“Every subject area in this Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) is of vital importance to the disability community across the United States. We urge the Department to move ahead with each area of rulemaking independently as it is able, and not allow time delays in one area to hold up rulemaking on the other issues raised in this ANPRM, and in all of the ANPRMs issued by the Department in July 2010. ”
“in a world that each day becomes more and more virtual, any delay in implementing meaningful web accessibility regulations will further exclude people with disabilities from full and equal access to this critical part of today’s economic, public, educational and social mainstream”
Access to wireless communication is extremely limited for the blind, but we believe the disability community, FCC, manufacturers, and service providers can work together to ensure that the blind and deaf-blind have access to fully accessible, affordable wireless phones.
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act (Affirmative Action for People with Disabilities by Federal Contractors) has never had real affirmative action requirements – previously it only required nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodations. BBI supports the improved changes in the ANPR including those that would require hiring goals, accessible employment-related websites and application systems, targeted recruitment, etc.
The bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform was created by President Obama to identify policies, to improve the fiscal situation in the short term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long term for the US Government. The 18 member Commission is charged with examining the growth of entitlement spending, the gap between projected revenues and expenditures of the federal government and options to promote better fiscal responsibility.
As CEO of the Burton Blatt Institute, Michael Morris will share recommendations to stimulate cost savings through the transformation of key federal programs into systems that promote work, savings, and asset building among citizens with disabilities. Proposals to be shared include needed parity in tax law to encourage savings by families with a member with a disability and changes to Social Security and Medicaid, which would allow individuals with the most significant disabilities to be encouraged to increase work, save, and advance their economic self-sufficiency.
Testimony | Summary | Inside SU
To address decision that there is no private right of action to enforce ADA Title II regulations and that equipment, such as voting machines, are not covered by ADA physical accessibility requirements.
Emphasis on need to include requirements for accessibility of Health Information Technology (IT) to people with disabilities – Neither U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services nor Office of National Coordinator current proposals include accessibilty requirements.
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