December 20, 2016
On December 15, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) amended its rules to allow phone companies to replace support for TTY with support for real-time text (RTT). This caps a 15 year effort led by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telecommunications Access at the Trace Center and Gallaudet University. Adoption of RTT will make communication easier and more conversation-friendly for people who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or who have speech disabilities.
September 30, 2016
The Automated Personalization Computing Project (APCP), funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the U.S. Dept. of Education, will be the first large-scale deployment of the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII). The GPII combines cloud computing, web, and platform services to make computers and online information and services available for people facing barriers to accessibility. The project requires development of robust, reliable, scalable and secure client- and cloud-based GPII software.
September 30, 2016
As of August 2016, the Trace Center is now a part of the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland in College Park. Trace Center Director Gregg Vanderheiden explained: "The Trace Center and the iSchool are a natural fit, with both deeply interested in human-computer interface, with interaction, including a special interest in policy, aging, and disability.