When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, it seemed overdue. Equal access for people who are disabled had long taken a back seat to the more visible fights that included equal rights for women and minority groups. The ADA literally changed the landscape. It paved the way for many of the advancements we now take for granted, including handicapped parking spaces and wheelchair-accessible ramps. In addition to closed captioning (CC) on television programs, perhaps the most important benefit for those with hearing loss was the development of relay and captioned telephone (CapTel®) services.

READ MORE