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US Justice Department Considering New APA Rules For Theaters, Internet

07/29/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
It has been twenty years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was one of the bills championed by the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, and now, the US Department of Justice is considering requiring internet retailers and movie theaters, as well as a few others, to accommodate people with disabilities.

The new regulations come on the heels of newer technology that are suppose to allow the hearing impaired to be able to watch films in theaters with closed captioning, and ways to provide visually impaired theater goers with audio descriptions. YouTube has been working out the kinks on closed captioning many videos that it provides, though that has been far from a complete success. These regulations will also effect websites.

Additionally, 911 operators may be required to update their technology to be able to accommodate internet and wireless text devices and older analog systems. It makes sense for 911 operators to accommodate texting because of issues whereby it would be impossible for people to talk or hear.

Attorney General Eric Holder also signed the ADA Standards for Accessible Design which requires government, public and commercial establishments to have accommodations for people with disabilities.

Representative Jim Langevign marked the 20th anniversary of the ADA by presiding over the House. Rep. Langevign is quadriplegic, and was the first quadriplegic person to be elected to Congress. He presided over the House with the assistance of a unique mechanical device. He has been in the House for ten years. He was paralyzed from the chest down twenty years ago.

As noted elsewhere on the site, LGR Managing Editor and Publisher Dr. Paula Brooks is deaf. Dr. Brooks often relies upon other staff members to do articles involving video clips because they can often be impossible for her to understand, and she cannot hear them. While closed captioning is useful, the fact that the technology has not been implemented on the internet can often leave many hearing impaired individuals unable to access videos. Unfortunately, dictation software is not sufficiently advanced to be able to instantly comprehend the speech patterns of many people, and they can often create major headaches for people who are trying to use them.

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