REMARKS
Chair Jennifer Gutiérrez opens the Committee on Technology meeting
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Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, chair of the Committee on Technology, opens the meeting by introducing two bills aimed at improving accessibility to city services. She acknowledges the importance of accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing individuals and recognizes the contributions of advocates and committee staff.
- The committee will vote on Intro 138-A and Intro 646-A, related to public service announcements in ASL and reporting on NextGen 911 implementation, respectively.
- Gutiérrez emphasizes the significance of both physical and digital accessibility in New York City.
- She recognizes the presence of deaf and hard of hearing advocates and thanks the committee staff for their work on the bills.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
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Good morning, everyone.
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I'm council member Jennifer Gutierrez, chair of the committee of technology.
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Today, we'll be voting on two bills aimed at improving accessibility to city services.
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I also wanna acknowledge the ASL and CART services are available for this hearing.
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Intro one thirty eight a sponsored by council member Brooks Powers in relation to public service announcements in American sign language for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing on advertising structures, and intro six four six a sponsored by council member Riley in relation to reporting on the implementation of next generation nine one one or NextGen.
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This committee heard both bills on 11/25/2024 and I and received and evaluated testimonies from the administration and advocates.
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The testimonies enriched our understanding of the issues at hand.
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Approximately 44,100,000 people, around thirteen point four percent of The US population, experience some form of disability.
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In New York City alone, nearly one million residents self identify as having a disability.
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In today's digital age, accessibility encompasses both physical and digital realms.
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It means ensuring that every individual can fully engage with the city's resources, information, and services.
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This commitment to accessibility includes individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf plus.
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I also want to acknowledge the deaf and hard of hearing advocates present with us today and recognize their invaluable contributions to this legislation.
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I also would like to thank the technology committee staff, policy analyst Eric Brown, ledge counsel Irene Irene Byovsky, and my chief of staff and senior adviser Anya Loehr for their hard work on those bills.
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I'd also like to recognize the technology committee members who have joined us, council member Juan and council member Eric Baucher.
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I will now turn it over to council member Brooks Powers, the sponsor of intro one thirty eight a, for her statement.