There are other devices that I would like to tell you about, such as the computer, such as an IBM computer for the blind. You have to have a regular computer, and then you can buy another machine that has a braille display, and that braille display costs about $3,500, plus the computer, plus the software that's needed to make it work. So you can see that that is a tough bill to pay.

Do you have any questions?

Mr. OWENS. We'll take questions later on.

Remain seated, and we'll take questions when the panel is finished.

The next panelist is Ms. Margaret Bibum.

STATEMENT OF MS. MARGARET BIBUM, DEPUTY DIRECTOR,

Ms. BIBUM. Good morning.

DEAFPRIDE

I'm going to talk with you through an interpreter.

I am the deputy director of Deafpride, Incorporated, located here in Washington, D.C.

This is a community based organization working for the human rights of deaf people and their families.

This morning, my testimony will focus on the poor and the working poor deaf people.

Our technology has had many, many improvements during these last few years, and I won't go into depth as far as the different types of technology. We've seen some of that discussion this morning.

As Janice just said, it is expensive to be deaf and blind. It is also expensive to be deaf. That's been our regular expression. It is expensive to be deaf.

We have to buy a hearing aid, a TTY, a TV decoder, a special alarm clock that can be a type of vibrating alarm clock or a flashing light, a baby cry light, a door light, a phone light, and so on and so on.

Even for deaf people who have well-paying jobs, this can be an additional burden. For deaf people to use a telephone, we must have a TTY. For many deaf people who are poor or who are in poor families, many times that expense is just too much and not able to be afforded.

Many people are isolated from the community and are not able to call for emergency assistance, contact hospitals or schools, or associations.

A TTY can cost anywhere-the cheapest one-from $150 to $1,000, depending.

One of Deafpride's programs is called Project Access. That works primarily with low-income black deaf women and their families here in Washington, D.C.

The Project Access staff focuses on health care accessibility. Our work with black deaf women is on a daily basis, and we see many, many confrontations with access into these systems, because of a person's financial status.

I think that the best way to guide you through a black deaf woman's experience, as she becomes pregnant, for example.

The woman is pregnant. She goes to a government health-care center here in Washington, and that health center is pretty terrific. It provides accessibility, it provides TTY, and interpreter services. A deaf person advocate is on staff there, and you would think, Great. Wonderful.

But, when the deaf woman goes to her own home and tries to contact her doctor because she feels sick or she needs to discuss something about her pregnancy, she's stuck. She doesn't have a TTY herself. It's ironic: the health center may have a TTY, but she doesn't have one. How is she to contact her health care provider? At the same time, that deaf woman may need to be abreast of information about health care, various issues, programs on TV related to health care issues-that would sound great. But to see this TV program related to health care issues, related to AIDS, related to pregnancy or whatever-her TV does not have a decoder. That TV decoder may cost $199. Maybe that doesn't sound a lot—it's not as expensive perhaps as some of the Braille TTY equipment-but that can be a very extraordinary expense for a low-income person. That deaf woman has given birth. She has to buy a baby cry light. So many times, that woman is not able to afford up to $140. You may think again that is a very small expense, but for many women, they're not able to afford it.

Where does this deaf woman live? Does her front door have a flashing light for the doorbell? No, she can't afford it. Does she live in a security building? How does she know who's flashing the light, who's pressing the doorbell downstairs?

Here in Washington, D.C. it's said that the landlords must provide for a doorbell a flashing light, a visual smoke alarm. But many deaf people don't know about this law. They are not aware of their legal rights.

What I've tried to do in this short time that I have here this morning is to lead you through the life of a typical deaf woman here in Washington, D.C.

She is trying to get access. Some deaf people do have the technology. I have a TV decoder. I have a flashing light on my doorbell. I have an alarm, a vibrating alarm clock. But still, again, that's not an exactly perfect situation.

The TTY is fine. I'll call a hospital. Most hospitals will have their TTY's in the emergency room. They don't have a TTY at the information desk. Just last week my friend had to be carried to the hospital. How was I to contact the hospital? I had to contact an interpreter who contacted the hospital.

Most-you know about the law 504, which provides that Federal agencies and those that receive Federal funding are to provide access. But so many hospitals and other facilities do not provide access, or their access is very limited.

Related to the TV decoder, so many of our programs now are captioned, but that's not enough. You understand, my local news program—I have to wait and stay awake until 11 at night to see Channel 7 with the captions. I would be very tired in the morning when I wake up, but this is here in my capital city.

I realize this morning that my testimony is very condensed. I could sit here for a week and explain really in depth what life is

like for us. But I want you, please, to keep in mind that we do have this wonderful technology.

But for many of us, who are poor, who are very limited in income, there is still-although we have this wonderful technology-many of us are not able to get these things.

When you consider your allocation of funds, please keep in mind the access needs of the poor and the working poor deaf people in this city and all over the country.

Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Margaret Bibum follows:]

TESTIMONY OF Margaret Bibum, Deafpride, Inc.

Good morning. My name is Margaret Bibum, Deputy Director of Deafpride, Inc. Incorporated in Washington, D. C. in 1972, Deafpride is a community-based organization which works for the human rights of Deaf persons and their families. The organization's empowerment and advocacy programs bring together a diversity of people to work for individual and institutional change. Today, I am here to speak for Deafpride's constituency and for myself as a Deaf woman. My husband and son are both Deaf.

Technology has made many, many advances over the past few years. I will not detail all the different technological miracles that are available today, or still being developed. In my testimony today, some of my focus will be on the needs of a specific segment of the deaf community, poor or working poor Deaf persons. They may include Deaf children, Deaf parents or Deaf senior citizens.

A familiar quote in the deaf community is "it is expensive to be Deaf". By the time we have bought hearing aids. TDD's, television decoders, special alarm clocks, baby cry lights, door lights, smoke alarms, etc., one can understand why. Even for those Deaf persons who have well-paying jobs, these assistive devices are an extra expense.

For the Deaf person to use the telephone, he or she needs to purchase a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For many poor or working poor households especially, this often is beyond the family budget. Therefore the Deaf person is isolated from the community. He is unable to call for emergency assistance, hospitals, schools, social service agencies, their place of employment and so the list goes on. TDDs can cost anywhere from $150 to $1,000, depending on its capacity.

Television, for many years, has been off-limits to Deaf persons. As a Deaf person, I am not able to follow television programs without use of a Decoder. Today when so many TV programs are closed captioned, I am able to watch these programs with my decoder. It means that my family has more access to information as well as be able to enjoy shows and news programs, along with hearing people. Especially for my son, I see the advantages of closed-captioning on his development in reading and writing English. Also, as a family, we are able to watch captioned programs such as the CBS news at 6:30 p.m. However, for too many families, the decoder is not available because it costs around $199, way out of reach for many families on fixed in

comes.

In its final report, published February, 1988, the Commission on Education of the Deaf states that too many Deaf persons do not have access to captioning. It further states that each television set should be fitted with a decoder module, so that all persons can receive close captioning. The FCC should mandate that manufacturers include the decoder module in all new TV sets. It has been recommended by the COED that present federal funds which are allocated to decoder development should instead be used for the distribution of free decoders to persons who are deaf.

One of Deafpride's programs, Project Access, works with primarily low income Black Deaf women and their families in the District of Columbia. Project Access staff work in the area of health care access. In our work with these Deaf women, we often encounter many barriers to total access because of the deaf person's financial status.

Let me take you through a health situation involving a Black Deaf woman in Washington, D.Č. The woman, who is pregnant, is a patient at a government health center which is providing accessible health services through the provision of sign language interpreters and a Deaf patient advocate. So far, wonderful! However, when that Deaf woman is in her home, she needs to contact her doctor at the health center because she is feeling sick. The health center has a TDD. However, the Deaf

woman herself does not have a TDD. How, then, can she communicate with her doctor?

The deaf woman is instructed, during her prenatal care, regarding the importance to be informed on various health-related issues. She is encouraged to read and watch television programs relating to health. However, she does not own a decoder for her TV set. Yet, another barrier to access because of low income.

By now, the Deaf woman has given birth to her baby. She is told she needs to have a baby cry signal to alert her when her baby cries. This is yet another additional expense.

Let us think about where the Deaf woman lives. Does her front door have a flashing light? If she lives in a security building, how does she know if someone is ringing her door bell? By law, in D.C. the Landlord of the dwelling unit shall “provide a visual alert system in which a deaf or hearing-impaired person resides." This was signed into law by the Mayor on December 10, 1987. For many Deaf persons, however, this law is largely unknown, so that they are once again unable to receive their full legal rights to access.

What I have just done is try to help you "experience" what many Deaf residents of the District of Columbia face daily. However, some deaf persons, including myself, do have a TDD, Television decoder, flashing door and phone lights, vibrating alarm clock, etc. That sounds wonderful! But is it so wonderful? Let us look at the TDD situation. Almost all hospitals in the District of Columbia have TDDs. However, it is often placed in their emergency rooms. The Information Desk often does not have a TDD. My Deaf friend was recently rushed to a hospital here in D.C. I had to call that hospital through an interpreter to find out where her room was and how she was progressing.

I have a television decoder at home. Many programs are captioned, but many more are not. True, I can watch CBS captioned news at 6:30 p.m., however, to watch the local news captioned, I have to stay awake until 11 p.m. to watch Channel 7!! My rented townhouse in D.C. is equipped with a door light and visual smoke alarm system. Maybe the reason for this is because my Landlord is Deaf!!

All government agencies, both Federal and local, must be mandated to have TDDs in their offices in order that Deaf consumers can call them. We know Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act mandates all federal agencies to provide access to their programs. However, Congress should watch that this law is being adhered to.

I hope that, through my testimony this monring, I have shared with you many of the problems that Deaf persons face, despite sophisticated technology. I am asking that Congress should always consider the access needs of poor and working poor Deaf persons when allocating federal funds. Deafpride is always ready to assist in any way possible to ensure that Deaf persons receive their basic rights to live in a just and equitable society.

Thank you.

Mr. OWENS. Thank you.

Judge Leonard Suchanek.

STATEMENT OF JUDGE LEONARD SUCHANEK, BOARD OF CONTRACT APPEALS, GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Judge SUCHANEK. It's a pleasure to be with you this morning. I have submitted a lengthy statement of some 10 pages, which I invite you to peruse.

Let me take just a couple of minutes to summarize that statement. In the first few pages, I discuss a recent law that was passed by Congress relating to the accessibility of electronic equipment. This discusses the guidelines for Federal procurement that are being issued in compliance with that law-guidelines that are being promulgated by the General Services Administration and the Department of Education.

On pages four and five of the paper, I point out that although accessibility to electronic equipment is essential, and extremely important for the disabled, that it's necessary to look at the entire environment. Specifically, I state-and I'll read this to you: "We need to reeducate"-this is referring to the Government-"personnel

specialists in areas such as job placement, assistance and classifications."

The point that I'm making is that change must come from more than one direction. Technology is only one of the issues affecting employment of the handicapped.

On page six, I refer obliquely to my own experience at the Board of Contract Appeals. When I was appointed Chief Judge of the General Services Administration, I was determined to make the General Services Administration Board of Contract Appeals into the finest administrative judicial tribunal in the Federal Government. And so, it was important for me to bring into that office all of the advances in technology, not only for everyone else, but as far as I could for myself as well.

In fact, our office was the first office-you'll be interested in this in the General Services Administration to become fully automated. That was in 1980 and 1981.

Because of my own experiences, during the coming years, in 1983 I began a series of discussions with various officials in the Agency, and as a result of those discussions, the Administrator of the General Services Administration in early 1984 established what became known as the Inter-Agency Committee for Computer Support of the Handicapped, and appointed me chairman of that committee. Incidentally, I'm still chairman of that committee.

Since that time, since March of 1984, the committee has grown. It is now the largest interagency committee in the Government dealing with the disability area. It has 24 member agencies. All of the representatives on this committee are from the senior managers in the ADP area of these various agencies.

I discuss at length the goals of the committee. If you take a look at pages seven and eight, we think that as a result of the work of the committee, we've made tremendous advances in the Government.

Finally, on page 10, I refer back again-actually at the bottom of page 10-to the idea that technology is not a complete answer. I speak specifically to an initiative begun by the committee on conjunction with the Office of Personnel Management last October. I state that since October, we have been working with the Office of Personnel Management to improve policies and procedures relating to the employment of personal assistants for disabled Government employees.

I'll be pleased to answer any questions that you may have. [The prepared statement of Hon. Leonard J. Suchanek follows:]

TESTIMONY OF JUDGE LEONARD J. SUCHANEK

Handicapped Americans have come a long way, from the days when the blind peddled pencils in subway cars, the deaf exchanged sign language cards for pennies and those confined to wheelchairs did not "work" at all. Today, technology has provided a means to place the disabled on the employment rolls instead of on the welfare rolls.

It is our hope that one day, the technology that enables a handicapped person to function in the work place will be as common as the word processor, the personal computer, or the typewriter. We must convince employers that hiring handicapped workers does not mean reduced productivity.

We can do it! We are well on the way to this goal with the passage of Public Law 99-506. This law is the re-authorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which contains a new section, Section 508, that addresses electronic equipment accessibility.