AAPD Releases Digital TV Transition Music Video

AAPD Releases Digital TV Transition Music Video

Video on YouTube Features Cast, Director with Disabilities in Educational Video

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) recently released a music video on YouTube.com featuring a tune sung by a cast of people with disabilities aimed at educating the disability community about the digital television transition.

The video is part of the organization's nationwide consumer education campaign about the February 17, 2009 digital television transition. The switch from analog to digital television affects about 23 million people, and one third of the households that use "rabbit ears" antennas include a person with a disability.

"How many music videos starring people with disabilities have you seen before?" said Jenifer Simpson, AAPD's Senior Director for Technology Initiatives. "Through catchy lyrics and a soap opera-style plot, we're trying to spread the word about the switch from analog to digital television in an amusing way."

The video stars actors with disabilities, AAPD staff, including Simpson, and family members of people with disabilities and was directed and edited by AAPD Board Member Day Al-Mohamed, who is blind and a leader in the disability community.

"I was very excited about the opportunity to work on this project because I was able to work with actors with disabilities in a video aimed at people with disabilities," Al-Mohamed said. "I would love to see more people with disabilities featured in videos, movies and TV. YouTube is a great place to start."

Millions of households with people with disabilities can't afford to buy a new digital TV, choose not to buy one, or may not want to purchase cable or satellite TV service. These 'analog over-the-air' households will lose their TV signal February 17, 2009 if they don't get a converter box or buy pay TV.

Watch the music video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtVGsL_Jv4s

For more information and resources about the switch to digital television, visit http://www.aapd.com/AAPDRedesign/TTPI/dtvtransition.html

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership organization, organizes the disability community to be a powerful voice for change - politically, economically, and socially. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To learn more, visit the AAPD website: www.aapd.com.

Source: American Association of People With Disabilities

CONTACT: Rebecca Panoff, Communications Manager of American Association
of People With Disabilities, +1-202-508-3783, RPanoff@aapd.com

Web Site: http://www.aapd-dc.org/

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