Miss-Delectable
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http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/06/broadband_could.html
Lane Lucht did not make his first telephone call until he was 26 years old. It was a simple pleasure he said he will never forget.
Lutcht, 44, is deaf.
Technology that connects the hearing impaired with the rest of the world has come a long way since Lucht's first call, bridging a gap that Lucht said has left deaf people feeling disconnected.
His pizza order went through a relay system - Lucht typed his request to an operator using a TTY machine. The operator then called the restaurant and placed the order. If someone on the other end had a question, the operator would type the question and send it back to Lucht.
But now, video phones and Web cameras are enabling deaf people and those with other disabilities to communicate more easily - but at a cost.
Communication channels for the disabled often lag behind those created with mainstream users in mind. Advocacy groups for the deaf community tried to convince policymakers Thursday that high-speed, cable connections could benefit everyone - if they were more affordable and more accessible. They want the federal government to help pay for the system.
Frank G. Bowe, author of the new report "Broadband and Americans with Disabilities," demonstrated how high-speed, cable connections - or broadband - would work. Bowe, who is deaf but reads lips well, made a direct call for the first time to his secretary at Hofstra University in New York.
"We have never done this before," Bowe said. "For the first time, we will not be communicating with text, I will be able to see her expressions over the phone." Bowe spoke, and she used a sign-language interpreter to reply.
Deaf people - estimated at about 28 million in the United States - have limited options when it comes to communicating with people far away. And even though the Internet has extended the ability for instant communication, Bowe argued that offering real-time, visual interaction will help the disabled feel more a part of society.
Bowe said using broadband would not only ease communication for those with disabilities but would also have far reaching implications.
"This is not only for me. This is for business people and educators who want to communicate long distance," Bowe said.
Bowe said he does not see the transition of making broadband affordable and accessible to everyone as too burdensome, because an increasing number of Americans are already converting to the high-speed connections.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, about 60 million American homes have Internet connections, of which about half are broadband. The number of homes with access to the Internet is up from 48 million in September.
Congress will soon review the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It requires that telecommunications manufacturers ensure that disabled people can use the equipment they develop if the cost is not too burdensome. The law was passed before broadband became available.
"The most important thing is getting people to see this as a civil liberties issue," said Andrew J. Imparto, president of American Association of People with Disabilities.
Imparto said that offering disabled people access to technology that would make them feel more connected should be a matter of "equal opportunity and equal access."
One House member said it might be too expensive for Congress to require that broadband be available to everyone.
"It makes all kinds of sense for us to improve this technology so people with disabilities can take advantage of it as well," said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., who is on the subcommittee for telecommunications and the internet.
"We are not doing a good job of being fiscally responsible, of balancing the budget," Engel said. "We are too busy giving tax cuts to the wealthy people."
Lane Lucht did not make his first telephone call until he was 26 years old. It was a simple pleasure he said he will never forget.
Lutcht, 44, is deaf.
Technology that connects the hearing impaired with the rest of the world has come a long way since Lucht's first call, bridging a gap that Lucht said has left deaf people feeling disconnected.
His pizza order went through a relay system - Lucht typed his request to an operator using a TTY machine. The operator then called the restaurant and placed the order. If someone on the other end had a question, the operator would type the question and send it back to Lucht.
But now, video phones and Web cameras are enabling deaf people and those with other disabilities to communicate more easily - but at a cost.
Communication channels for the disabled often lag behind those created with mainstream users in mind. Advocacy groups for the deaf community tried to convince policymakers Thursday that high-speed, cable connections could benefit everyone - if they were more affordable and more accessible. They want the federal government to help pay for the system.
Frank G. Bowe, author of the new report "Broadband and Americans with Disabilities," demonstrated how high-speed, cable connections - or broadband - would work. Bowe, who is deaf but reads lips well, made a direct call for the first time to his secretary at Hofstra University in New York.
"We have never done this before," Bowe said. "For the first time, we will not be communicating with text, I will be able to see her expressions over the phone." Bowe spoke, and she used a sign-language interpreter to reply.
Deaf people - estimated at about 28 million in the United States - have limited options when it comes to communicating with people far away. And even though the Internet has extended the ability for instant communication, Bowe argued that offering real-time, visual interaction will help the disabled feel more a part of society.
Bowe said using broadband would not only ease communication for those with disabilities but would also have far reaching implications.
"This is not only for me. This is for business people and educators who want to communicate long distance," Bowe said.
Bowe said he does not see the transition of making broadband affordable and accessible to everyone as too burdensome, because an increasing number of Americans are already converting to the high-speed connections.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, about 60 million American homes have Internet connections, of which about half are broadband. The number of homes with access to the Internet is up from 48 million in September.
Congress will soon review the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It requires that telecommunications manufacturers ensure that disabled people can use the equipment they develop if the cost is not too burdensome. The law was passed before broadband became available.
"The most important thing is getting people to see this as a civil liberties issue," said Andrew J. Imparto, president of American Association of People with Disabilities.
Imparto said that offering disabled people access to technology that would make them feel more connected should be a matter of "equal opportunity and equal access."
One House member said it might be too expensive for Congress to require that broadband be available to everyone.
"It makes all kinds of sense for us to improve this technology so people with disabilities can take advantage of it as well," said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., who is on the subcommittee for telecommunications and the internet.
"We are not doing a good job of being fiscally responsible, of balancing the budget," Engel said. "We are too busy giving tax cuts to the wealthy people."