AAES. Association of Access Engineering Specialists
AAPD. American Association of People with Disabilities
AARP. American Association of Retired Persons
ACB. American Council of the Blind
Access Board or ATBCB. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union
ACTS. Automated Coin Telephone System
ADA. Americans with Disabilities Act
ADAAG. ADA Accessibility Guidelines
AFB. American Foundation for the Blind
AG Bell. Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
AIS. Accessibility Impact Statement
ALDA. Association of Late-Deafened Adults
ALI. automatic location identification (for emergency 911 calls)
ANI. automatic number identification (for emergency 911 calls)
ANSI. American National Standards Institute
APA. Administrative Procedure Act
APC. American Personal Communications
APCO. Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials
APCOM. Applied Communications Corporation
APT. Alliance for Public Technology
APTS. America’s Public Television Stations
ASCII. American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASDC. American Society for Deaf Children
ASHA. American Speech Hearing and Language Association
ASL. American Sign Language
AT&T. American Telephone and Telegraph Company
AT&T-IS. AT&T Information Systems
ATIS. Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions
CAD. Canadian Association of the Deaf
CAN. Consumer Action Network (later renamed DHHCAN)
CARS. Computer Assisted Relay System
CATA. Cable Telecommunications Association
CC. Common Carrier Bureau (FCC)
CCD Task Force. Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities Task Force on Telecommunications and Communications Accessibility
CDMA. Code Division Multiple Access (a type of wireless transmission)
CDTAC. Disability/Consumer Telecommunications Advisory Committee
CEPIN. Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network
CFA. Consumer Federation of America
CGB, CG. Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (FCC)
CIA. Central Intelligence Agency
CIB. Consumer Information Bureau
COED. Commission on Education of the Deaf
COR. Council of Organizational Representatives (on National Issues Concerning People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing)
COSD. Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf
CPB. Corporation for Public Broadcasting
CPE. customer premises equipment
CPU. central processing unit (in computers)
CSCN. Canadian Steering Committee on Numbering
CSD. Communication Service for the Deaf
CTIA. Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (later renamed Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association)
CWA. Communications Workers of America
DA. delegated authority (for FCC proceedings)
DDTP/CTAP. Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program/California Telephone Access Program
DEAFWATCH. Demanding Equal Access to Facts and Warnings Aired on Television for Citizens who are Hearing Impaired
DHHCAN. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network (previously CAN)
DHS. U.S. Department of Homeland Security
DITF. Disabilities Issues Task Force
Dkt. docket (for FCC proceedings)
DOJ. U.S. Department of Justice
DPN. Deaf President Now
DRO. Disability Rights Office
DTV. digital television
E911. enhanced 911
EAS. Emergency Alert System
EASE. Emergency Access Self-Evaluation (TDI kits on handling emergency TTY calls)
EBO. Embedded Base Organization
EBS. Emergency Broadcasting System
EEAC. Equal Employment Advisory Council
EIA. Electronic Industries Association or Electronic Industries Alliance
EITAAC. Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee
FCC. Federal Communications Commission
FDA. Food and Drug Administration
FEMA. Federal Emergency Management Authority
FRS. Federal Relay Service
GAO. General Accounting Office
GLAD. Greater Los Angeles Council on Deafness, Inc.
GRI. Gallaudet Research Institute
GSA. General Services Administration
GSM. Global System for Mobile Communications (a type of wireless transmission)
GTE. General Telephone & Electronic Service Corporation
GWU. George Washington University
HAC. hearing aid compatible
HCO. hearing carryover
HEAR-IT NOW. Helping Equalize Access Rights in Telecommunications Now Coalition
HEW. U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare
HHS. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HIA. Hearing Industries Association
ICC. Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities
ICCF. Industry Carrier Compatibility Forum
IDEA. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IPR. Institute for Public Representation (Georgetown University law clinic)
IVR. interactive voice response
LATA. Local Access Transport Area
LHH. (New York) League for the Hard of Hearing
MFJ. Modified Final Judgment (court decree directing AT&T divestiture)
MM. Mass Media Bureau (FCC)
MRS Workshop. Message Relay Service Access Workshop (Canada)
NAB. National Association of Broadcasters
NAD. National Association of the Deaf
NANC. North American Numbering Council
NANPA. North American Numbering Plan Administrator
NARUC. National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
NASNA. National Association of State Nine One One Administrators
NASRA. National Association of State Relay Administration
NATA. North American Telephone Association
NCAM. National Center for Accessible Media
NCD. National Council on Disability
NCI. National Captioning Institute
NCLD. National Center for Law and the Deaf (later renamed National Center for Law and Deafness)
NCTA. National Cable Television Association
NECA. National Exchange Carriers Association
NENA. National Emergency Number Association
NRTA. National Retired Teachers Association
NSNC. AT&T National Special Needs Center
NTIA. National Telecommunications and Information Administration
NTID. National Technical Institute for the Deaf
NVRC. Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons
NVRSC. National Video Relay Services Coalition
OCP. optional calling plan
OET. Office of Engineering and Technology (FCC)
OMB. Office of Management and Budget
OSD. Operator Services for the Deaf
OUT. Organization for Use of the Telephone
Pac Bell. Pacific Bell Mobile Services
PBS. Public Broadcasting System
PC. personal computers
PCEPD. President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
PCIA. Personal Communications Industry Association
PCS. personal communication services (digital wireless services)
PCTV. personal computer with television circuitry
PN. public notice
PSAP. public safety answering point
PSC. public service commission
PSTN. public switched telephone network
PUC. public utility commission
RBOCs. regional Bell telephone companies (also called Baby Bells)
RERC-TA. Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telecommunications Access
RF. radio frequency
RIAA. Recording Industry Association of America
RM. rulemaking (for FCC proceedings)
SCPE. specialized customer premises equipment
SHHH. Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (later renamed Hearing Loss Association of America)
SSA. U.S. Social Security Administration
STS. speech-to-speech relay services
SWBT. Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
TAAC. Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee
TAEA. Telecommunications Accessibility Enhancement Act
TAN. Telecommunications Advocacy Network
TCA. Tele-Communications Association (later renamed to Information Technology and Telecommunications Association)
TDA. Telecommunications for the Disabled Act
TDD. telecommunications device for the deaf (alternative name for TTY)
TDI. Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.
TDMA. time division multiple access (a type of wireless transmission)
TEDI. Telecommunications Exchange for the Deaf, Inc.
TEDPA. Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program Association
TFA. Telephone for All (consumer e-mail distribution list)
THIC. Telecommunications for the Hearing Impaired Consumer Forum
TIA. Telecommunications Industry Association
TND. Telecommunications Network for the Deaf
TOBI. Television Online Bi-screen Information System
TOPS. Traffic Operator Position System
TRAC. Telecommunications Research and Action Center
TRS. telecommunications relay services
TSP. Telecommunications Service Priority (for restoration of telecommunications networks)
TTY. teletypewriter, text telephone
TVFA. Television for All Coalition
UCPA. United Cerebral Palsy Association
UPI. United Press International
USITA. United States Independent Telephone Association
USTA. United States Telephone Association
VCO. voice carryover
VETS. Video Enhanced Telephone Service
VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol
VRS. video relay services
WAGHOH. Washington Area Group for the Hard of Hearing