Harkin Works to Make Television More Accessible for the Visually Impaired

This
guy is my hero! He's always looking out for the underdog… being a
disabled person myself, I am eternally grateful for the work he is
doing.


Thanks to: Allison Dobson/ Maureen Knightly

April 26, 2005



Washington,
D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) yesterday joined Senators John McCain
(R-AZ), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Ted Stevens (R-AK) to introduce the
Television Information-Enhancement for the Visually Impaired (TIVI) Act
of 2005. This bipartisan measure would increase video description in
television programming — a service that allows blind and visually
impaired viewers to enjoy television programming through the insertion
of verbal descriptions of actions or settings not contained in the
normal audio track of a program.



“It is
important that television broadcasters make public airwaves accessible
for all Americans to enjoy,” Harkin said “This bill will ensure that
video description services are available to individuals with visual
disabilities.”

Specifically,
the TIVI Act will require television broadcasters, during at least 50
hours of their prime time or children’s programming every quarter, to
insert verbal descriptions of actions or settings not contained in the
normal audio track of a program. The description is often provided over
a Secondary Audio Programming channel (SAP), which currently allows
additional soundtracks, such as foreign language programming.


This
bill is necessary due to a 2002 decision by District of Columbia
Circuit Court of Appeals which held that the Federal Communications
Commission did not have authority to issue the video description rules
in 2000.
This bill would reinstate the FCC’s video description rules
within 45 days of enactment and would authorize the FCC to make
additional changes to the rules. Further, the bill would require the
FCC to consider whether on-screen, emergency warnings should be
provided in an accessible format for viewers with disabilities.



Senator
Harkin, sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is a
longstanding advocate for individuals with disabilities in the U.S. and
abroad.