Assistive Technology

June 2013 — The Federal Communications Commission has settled with Airadigm Communications and TeleGuam Holdings following investigations into lack of compliance with hearing aid compatibility rules.

June 2013 — The Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report entitled Proposed Procedures for the TTY as a text terminal in legacy 9-1-1 PSAPs without IP Connection, which outlines the use of TTY terminals as a text-to-911 interim solution for Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) without IP connectivity.  The report highlights that TTY may lack some capabilities often used in SMS text messages.  For example, TTY messages have a limited set of characters available for use, are unable to use both upper and lowercase let

June 2013 — The New Mexico Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NMCDHH) released the final report on results from their iPad Pilot Project.  The project arose from a recognition of the decreasing number of requests for telecommunications equipment although hearing disabilities as the third fastest growing disability, at the same time as an increased demand for more mainstream and wireless devices.

Speaking at the M-Enabling Summit on June 6, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced that Sprint’s new LG Optimus F3 smartphone will be preloaded with TalkBack, Google’s accessibility app for the blind and visually impaired. Unlike other smartphones that require downloading and activation of Talkback, the Optimus F3 begins providing voice guidance to help with activation and setup as soon as the user powers up the phone.

June 10, 2013 — The FCC released a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Matter of Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program and Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities [CG Docket No. 10-51 and 03-123].