An open, ongoing conversation about the accessibility of political and news media Web sites.
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Twenty-eight million Americans with severe hearing loss do not have full access to information about political candidates and election issues. Through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, WXXI and its partners are experimenting with ways to overcome 21st Century barriers to civic participation.» more
Our Partners:
National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology
Under the direction of Dr. Peter Lalley, three NTID students are leading our research:
David Miller is a Research Assistant within the National Technical Institute for the Deaf's Department of Research and Teacher Education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Professional and Technical Communications from RIT.
J.S. Ost is a Marketing Communications Specialist with Harris RF Communications. She earned bachelor’s degrees in Professional and Technical Communications and Psychology from RIT, where she was a member of the Honors Program.
James Rowe is working toward a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology at RIT, with a concentration in Database and Web Development and double minors in Political Science and Finance.
Civic Sense Blog
Recently on the Civic Sense Blog :
Civic Sense Laboratory
Follow our progress as we experiment with techniques to improve online accessibility — and let us know what's working. Visit the Lab!
Take Our Survey
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, please take a few minutes to fill out our online survey. It will help us find ways to give people with hearing loss better access to information about political candidates and issues on the internet. Take the Survey!
Overcoming Barriers Presented at National Public Broadcasting Event
Thursday, March 13
Chantilly, VA
Presentation at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s (CPB) National Leadership Meeting. Top executives and board members from public broadcasting stations across the country will get an introduction to this project during an interactive “science fair” showcasing Public Media Innovation grantee developments.
Overcoming Barriers Experiment Page
Link Coming Soon
Check out our research as it happens! We’re trying to find practical ways for public broadcasters to make their Elections 2008 Web pages more accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Let us know what you think.
Focus Groups Forming Now
We are looking for volunteers to help test our solutions. If you are interested, please e-mail jphilipp@wxxi.org. You must live near Rochester, New York to participate.
U.S. Congressional Representative Forum
Coming in September 2008
Overcoming Barriers is inviting candidates for U.S. Congress in New York State’s 25th, 26th, 28th and 29th Congressional Districts to participate in a televised forum with a deaf and hard-of-hearing audience. Several of these races are expected to attract national attention. For information, contact jphilipp@wxxi.org
