Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection (CPN) - chair: Rosaln H. Baker, vice chair: Brian T. Taniguchi

Thursday, February 17, 2011, 8:30 a,m. Conference Room 229

Testifier: Jean Aoki, Legislative Committee, LWV of Hawaii

Click here to view SB893

Chair Baker, Vice Chair Taniguchi, members of CPN, The League of Women Voters of Hawaii strongly supports SB 893 which would make the contents of newspapers and other periodicals accessible to those with visual impairments and other impairments which make reading difficult or impossible. The other means of bringing written material to the impaired that exist cannot act with the speed that telephone-based access can. With the technology available to bring time-sensitive print information to the thousands who are left without access to almost instant news in an age when events, local, national, and foreign are calling attention to changing societies, proposed policy changes, public demands and demonstrations, etc., we cannot deny them this opportunity to keep up with the rest of us. Television with its captions can only give them limited information. For in-depth coverage, access to other media is necessary. If the funding suggested is at all available, let's enable the people now without access to the printed pages of newspapers and periodicals to enjoy that which the rest of us take so much for granted. We urge serious consideration of SB 893. Thank you for this opportunity to testify in support of SB 893.