Abstract
<p>The enactment of disability-related legislation does not, unfortunately, guarantee compliance. This is particularly problematic for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. These individuals are most often handicapped not by their disability but rather by the unavailability of appropriate accommodations and technology. To address the impact of accommodations within the public domain two studies were conducted. The first study investigated telecommunication accessibility across government, emergency and private business numbers. Results indicated that these entities failed to answer their TTY calls almost 60% of the time. The second study assessed the availability of assistive technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing hotel guests. Hotels were subdivided on the basis of cost (expensive, moderate, and budget). As would be expected, hotels within the expensive category (i.e., $100+/night) had a significantly greater prevalence of assistive technology for their guests. There were no differences between the moderate and budget-priced hotels. Results from both studies are discussed in terms of their implications for independence, safety, and community participation.</p>
