A More Digital Deaf Community
Though early November is typically a time of political turnover, developments within the past month have no doubt put a smile on the faces of individuals in not only the deaf community but the blind community as well. Regardless of how one feels about Obama’s politics, the 44th President certainly took strides to reach out to millions of Americans who have suffered from hearing and or vision loss by signing into law new legislation that ensures equal technological opportunity, regardless of physical limitations.The Twenty-First Century Communication and Video Accessibility Act, as it is officially recognized, will require all smart phones, PDAs, TV programs, cable program guides and internet devices to have measures in place so that they can be equally accessible to both blind and deaf consumers. This will likely require the development of more specifically catered web browsers, alternative text messaging, among several other innovative changes that should reshape the technology consumer market. A momentous occasion considering the breadth of technology constantly infiltrating US society over the past decade and a half, many feared those with limited sight or hearing would soon be left behind as substandard skills in two major senses makes traditional uses of many apparatuses difficult. Fortunately, this is a step in the right direction, ensuring that the deaf community and the blind community will both continue to have a fair shake in the digital age.The bill first passed in the Senate in early August and the House in late September. Obama signed the bill into effect on October 8th.
