Genachowski and Copps Present AAA Awards
NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
445 12th Street, S.W.Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
Washington, D. C. 20554
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
October 28, 2011
Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0511
E-mail: rosemary.kimball@fcc.gov
FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI JOINS COMMISSIONER MICHAEL COPPS
TO HONOR INNOVATORS IN ACCESSIBILITY COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
Accessibility Clearinghouse Launched; Demonstrations of Technologies to Be Displayed
Through November 30 in the Commission Technology Experience Center (TEC)
Washington, D.C. Today FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioner Michael
Copps presented the Chairman's Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (AAA) to several
organizations that have made significant technological innovations to help consumers with
disabilities benefit from the country's communications technologies. The Chairman also
honored the winners of an FCC Challenge: Lifted by the Cloud: Visions of Cloud Enhanced
Accessibility (Cloud Challenge) and presented a special award to Apple, Inc., for its visionary
leadership in, and contributions to, accessibility.
The Chairman's AAA are intended to encourage technological innovation in communication-
related areas and to recognize engineers, researchers and other technologists whose energies and
perseverance have been successful in crafting innovative ways for consumers with disabilities to
benefit from our nation's communications technologies. The work of these honorees has
improved the ability of people with disabilities to obtain and succeed at jobs and participate more
actively in the community.
Today's awards ceremony was held in conjunction with National Disability Employment
Awareness month and the one year anniversary of the 21st Century Communications and Video
Programming Accessibility Act (CVAA).
Awards were being presented for the development of mainstream or assistive technologies, the
development of standards, and the implementation of best practices that foster accessibility. The
awards are a project of the FCC's Accessibility and Innovation Initiative (A&I Initiative), as
recommended in the National Broadband Plan. The A&I Initiative seeks to facilitate dialogue
among industry, assistive technology companies, app developers, government representatives
and consumers to allow these stakeholders to share best practices and solutions for accessible
communications technologies.
The Chairman's 2011 AAA Winners are:
Accesswireless.org (CTIA: The Wireless Association)
LookTel Money Reader
Microsoft Accessibility Tools and Training Resources
Non-Visual Desktop Access
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Coach
Universal Subtitles
iPhone 4 (Apple)
The Chairman's 2011 AAA Honorable Mentions are:
Apps4Android
AT&T Speech Mashups for Accessibility
The Farfalla Project
Interpretype
Phlixie
Verizon Center for Customers with Disabilities
Winners of the Cloud Challenge are:
AT&T Speech Mashups for Accessibility
The Farfalla Project
Today, the Commission also launched the Accessibility Clearinghouse, which was required by the
CVAA.
To further recognize innovation in accessible communications, the FCC's Technology
Experience Center will display the technologies of each of the winners and honorable mentions,
as well as other cutting edge technologies that provide access to persons with disabilities through
November 30, 2011. The Technology Experience Center is open to the public and offers the
opportunity for visitors to experiment with these technologies.
Technologies Exhibited at the Technology Experience Center:
Accesswireless.org (CTIA: The Wireless Association)
American Foundation for the Blind's Access World app
Apps4Android
AT&T Speech Mashups for Accessibility
CapTel's 800i
CBS
CISCO video phones
Computer Prompting & Captioning (CPC)
The Farfalla Project
Great Call--Jitterbug
HTC
Humanware
Interpretype
iPhone 4
LookTel Money Reader
Microsoft Accessibility Tools and Training Resources
National Public Radio Labs
Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA)
Phlixie
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Coach
Samsung
Stanford School of Engineering
Universal Subtitles
Verizon Center for Customers with Disabilities
WGBH--National Center for Accessible Media
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