WASHINGTON — Blind and deaf people will be able to more easily use smartphones, the Internet and other technologies that are staples of life and work under a bill signed into law Friday.
Such a step has been a priority of advocates for the millions of people who cannot see or hear.
In the East Room of the White House, where he was flanked on stage by lawmakers and legendary musician Stevie Wonder, President Barack Obama portrayed the occasion as another step in guaranteeing equal access, opportunity and respect for all Americans.
He recalled celebrating this year’s 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, banning workplace discrimination against qualified people with disabilities and requiring access to public places and transportation.
“We’ve come a long way, but even today, after all the progress that we’ve made, too many Americans with disabilities are still measured by what folks think they can’t do, instead of what we know they can do,” Obama said.
The new law “will make it easier for people who are deaf, blind or live with a visual impairment to do what many of us take for granted,” he said.
Under the law, the quality of life will improve for 25 million people who are blind or have difficulty seeing, along with the estimated 36 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing, advocacy groups say.
Nondisabled people stand to benefit too. They may find the devices and screens easier to use.
The law sets federal guidelines that require the telecommunications industry to:
• Make getting to the Internet easier by improving user interfaces on smartphones.
• Provide audible descriptions of on-screen action to help the blind more fully enjoy TV.
• Add captions to online TV programming to help the deaf.
• Make the equipment used for Internet telephone calls compatible with hearing aids.
• Add a button or other switch to TV remote controls for simpler access to closed captioning on television.
