An essential part of our accessibility effort is our relationship with the community. One of the partnerships that we are particularly proud of is our association with the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at WGBH, Boston. In addition to their independent activity in captioning and descriptive video, NCAM has been working with Panasonic on digital captioning and the accessibility of converging technologies.

Panasonic works with a variety of organizations including Gallaudet University, Very Special Arts, Special Olympics, Children's Miracle Network, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Ronald McDonald House, Employment Horizons, and High Hope Center. Kid Witness News is a hands-on video education program developed and supported by Panasonic. Panasonic provides 225 public schools, several specializing in the education of deaf children, with complete video studios. Under teacher supervision, students enhance cognitive and organizational skills by researching, writing, acting, producing, directing and editing a variety of videos.

Our expanding outreach program provides the necessary context for our accessibility activities, which include assessments of our products by people with disabilities, participation in accessibility conferences and seminars, work on and with government advisory committees, and participation in forums seeking solutions to the technical challenges of providing accessibility in mass market products.

"Manufacturers do not produce to satisfy their own needs, but the material needs of society. It is not just work, but work that will help people live, and for that reason it is a task beyond measurement. Our duty is to work hard to fulfill our responsibility well."

- Konosuke Matsushita                         
Founder of Matsushita, parent company of Panasonic