DOD, GSA, and NASA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comments on whether there is a need at this time for changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) or other acquisition guidance to promote more consistent and effective implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and, if so, what specific changes are needed.

Interested parties are asked to provide comments in writing on or before August 26, 2002 to be considered in the formulation of a proposed rule.

Submit written comments to:
General Services Administration
FAR Secretariat (MVP)
1800 F Street, NW, Room 4035
ATTN: Laurie Duarte
Washington, DC 20405

Submit electronic comments via the Internet to-- farnotice.2001-033@gsa.gov.

The notice requests that parties submit comments only and cite <> <> 2001-033, Section 508 Contract Clause (Notice) in all correspondence related to this case.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The FAR Secretariat, Room 4035, GS Building, Washington, DC, 20405, at (202) 501-4755 for information pertaining to status or publication schedules. The TTY Federal Relay Number for further information is 1-800-877-8973.

The June 24, 2002 issue of Government Computer News contained an article, “Section 508 complaint process makes lawsuits unlikely,” in which Ken Nakata, of the U.S. Department of Justice, was quoted as saying a complainant under Section 508 must first go through the administrative complaint process before filing a law suit in federal court. Mr. Nakata advised ITTATC that he was misquoted in this article, and, that the Department of Justice has taken no such position on Section 508 remedies. The good news is that the article reports that, thus far, no lawsuits have been filed against any federal agency under Section 508.

On June 24th, the FCC brought together Wireless industry representatives and consumers with physical and developmental disabilities to begin a dialog about the integral role of wireless communications services. Some of the problems identified were:

• interoperability issues associated with electronic speech equipment, often referred to as augmentative communications devices (ACDs), and wireless phones;
• the usability of features (such as hands-free dialing);
• problems with service plan packages that limit consumer choice; and
• the availability of donated handsets for use by economically disadvantaged people with disabilities for use during emergencies.

On July 22nd, the Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy issued a Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications of High School/High Tech State Grants. Up to $ 500,000 is available, to award two to five competitive grants in the amount of $ 100,000 to $ 250,000 each, to further expand the integration of the High School/ High Tech (HS/HT) program into the One-Stop Center System established under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

The purpose of these grants is to assist states in developing statewide High School/High Tech infrastructure and operations and integrating the HS/HT programs into the youth services provided through the One-Stop Center System. HS/HT is a series of nationally established programs designed to provide young people with disabilities with an opportunity to explore careers or further education leading to technology-related careers. The closing date for receipt of grant applications is August 21, 2002. For the complete notice, see 67 FR 47,832.

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) has just released its Best Practices for Electronic and Information Technology Vendors. The publication provides basic guidelines for filling out the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and advice for achieving consistency in its use.

You can download the publication at: www.itic.org/policy/508/sec508.html.

WestLaw announced two new services for customers with disabilities. Reference attorneys have been trained to provide technical support for individuals using screen readers. Access the support hotline for customers with vision impairments by calling 1-800-418-9378. For customers with hearing impairments, WestLaw now offers a live chat room where users type questions and receive immediate responses from the online Help service. Customers access the Service by signing on to westlaw.com and clicking Help. However, in order to access this Live Help service customers first need to have their passwords modified. Customers can request this password modification by contacting their account representative or sending an e-mail request to lea.harpster@westgroup.com.

Adobe now offers a live, interactive, online seminar on converting paper-based form processes to dynamic, interactive online forms, including instructions on making the online forms accessible to people with disabilities. The seminar is free. To register, you can call 1-877-303-9422 or access online at: http://www.adobe.com/formssolutions.

The ITTATC State IT Initiatives Workgroup has conducted a national survey of States to determine their information, training, and technical assistance needs with respect to accessible electronic and information technology. A series of reports are being developed that represent a synthesis of data compiled from the needs assessment for these stakeholders (State Assistive Technology projects, Chief Information Offices and Procurement Officials). Reports will be posted to the ITTATC web site soon.

Universal Access: Assistive and Accessible Technologies for Living and Learning
Temple Harrisburg
234 Strawberry Square
Harrisburg
8:30 AM - 12:45 AM

A conference culminating with an Assistive Technology Awards Luncheon at the Harrisburg Hilton, from 1:00 - 2:30 PM. In celebration of Assistive Technology Awareness Month, November 2002. (Registration fee and advance registration required.)

For more information and a registration form, contact Clementine Thaxton at 215-204-5395 (voice), 800-204-7428 (voice), or 800-750-7428 (TTY), 215-204-9371 (fax) or cthaxton@temple.edu .

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