Colorado law is proud to share that Prof. Blake Reid ’10 recently received the H. Latham Breunig Humanitarian Award from Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inc. (TDI) at their conference this past month.
The award recognizes Reid’s support, along with his students in the Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic, of TDI’s work in accessibility policy. The award is named after H. Latham Breunig, who co-led the Teletypewriters for the Deaf Distribution Committee, which helped distribute and repair teletypewriters (TTY) to thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people starting in the late 1960s and evolved into TDI, of which Breunig was the first executive director, and which distributed an important directory of TTY users that helped them contact each other.
TDI is the nation’s leading advocate for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people’s (DDBHH) equitable access to information and communication technology (ICT). They monitor and comment on federal policies involving access to these technologies and strive to best represent the diverse community by engaging with stakeholders through a variety of programs.
Reid shared that “Over the past decade, my student attorneys and I have worked with TDI on numerous law and policy matters, often before the Federal Communications Commission, aimed at improving the accessibility of telecommunications system for people who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing.”
In addition to receiving the Breunig award, Reid also presented on three panels at TDI’s 25th biennial conference this past month. One panel was an overview of the newly reintroduced Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act, the second explored the state of communications accessibility for incarcerated people with disabilities, and the third covered the complex role that artificial intelligence plays in the accessibility of communications and other technologies.
Reid’s dedication to public service is evidenced in his longstanding commitment to supporting TDI. Through his work with TDI, Reid aims to elevate the voices of the DDBHH community– which are often left out of or represented in policy discussions—and ensure they are equitably considered when advancing policy initiatives.
“The importance of serving the public has been at the center of my work since I was a student at Colorado Law pursuing the Public Interest Pledge and serving as a student attorney in the clinics,” Reid shared. “I see working to help ensure that law and policy serve the public—and that students have an opportunity to engage in public service—as a critical part of my role as a teacher and scholar.”
The University of Colorado Law School is grateful to benefit from Reid’s scholarship and services; he is a valued member of our faculty, and we look forward to the continued impact his work will have in the years to come. Congratulations, Professor Reid, on this incredible achievement!