Ronald Reagan

“ Nothing is more important to the welfare and progress of the United States than the assurance that all its people are afforded equality of opportunities. Our Nation's commitment to open new doors of opportunity for people in all walks of life has guided the growth of our Nation and stands as a measure of its greatness. ”

“ The development of closed-captioned television marks the culmination of many years of cooperative effort by government, private industry and non-profit groups. It is breaking down historic communications barriers and opening new social, educational and vocational opportunities for the hearing-impaired. ”

“ The realization of our high hopes for a better America can be gauged by our ability to bring the handicapped of our Nation into the mainstream of society. The recent initiation in March 1980 of closed-captioned television, which opened this important communications medium to millions of deaf and hearing-impaired Americans, is a significant achievement toward this end. ”