Be an ally.
By Sherri Turpin, CEO, ZP Better Together
JUNE 14, 2023
In an emergency, deaf and hard of hearing people cannot simply call 911. Instead, they call an interpreter through a video relay service (VRS) who connects them with a 911 dispatcher and relays the emergency and the caller’s whereabouts.
E911, an enhanced service that can geolocate a caller, allows emergency responders to find and reach 911 callers faster. However, those calling through VRS cannot be located through E911 — a feature that is especially crucial in public and multi-story buildings.
Another gross inequity: needing to have two phone numbers, one for texting and a second to make and receive calls.
Hard to imagine, right?
But for deaf and hard of hearing people, this is today’s harsh reality.
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was supposed to deliver equal telecommunications access to deaf people. Thirty-three years later, it has not.
As FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel so aptly once said: “The future belongs to the connected. No matter who you are or where you live in this country, you need access to modern communications to have a fair shot at 21st century success.”
The gaps are wide but easy to fix.
As a nation, we are better than this.
The Federal Communications Commission has the power to change this. With proper investment the FCC can solve these inequities and bring true functional equivalence to the deaf and hard of hearing community.
But what has been happening?
Service provider rates have stagnated for the last six years, a cut of 23 percent given record-high inflation, leaving providers to struggle to meet even minimum standards established decades ago.
The result?
We have a nationwide staffing shortage in American Sign Language interpreters due to low pay. We have stifled industry-wide innovation. America has a disconnected deaf community at a clear disadvantage when it comes to life and career opportunities.
Why should you care?
You can help create a world where communications access is no longer a privilege enjoyed by some but a human right fully appreciated by all.
Sherri Turpin
CEO, ZP Better Together
You can make a difference. Sign the petition.
The content is paid for and supplied by advertiser. The Washington Post was not involved in the creation of this content.
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