The veteran disability rights attorney and telecommunications advocate will join the board effective July 1, 2026, bringing decades of federal policy experience.
Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) announced the appointment of Karen Peltz Strauss to its board of directors. Peltz Strauss is a disability rights attorney and telecommunications access advocate who has worked to advance the rights of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Americans since the 1980s. Her appointment is effective July 1, 2026.
Peltz Strauss has influenced several major laws protecting communication access in the US. She assisted in drafting the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and helped pass the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988. Additionally, she authored federal mandates for closed captioning in the 1996 Amendments to the Communications Act and the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). She continues to work on federal legislation to update accessibility laws for video and communication technologies, including the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (CVTA).
“Karen Peltz Strauss brings something rare to CSD’s board: Decades of federal policy experience at the highest level, with proven knowledge of what it takes to turn access into law, and a warm, collaborative approach to serving our communities,” says Christopher Soukup, CEO of CSD, in a release. “Her work and ours have always pointed in the same direction. We are very pleased to have her join our Board of Directors.”
Peltz Strauss served twice at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), most recently as Deputy Bureau Chief, where she oversaw disability policy and supervised accessibility rules across digital, wireless, and broadcast communications. During her tenure, she helped establish the FCC Disability Advisory Committee and the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, which provides $10 million annually in communications equipment to low-income DeafBlind individuals.
Earlier in her career, Peltz Strauss served as legal counsel at the National Association of the Deaf and as a supervising attorney at the National Center for Law and Deafness at Gallaudet University. She founded and led the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, a group of nearly 300 organizations that supported the passage of the CVAA.
“I am extraordinarily honored and excited to join the CSD Board of Directors,” says Peltz Strauss, in a release. “Throughout my career, I have deeply admired CSD’s longstanding commitment to advancing telecommunications access and equality for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I look forward to collaborating with my fellow board members to build on CSD’s remarkable legacy and help shape its continued impact into the future.”
Peltz Strauss joins current board members Lori Breslow, board chair; Brendan Gramer; Shireen Hafeez; Michael McLaurin, finance committee chair; and Elise Nye.
