| By Business Wire |
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| November 15, 2012 12:15 PM EST |
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Americans who have combined vision and hearing loss can now access
technology that will allow them to connect with people around the corner
and across the world by logging on to www.iCanConnect.org.
The newly launched website accommodates users with low vision, people
who use screen readers and features video that is both audio-described
and closed captioned. From screen enlargement software and videophones,
to off-the shelf products that are accessible or adaptable, www.iCanConnect.org
offers a vast array of new communications technology. Assessment,
training and equipment are available free of charge to those who meet
federal eligibility guidelines.
“The launch of the iCanConnect website is a major step forward in the
effort to enable people with disabilities to interact with the world as
involved, contributing members of society,” said Steven Rothstein,
President of Perkins in Watertown, MA. “Perkins’ most famous student,
Helen Keller, exemplified the potential of a person who is deaf-blind.
We are proud to have a role in the creation of this important website.”
The www.iCanConnect.org
launch advances the iCanConnect campaign mission to raise awareness
about the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP).
Mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video
Accessibility Act (CVAA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
established this new program to ensure every person with combined
hearing and vision loss has access to modern communications tools and
the training necessary to use them.
Perkins and the Helen Keller National Center in New York City are
overseeing the iCanConnect campaign.
“The mission of the Helen Keller National Center is to enable each
person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of
choice,” explains Executive Director Joe McNulty, adding, “The launch of
the iCanConnect website accelerates those efforts nationwide.”
The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act
(CVAA), championed in Washington, DC by Congressman Edward J. Markey of
Massachusetts and Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, acknowledges that
advances in technology can revolutionize lives. Nearly one million
people in the United States have some combination of vision and hearing
loss.
Information about equipment, assessment and training is available online
at www.iCanConnect.org
or by phone at 1-800-825-4595. Additional information is
available through the FCC at http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/national-deaf-blind-equipment-distribution-program.
About the Partners
Perkins, the first school in the U.S. for students with visual
impairments, provides education and services to help build productive,
meaningful lives for more than 600,000 children and adults in the U.S.
and more than 60 countries worldwide. Founded in 1829, Perkins pursues
this mission around the world, in the community and on its campus in
Watertown, Massachusetts. Learn more online at www.Perkins.org
Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults,
authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, is committed to enabling
each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community
of choice. Headquartered in Sands Point, New York, the Center provides
support services for youth and adults who are deaf-blind, their families
and the professionals who serve them through a network of field offices
throughout the United States. Learn more at http://www.hknc.org/.
