Dear Technology Task Force Working Group Members, I wanted to report the great news that the Special Budget Request that I put in has been approved and funded by the ICANN Board. This is really great news!! While they did not give us everything we asked for. We had requested a one year pilot with a review after 6 months. Instead the board approved a 6 month pilot with a review after 3 months to determine viability. The goal will be at least three calls/meetings per month to determine viability. The Pilot will begin October 2015. Also good news is that ICANN has recognized that this is not just an ALAC need but a core need for all. It is great that ICANN has recognized the value of captioning technology during meeting support efforts. I will be working with Heidi Ulrich and other staff to figure out how to structure the pilot. Those who are interested in working on creating the pilot, please feel free to email me. When I have more information I will send another email out but just wanted to let everyone know this great news. Best, Judith -- _________________________________________________________________________ Judith Hellerstein, Founder & CEO Hellerstein & Associates 3001 Veazey Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008 Phone: (202) 362-5139 Skype ID: judithhellerstein E-mail: Judith@jhellerstein.com Website: www.jhellerstein.com Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/jhellerstein/ Opening Telecom & Technology Opportunities Worldwide