carbon monoxide emissions from your car if it is a closed space, such as a garage.
Television, Radio and the Internet:
Tune-in to television, radio and the Internet (via your desktop or laptop computer, tablet or mobile phone) for important news alerts.
FCC rules require audio information about emergencies provided on television to be accompanied by visual information for persons with hearing disabilities. This is typically provided through closed captions, so please make sure you have your captions turned on.
If you have a visual disability, emergency information provided during televised news programming must be provided in an audio format along with its visual format. If you are watching regularly scheduled (non-news) programming and hear tones or beeps, this signifies that emergency information is being provided. Turn on your radio or call someone to get up-to-date information about the emergency that is occurring.
The Commission will continue to monitor closely complaints alleging violations of our laws requiring access to emergency information on television, and will review for possible enforcement action. If you have a complaint regarding the lack of emergency information being presented in an accessible format, you may contact your video programming distributor directly for quick resolution of the problem (you can locate VPD contact information by searching the VPD Registry located on the FCC’s webpage at: http://esupport.fcc.gov/vpd-search/search.action) or you may file a complaint with the FCC.
Complaining to the FCC:
If you decide to complain directly to the FCC, your complaint should include:
The name of the VPD (e.g., broadcast station, cable company, satellite TV provider, local telephone company) against whom the complaint is alleged;
The date and time of the transmission of emergency information that was in a format not accessible to persons with disabilities; and the type of emergency.
You can file your complaint with the FCC using the on-line complaint Form 2000C found at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/form2000c.html.
You also may contact the FCC by letter, facsimile transmission, telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, audio-cassette recording, Braille, or any other method that would best accommodate your disability. Send your complaint to:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
Phone: 1-888-225-5322 (voice);
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html?
Fax: 1-866-418-0232
More Information:
Fact sheets summarizing the closed captioning and access to emergency information
rules are available at the FCC’s Web site at
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/closedcaption.html,
and
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/emergencyvideo.html.
Find more information on being prepared at http://www.Ready.gov, http://www.redcross.org, or http://www.fema.gov.
About Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc.: Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) is a consumer advocacy organization that provides leadership in achieving equal access to telecommunications, media, and information technologies for 36 million Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing. TDI publishes the TDI World quarterly magazine and the annual TDI National Directory & Resource Guide, also known as the Blue Book. TDI administers the E911 Stakeholder Council, an ad-hoc group dedicated to increasing access to 9-1-1 and other emergency services, as well as the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN). In odd numbered years, TDI hosts a biennial conference where consumers, industry leaders and government officials gather to discuss accessibility trends in technology. For more information about TDI and to support its work, go to http://www.TDIforAccess.org.