FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jocelyn Hunter
Director of Communications
(202) 454-6422, office
FCC Certifies Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind as Equipment Distributor for Deaf-Blind in DC
Washington, DC, December 2012 – The Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau certified Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind funding as the only distributor of the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) for the District of Columbia. The Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 established NDBEDP to ensure that low income individuals who are deaf-blind have access to communication services.
“It is an opportunity for CLB to serve the deaf-blind community by ensuring that they have the necessary technology to enhance their access to communications which will impact them in significant ways.” says Anthony J. Cancelosi, K.M., President and CEO.
NDBEDP is promoted by the iCanConnect initiative, which seeks to educate people about the availability of communications technology – from screen enlargement software and video phones, to off-the shelf products that are accessible or adaptable. Online at https://www.icanconnect.org/district-columbia, individuals, their family members or care givers will find information about the program including: who qualifies, what equipment is available, how it is being distributed and installed and how to receive training. This information is also available to people who call 1-800-825-4595 or contact CLB directly at 240-737-5100.
About Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind (CLB)
CLB serves people of all ages who are blind, low vision, or deaf-blind living in the Washington Region, by providing vision-health screenings, independent living skills training, support groups, retraining, and job counseling and placement. 17% of veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with visual impairment. CLB partners with government and private agencies to retrain and employ these wounded warriors. Independence is our vision.
For more information, please visit our Web site at www.www.clb.org.
