Bonnie O'Day, has asked me to post the following message she wrote.
Bonnie's settlement last month with Audiovox yielded the first talking
cell phone compatible with CDMA technology, the predominant wireless
transmission standard used in the United States. Currently the phone is
available as the Toshiba 4050 from Sprint Wireless.
Kelly
From: "Bonnie O'Day" < [log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 5:45 PM
Hello listers:
I saw the correspondence about the press release regarding my
Audiovox settlement. I have been traveling over the holidays, and
although the notes were posted some time ago, I do want to respond.
It is extremely heartwarming to note the interest and support in the
Audiovox and Verizon cases. It has been over three years since I filed
the informal complaints. The road to settlement with Audiovox has been
arduous and full of complexity and the complaint against Verizon is
still outstanding. I filed the complaint for myself and every other
blind person who wishes to use cellular telephones. I did not ask for or
receive any financial compensation from either organization, but it is
gratifying to see the first steps in the settlement being implemented.
It is my hope and expectation that phones with additional access
features at an affordable price will be available in the fairly near
future.
I did not draft a press release personally. Press releases were
developed by Audiovox and my attorney during confidential settlement
negotiations. Because those that supported me could not participate in
the final confidential settlement process, I was unsure that they
formally approved of the full settlement. I hope they will, given the
giant step forward in access that has been achieved.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the following
individuals and organizations:
Of course, my attorneys, Scott Strauss and Allison Driver from
Spiegel and McDiarmid provided the legal expertise for the case. They
devoted countless hours--working on the case almost full time for
several months during the past year--at no charge. This significant
commitment of time and expertise by the law firm should not be
underestimated. It is worth noting that Speigel is not a civil rights
law firm; their expertise is in telecommunications. They agreed to
accept the case because of their commitment to access of
telecommunications products and services for people with disabilities
and their interest in charting new ground in this area.
Second, the case would not have been possible without the able
assistance of several staff members of the American Foundation for the
Blind. Paul Schroeder and Janina Saijka spent countless hours educating
representatives of Audiovox and Verizon about Section 255 of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, our access needs and how these needs
could be addressed. Paul and Janina possess a knowledge of Section 255
and the technical aspects of cellular phone operations that I simply do
not have. Additionally, I wish to recognize Caesar Eghktesadi, an
engineer with a background in universal design of cell phones, who was
able to actually demonstrate how an accessible cell phone could work.
Caesar's technical expertise was invaluable to my case.
And finally, I really appreciated the support of the American
Council of the Blind, in particular, Charlie Crawford, former executive
director and Penny Reader, the current acting executive director. ACB
has advocated for cell phone access through many actions. For example,
Charlie Crawford organized the submission of several informal complaints
by ACB members. ACB formally supported the complaint when it was filed
and Penny Reader drafted a press release to that affect. Charlie
attended several meetings with the FCC, Audiovox and Verizon, informing
them that their actions were very important to ACB and that thousands of
blind ACB members across America in all 50 states were concerned. He
also assisted on several "strategy sessions" with my attorneys and I to
insure that we remained strong and committed to seeing this through.
While we have reached a major milestone, there is still a long way
to go. Only one of the two complaints has been settled. And of course,
once a settlement is reached, monitoring and follow-up are essential to
make sure that all sides honor their commitments. I will keep folks on
the list informed of any future developments.
Bonnie O'Day, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate Cornell Center for
Policy Research 2455 North Stevens Street Alexandria, VA 22311
703.845.3436 [log in to unmask]
-------------------------------------------------------------
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