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About Telecommunications Access for the Deaf and Disabled Administrative Committee (TADDAC)

Need help? Give us a call at 1-800-806-1191
There are five circular photos with yellow lines connecting five individuals. Photo descriptions from left to right: 1) A woman sitting on a couch next to a wooden table. The table has a photo, lamp and a landline telephone with enlarged dial pad. The woman has dark skin, medium length hair, is wearing a white turtleneck top and is smiling while holding the telephone to her ear. 2) A girl with fair skin and strawberry blonde medium length hair is looking up to her left, away from the camera. She is wearing a tie-dyed sweatshirt. She has a feeding tube taped on her cheek. She is holding a tablet in both of her hands. 3) A man with dark skin and shaggy medium hair is looking away from the camera to his right. He is wearing a yellow shirt, silver necklace with pendant and a cordless headset phone. 4) A woman is sitting in front of her desk with a blue wall and a frame behind her. On her desk is a landline telephone and flowers. The woman has fair skin and red hair. She is wearing a pastel peach color buttoned up shirt and a black blazer. She is holding the telephone to her ear and is smiling. 5) A man with dark skin and short hair is smiling away from the camera to his right. He is wearing glasses, an orange shirt and a plaid buttoned shirt that is left open. He also is wearing a hearing device around his neck.

About Telecommunications Access for the Deaf and Disabled Administrative Committee (TADDAC)

Need help? Give us a call at 1-800-806-1191
  • A black man wearing a gold long sleeve shirt wearing a headset and microphone device to communicate with others.
  • A female young adult wearing rainbow tie dye sweatshirt, looking afar from her wheelchair, holding an iPad device in her hand.
  • An Asian man with black-rimmed glasses and hair, long sleeve plaid shirt and a green t-shirt, listening through a device and smiling.
  • A white Deaf man wearing a gold hat and gold-rimmed glasses. The man is wearing a tan t-shirt and has a flower tattoo on his left neck.
  • A blind Black woman wearing a white turtleneck shirt and blouse sitting on the couch, holding a white phone to her ear, listening to the caller on the other end of the line.

TADDAC advises the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on equipment distribution, relay services, and policies. TADDAC also makes recommendations to the CPUC on the Program’s annual budget and expenditures.

The Committee recommends strategic planning and works to develop more effective services for Californians with difficulty using a standard telephone.

TADDAC meetings are normally on the fourth Friday of each month. However, regular meeting dates are subject to change. Please review the Events page to view the list of meetings.

Be sure to read 'Before Attending a Meeting', which explains how meetings are conducted.

You also may download the Committee Charter (Word Doc).

TADDAC operates under the direction of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). At its discretion, the Committee may expand the number of voting members up to eleven to include other disability groups.

TADDAC Committee: Current Voting Members

(Up to eleven voting members are authorized with a quorum of six)

Community Members | Number of Representatives

Hard of Hearing | One
Disability | One required member from each of these communities: Mobility Impaired, Speech-to-Speech, Blind or Low-vision
Late-Deafened | One
Deaf Community | Two
At Large Representative | Three
CPUC Public Advocates Office | One

TADDAC Committee: Voting Members

Vacant

Hard of Hearing Community Representative
First Term: 9/21 - 9/25

Jesse Acosta

At Large Seat - Veteran Community Representative
Second Term: 11/21 - 11/25

Christopher Bartulo

CPUC Public Advocates Office
First Term: 5/22 - 5/26

Kevin Siemens

Disability Seat - Speech-to-Speech Community Representative
Second Term: 2/21 - 2/25

Louis Herrera

Disability Seat - Blind/Low-Vision Community Representative
Second Term: 2/22 - 2/26

Katie Wright (Chair)

Late-Deafened Community Representative
Second Term: 11/20 - 11/24

Robert Sidansky

Deaf Community Representative
First Term: 10/19 - 10/23

Richard L. Ray

Deaf Community Representative
First Term: 10/20 - 10/24

Devva Kasnitz

Disability Seat - Mobility Impaired Community Representative
Second Term: 11/16 - 11/20

Francis Reyes Acosta

At Large Seat - DDTP Spanish Services Community Representative
Second Term: 8/15 - 8/19

TADDAC Committe: Non-Voting Liaisons

Area

Number of Representatives

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
One required member from each of these communities: Mobility Impaired, Speech-to-Speech, Blind or Low-vision
DDTP Administrative Contractor Liaison
One

Non-voting Liaisons:

  • Brent Jolley, CPUC, Communications Division
  • TBD, CPUC, Legal Division
  • TBD, CPUC, Information and Management Services Division

Contact the Committee Coordinator, committee members, or submit public input by emailing committees@caconnect.org.

View the upcoming events and news  below for more general committee meeting information, upcoming meeting dates, and agendas.

FAQs Consumer Advisory - Before attending a meeting

Before Attending a Meeting
Please check the Calendar before attending. Call in advance to confirm the scheduled time of public input. Rescheduling of agenda items can cause public input to be moved an hour before or after the scheduled time. Plan on arriving an hour before the scheduled time for public input.

Communication Services  

Committee meetings are made accessible by providing sign language interpreters, real-time captioning, real-time captioning is provided at all meetings, and an inductive loop system. Assistive listening devices are available from the Committee Coordinator. Special communications accommodations can be made by contacting the Committee Coordinator at least five days prior to a meeting.

Please respect the following rules:
Persons attending the California Connect Committees meetings shall conduct themselves with dignity, courtesy, and respect toward Committee members, agency staff, and other persons in attendance. Disorderly conduct will not be tolerated.

Maximum time allowed is determined by the Chair, but generally shall not exceed ten minutes per individual.

Testimony shall be relevant to the topic, civil, and devoid of personal attacks as determined by the Chair.

Any person who willfully disrupts any meeting as determined by the Chair, will be asked to leave the meeting.

Before speaking at meetings, Committee members ask that you raise your hand and wait to be recognized by the Chair. When called upon, please state your name, and then sign or speak as slowly and clearly as possible.

During a meeting, please leave the room to have side conversations or to use pagers and cellular telephones.

Please refrain from wearing scents whenever you visit the California Connect office for a committee meeting or a visit.

Contact

Contact Center
P.O. Box 30310
Stockton, CA 95213
Phone/VP: 1-800-806-1191
Email: info@caconnect.org
Fax: 1-800-889-3974

About

Welcome to California Connect, also called the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program (DDTP), which provides communication access for Californians with hearing, vision, cognitive, mobility, and speech-related disabilities. The program of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) includes accessible communication equipment and devices, relay service, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices.
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