{"638831":{"#nid":"638831","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - August 2020","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs August concluded, attention was paid to voters with disabilities\u0026rsquo; access to upcoming elections. Hawaii passed\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EAct 136\u003C\/em\u003E, expanding access to electronic ballots, which had previously only been available to military personnel. Similarly, a Virginia federal court released a consent decree regarding expanded accessibility options. The Decree requires that all counties and cities in Virginia have electronic absentee ballots that are compatible with screen-reader technology and other assistive technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile August marks the annual Congressional recess, work continued at regulatory agencies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EOrder\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;[\u003Cstrong\u003ECG Docket No. 03-123; CG Docket No. 10-51\u003C\/strong\u003E] extending waivers to providers of relay services to address the increased demand for communications access during the COVID-19 pandemic. In another, COVID-19-related\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EOrder\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;[\u003Cstrong\u003EWC Docket No. 11-42\u003C\/strong\u003E], the FCC granted waiver extensions for the Lifeline program until November 30, 2020. The FCC also released a\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ENotice of Inquiry\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;regarding the deployment of broadband services and the collection of broadband deployment data. This Notice requests feedback and comments on the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003E2020 Broadband Deployment Report\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Eto guide their discussion for the upcoming 2021 Broadband Deployment Report.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Wireless RERC news, we released a video of Pepper, a socially assistive robot designed to provide respite for caregivers of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Pepper reads stories, dances, and even does Tai Chi.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/zGnFO9EBcZk\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWatch Pepper in Action on the Wireless RERC YouTube Channel\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. The Wireless RERC also submitted comments to the FCC in response to their Public Notice\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EConsumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks Comment On Tentative Findings for the 2020 Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act Biennial Report\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E[\u003Cstrong\u003ECG Docket No. 10-213\u003C\/strong\u003E].\u0026nbsp;Overall, the comments indicated the industry\u0026#39;s growth in the accessibility and affordability of advanced communications technologies, but also noted that access gaps remain, particularly regarding new communications technologies. Finally, data collection continues for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/wRERC-SUN2020\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2020 Survey of User Needs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_0lfKrBbcvaG7Z0p\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESurvey on Access to COVID-19 Information\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis issue also includes news about on-device artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, assistive technologies, wearables, distance learning, and more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As August concluded, attention was paid to voters with disabilities\u2019 access to upcoming elections. Hawaii passed Act 136, expanding access to electronic ballots, which had previously only been available to military personnel."}],"uid":"35301","created_gmt":"2020-09-08 14:56:39","changed_gmt":"2020-09-08 14:56:39","author":"jmckinney38","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu\/technology-and-disability-policy-highlights-august-2020","title":"Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - August 2020"}],"groups":[{"id":"47427","name":"Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP)"}],"categories":[{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["info@cacp.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}