FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler www.fcc.gov speaking at the “Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities www.colemaninstitute.org Conference to discuss “Cognitive Disabilities and Technology”. He brought the attendees up to speed on what the FCC is doing to address the needs of the 30 million Americans living with cognitive disabilities.
Virtual reality is moving from laboratories to perform more functions than just playing video games. For example, Virtual Reality (VR) has been used successfully to teach autistic children how to cross a road, teach autistic teens how to drive, and has helped stroke victims recover cognitive skills.
Chairman Wheeler announced, “On October 6, 2016, the FCC released the White Paper “Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities: Barriers and Solutions for Accessible Information and Communication Technologies produced by the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
The White Paper highlights a number of ways to enable people with cognitive disabilities to use existing technologies. In addition, some manufacturers are looking for ways to make new wireless devices and applications more accessible for users with cognitive disabilities.
The White Paper points out that there are two major issues slowing down accessibility achievements. First, there are still many communications technologies that are complicated to navigate and use. This creates barriers for individuals who have difficulty paying attention, remembering where certain features are, following prompts, paying attention when distractions appear, and understanding complex instructions.
Also, more needs to be done to incorporate accessible design into ICT products and services. Manufacturers and developers need to pay attention to design issues as early as possible to avoid costly and burdensome retrofits. People with cognitive disabilities need to benefit from new technologies at the same time they are rolled out everyone.
It is equally important to provide consumer outreach and training on using new technology but at present, outreach efforts appear to be lacking. Too many technology users with disabilities may be hesitant to try out new technologies as they think they be unworkable for them or not necessary for their daily routines.
Several years ago, Commissioner Wheeler established a “Disability Advisory Committee” www.fcc.gov/general/disability-advisory-committee at the FCC to bring together industry and consumer stakeholders to discuss important issues. Today, the Committee has nearly 40 members representing the consumer electronics industry, telecommunications and IT companies, researchers, and educational institutions.
Just last year, the FCC hosted the first Summit and Expo on the “Telecommunications Needs of People with Cognitive Disabilities”. Thought leaders from around the U.S. shared their expertise on ways to ensure that communications products and services meet the standards to enable easy accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities.
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2016/db1006/DOC-341628A1.pdf has made the White Paper “Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities Barriers and Solutions for Accessible Information and Communication Technologies.” available.