February 1, 2004 (Vol 4, Issue 4)

In This Issue:

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. Fourth Annual Web Enabled Government Conference and Exhibition
2. Online Discussion of Web ACcessibility
3. Designing Universally Accessible Web Resources
4. FOSE

FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. Three Requests for Exemption from the FCC's Closed Captioning Rules:
   1. Lamb & Lion Ministries Petition
   2. Lincoln Wood Baptist Church
   3. Evangelistic Outreach Ministries
2. Requirements for Closed Captioning of New Nonexempt English and Spanish Language Video Programming

ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS

1. IRS Awards Manila Consulting Group Contract for Section 508 Work
2. NASCIO Executive Director To Step Down
3. NASCIO Releases 2003-04 Compendium of Digital Government in the States
4. Public Policy Issues: Access to Information and Information Technology
5. Essential Partnerships: A Guide to the Successful Creation of Public-Private Partnerships

PAST EVENTS

1. ITTATC Third Annual State EIT Accessibility Initiatives: State of the States

RESOURCES

1. NASCIO Releases Online Resource Library: SMART
2. AccessWorld, Technology and People with Visual Impairments

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. FOURTH ANNUAL WEB ENABLED GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION



The 4th Annual Web-Enabled Government Conference and Exhibition, presented by the E-Gov Institute and Federal Computer Week, will address "What Matters Now: Integration, Interoperability, Usability." It will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trace Center in Washington, DC on February 4-5, 2004.

What you will learn:

- Strategies for designing effective Web-Enabled environments, and what makes managing these programs different from traditional projects

- What makes an application successful with your target audience, how to avoid common pitfalls, and how to leverage the experience of others in your operation

- How to ensure you applications are compliant with developing regulations

- How to incorporate innovative technologies and practical strategies to improve customer satisfaction with high-performance, secure web-based services

Register now at http://www.e-gov.com/events/2004/we_gov/register.asp

 

FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. THREE REQUESTS FOR EXEMPTION FROM THE FCC'S CLOSED CAPTIONING RULES

a. Lamb & Lion Ministries Petition

Lamb & Lion Ministries has filed a petition requesting an exemption from the requirement for closed captioning of the TV program Christ in Prophecy which airs weekly on the DAYSTAR network. According to Lamb & Lion Ministries, to contract for the closed captioning or to purchase encoding equipment would represent a significant increase in the cost of TV production.

Comments and oppositions are due within 30 days from the date of this public notice, which is dated January 15, 2004. Petitioner's reply is due 20 days thereafter. Please place the case identifier, CSR 6281, on all filings.

b. Lincoln Wood Baptist Church

Lincoln Wood Baptist Church has filed a petition requesting an exemption from the closed captioning requirements for 2004 for its local church television program. Lincoln Wood Baptist Church airs a 30 minute religious program in Houston, TX each Sunday at 12 PM. The Church does not ask for money during the airing of the program and offers a free cassette copy of the message to those who request it. According to Lincoln Wood Baptist Church, to add the increased cost of closed captioning would be an undue burden.

Comments and oppositions are due within 30 days from the date of this public notice, which is dated January 15, 2004. Petitioner's reply is due 20 days thereafter. Please place the case identifier, CSR 6282, on all filings.

c. Evangelistic Outreach Ministries

Evangelistic Outreach Ministries filed a petition requesting an exemption from the closed captioning requirements for 2004 for its half-hour weekly program. According to Evangelistic Outreach Ministries, for several years it produced its programs at a studio that allowed an additional camera shot so an individual could use "sign language" for the hearing impaired. However, the station now uses new technology which has curtailed the Ministries ability to continue to use that outlet.

Because the program is viewer supported, the increase in production costs to incorporate closed captioning would cause the Ministry to curtail its programming on many, if not all, of its television outlets. Further, according to the public notice, for the past three consecutive years this corporation has sustained financial losses. The expense of captioning next year could bring it to the point of financial demise.

Comments and oppositions are due within 30 days from the date of this public notice, which is dated January 15, 2004. Petitioner's reply is due 20 days thereafter. Please place the case identifier, CSR 6280, on all filings.

To read the full FCC public notices for these three petitions for closed captioning, access: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/headlines.html.

 

ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS

1. IRS AWARDS MANILA CONSULTING GROUP CONTRACT FOR SECTION 508 WORK

[Taken from the January 5, 2004 issue of Government Computer News]

The IRS has awarded Manila Consulting Group a five-year, $3 million contract to help the agency comply with Section 508 requirements.

The McLean, Va., company will provide the IRS' Information Resource Accessibility Program with training classes and software to assist the agency in making its Web sites and systems accessible to people with disabilities, as required by the 508 provisions in the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. The contract has a one-year base period and four one-year options.

To read the full article, access: http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/24535-1.html.

To read the November 6, 2003 article from Government Computer News regarding how IRS system planners are building in compliance from the start of IT projects to minimize cost, access: http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/24093-1.html.

2. NASCIO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO STEP DOWN

[Taken from a January 15, 2004 NASCIO Press Release]

After six years of service, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers' (NASCIO) Executive Director Elizabeth Miller VanMeter has announced that she will soon step down from her position to focus on family interests. She will remain in the position with AMR, NASCIO's association management firm, through the search for a new executive director, expected to conclude in April, when she hopes to continue to pursue her professional endeavors at a reduced pace.

NASCIO represents the state chief information officers from the 50 states, six U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Members include cabinet and senior-level state officials responsible for information resource management. Other IT officials participate as associate members and private sector representatives may become corporate members.

For more information about NASCIO and to read the full press release, access: http://www.nascio.org/.

3. NASCIO RELEASES 2003-04 COMPENDIUM OF DIGITAL GOVERNMENT IN THE STATES


The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released its comprehensive 2003-2004 Compendium of Digital Government in the States. Statistics in the publication are based on survey questions completed by state chief information officers and their designated staff members. In addition, the Compendium contains over 600 pages of information with profiles from 42 states and the District of Columbia and represents 86% of the nation's population.

The publications offers information about executive IT authority, enterprise IT management, IT financial management and funding, access and usability, privacy and security, and priorities and prospects for digital government.

To view the table of contents and a sample state profile, and for information on how to purchase the publication, please visit http://www.nascio.org/publications/compendium.cfm.

1. 50 percent said that a desirable partner is proactive and responsive to providing technical support, aid and assistance to answering questions;
2. 16 percent said that it was important that both the public- and private-sector staffs work closely on every aspect of the project; and
3. 16 percent said that scheduling flexibility played a critical role.

 

PAST EVENTS

1. ITTATC THIRD ANNUAL STATE EIT ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES: STATE OF THE STATES

On January 26, 2003, ITTATC held an audio conference, Third Annual State Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives: State of the States, to provide information on state approaches to electronic and information technology accessibility and the adoption of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

One hundred and eighty-one participants--from industry, state government, and other organizations involved in promoting the needs of people with disabilities-participated from all across the U.S., as well as from France and Canada.

Panelists included the State Government IT Accessibility Coordinator for the State of Maine's Office of Chief Information; a representative from the State of Indiana's Information Technology Oversight Commission; a Policy Analyst from the Kentucky Assistive Technology Services; and the manager of the Technology Investigation Center for the State of Arkansas. The panel, moderated by Deborah Buck, Director of State IT Accessibility Programs for ITTATC, and Michael Morris, Chair of the ITTATC State IT Initiatives Workgroup, provided information on laws, policies, and programs and processes that have been implemented at the state level. .

To view a transcript of the January 26th audio conference, as well as supporting documents and resources, access the ITTATC website at: www.ittatc.org.


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RESOURCES

1. NASCIO RELEASES ONLINE RESOURCE LIBRARY: SMART

The Strategic Materials and Resources Tool (SMART) is an online resource library designed to give NASCIO members the opportunity to search for state IT information on a broad variety of topics quickly and efficiently. SMART is a comprehensive clearinghouse from multiple sources of information and serves as a network of resources for state CIOs and other NASCIO members.

SMART currently contains articles, issue briefs, best practices, tools, presentations and member information pertaining to a wide range of key IT issues such as enterprise architecture, e-commerce, funding models, information and communications technology, funding cases, economic development, privacy, procurement, reliability and security. SMART serves as a collection of materials from a variety of sources.

To access the NASCIO online resource library, link to www.nascio.org and click on the link to the SMART Library located on the home page.

2. ACCESSWORLD, TECHNOLOGY AND PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB) technology magazine, is a free, web-only publication. AccessWorld includes objective evaluations of both assistive technology and the accessibility of mainstream products. The web publication includes reviews of screen readers, screen magnifiers, optical character recognition (OCR) systems, video magnifiers, personal data assistants (PDAs), cell phones, electronic voting machines, music production software, and more.

Readers who are blind or visually impaired can download "Braille embosser-ready" AccessWorld files that have been translated and formatted to be sent directly to their Braille printers.

Previous issues dating back to January 2000 are also available online.

The January issue features:

***Not Just Taking Up Space: Almost-Infinite Job Possibilities at NASA
NASA's commitment to hiring people with disabilities, combined with a technologically pioneering environment, makes the stars the limit for its visually impaired employees--Deborah Kendrick

***A Rosy Future for DAISY Books
Easy listening comes to Talking Books with DAISY--the Digital Audio-based Information System--Jay Leventhal and Janina Sajka

***Read Me, Read Me Not: A Review of Four DAISY Book Players
One of these four stand-alone DAISY book players will plant the seeds of knowledge for readers--Jay Leventhal and Janina Sajka

***Progress Toward Access: A Review of AOL 9.0
AFB's test of the new AOL 9.0 with JAWS for Windows 5.0 detects a giant step forward toward accessibility--Jerry Weichbrodt

***Do Cell Phones Plus Software Equal Access? Part 2
The Nokia 9290, a combination cell phone and personal digital assistant, made accessible with TALKS text-to-speech software, is the best bet yet for accessibility--Darren Burton and Mark Uslan

***Quite a Display: A Review of Two Video Magnifiers
A variety of unique features gives viewers a choice--Bryan Gerritsen

***No Static at All: A Review of Low-Power FM Transmitters
With a low-powered FM radio transmitter, you can play the output of almost any audio device through the speakers of your car or home FM radio, even in another room--Jim Kutsch

***AccessWorld News

***Calendar of Events

To view the current issue of AccessWorld, as well as back issues, access: http://www.afb.org/aw/main.asp.


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