TDPH Monthly Newsletter

Dr. James White, Director of Communications Studies at Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy CACP and Wireless RERC researcher, authored a National Council on Disability (NCD) report: Effective Communication for People with Disabilities Before, During, and After Emergencies Evaluated.

In April, the Department of Justice reached a 10-year settlement agreement with the State of Rhode Island following investigations into the state’s day-activity service system for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In March, H&R Block entered into a five-year consent decree with the Department of Justice (DOJ) following complaints that H&R Block violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to ensure accessibility on their website and mobile applications.

In February, U.S. Representatives Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Mark Takano (D-CA) and Steve Stockman (R-TX) introduced a new bill, the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act [H.R. 4040], to enhance education for students with sensory disabilities. The bill would ensure children who are blind, have low vision or are deaf or hard of hearing are provided with proper evaluation of their educational needs and qualified teachers to meet those needs.

In January,The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Policy Statement Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) regarding the rollout of text-to-911. , the FCC urged Commercial Mobile Radio Service providers as well as providers of other text messaging services to enable text-to-911 for their consumers.