July 1, 2004 (Vol 4, Issue 9)

In This Issue:

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. 'Speaking Out About Inaccessible Information and Telecommunication Technology' Audio Conference.
2. Earn a 'Certificate in Accessible Information Technology.'
3. Ninth International Conference on Computers Helping People (ICCHP) with Special Needs.
4. Tools for Life: A 21st Century Look at Assistive Technology and Services.
5. Twenty-seventh Annual Conference of the Association on Higher Education and Disability 2004.
6. Using the Internet to Secure Sustainable Livelihoods for Youth with Disabilities, Disabled Peoples' International World Summit 2004: Diversity Within
7. Seventh Annual Accessing Higher Ground's "Assistive Technology and Accessible Media in Higher Education" Conference.

FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. Annual Summary of Consumer Complaints Concerning TRS is Due July 1.
2. FCC Reminds Video Programming Distributors They Must Make Emergency Information Accessible to Persons with Hearing or Vision Disabilities.
3. Temporary Waivers Granted of FCC Requirements for Text Telephone Devices.
4. Requests and Denials of Waiver of FCC Close-Captioning Requirements.
5. FCC Seeks Feedback and Information on the Accessibility of Video Programming.
6. FCC Localism Task Force Announces Date and Location of Monterey, California Hearing.

FOR YOUR ACTION/INFORMATION

1. Court Orders Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System to Comply with State IT Accessibility Law.
2. California Issues Accessibility Standards for Electronic Voting Machines.
3. Arizona Voting Pilot for People with Disabilities.
4. Yakima County, Wash., Adopts Hart InterCivic's Electronic Voting System.
5. Optical Voting Technology and the ADA - American Association of People with Disabilities v. Hood.
6. New ADA Accessibility Guidelines Cleared for July Publication.
7. Court Reverses FCC Media Ownership Rules.
8. Regulations.gov Website.

ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS

1. Accessibility Goal: Tear Down Barriers to Virtual Schooling.
2. DOJ Releases Results of 508 Survey.
3. A Checkup for Section 508.

RESOURCES

1. TecAccess Evaluates Latest Single Courseware Platform from Thomson NETg.
2. "Closing the Gap" Forums.
3. Mock Accessible University.
4. AccessIT Web and IT Accessibility Training Videos.
5. Earn a 'Certificate in Accessibile Information Technology'
6. Hands on Expends Video Relay Services to Include Videophone Users.
7. Technology Helping to Guide the Blind.
8. FCC Consumer Alerts & Fact Sheets.
9. Affordable, Handheld, Personal Digital Assistant for the Blind.
10. The Northeast ADA & IT Center Newsletters and Bulletins.

PAST EVENTS

1. The December 2003 Special Issue of "Information Technology and Disabilities"
2. Show and Tell on Accessible Telecommunications in Education and Government Bridging the Gaps.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. SPEAKING OUT ABOUT INACCESSIBLE INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
ITTATC AUDIO CONFERENCE
July 21, 2004.



This audio conference is in commemoration of the 14th anniversary of the passage of the ADA. To participate in the event or for further information,

http://www.ittatc.org/training/Jul21.cfm

 

FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. ANNUAL SUMMARY OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS CONCERNING TRS IS DUE JULY 1

This FCC Public Notice (DA No. 04-1599, June 2, 2004) is a reminder from the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau that the annual complaint summaries of TRS providers and state governments are due on July 1, 2004.

Read the complete Notice:

Word Version:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-1599A1.doc
PDF Version:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-1599A1.pdf

 

FOR YOUR ACTION/INFORMATION

1. COURT ORDERS ARKANSAS ADMINISTRATIVE STATEWIDE INFORMATION SYSTEM TO COMPLY WITH STATE IT ACCESSIBILITY LAW

Hartzell v. State of Arkansas, No. IJ-2001-3700 (Cir. Ct. Pulaski County, Ark. June 2, 2004).

On June 2, 2004, a state judge ordered Arkansas to bring its Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System (AASIS) software into compliance with Arkansas Code § 25-26-201(b)(1) providing that "Individuals who are blind or visually impaired have the right to full participation in the life of the state, including the use of advanced technology which is provided by the state or state-assisted organizations for use by employees, program participants, and members of the general public . . . ."

"The contractor selling the [AASIS] system, SAP [Public Sector & Education, Inc], ignored its legal requirement to make the system accessible, and the State of Arkansas did not protest."(NFB Report, July 6, 2002, http://www.nfb.org/convent/presrep02.htm)

The ruling follows a 2001 lawsuit brought by two blind employees of the state, Donna Hartzell and Larry Wayland. The suit claimed that "[w]ithout . . . special software, blind workers were unable to access accounting, budgeting and employee time card systems." The state has till July 15, 2004 (contrary to the following link) to come into compliance. (Pa. DEP, Apr. 2004,

http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/ChiefCounsel/ADA/ada_news_122/ADA_News_V122.htm)

 

ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS

1. COREY MURRAY, ACCESSIBILITY GOAL: TEAR DOWN BARRIERS TO VIRTUAL SCHOOLING, ESCHOOL NEWS
May 26, 2004

Virtual schooling, reaching previously inaccessible locations, may pose greater barriers to students with disabilities. In May, disability experts and industry executives convened in Washington D.C. at the National Summit on Disability and Distance Education to address these concerns. A working group at the summit, addressing "a fundamental rift between accessibility and usability," recommended, in part, to:

- Collect all existing accessibility standards in a single location for companies and schools to draw from. This collection of standards should include those spelled out in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998.

- Design a curriculum for schools to implement that teaches how to make web sites and online courses fully accessible.

- Create a model reporting tool that students can use to inform schools of their non-compliance.

- Persuade the accrediting institutions to consider whether a distance-education program is fully accessible before granting accreditation.

- Create an awards or recognition program for universities that adopt best practices in accessibility, and share these best practices among schools nationwide.

Read the Full Story:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/PFshowstory.cfm?ArticleID=5071

2. DOJ RELEASES RESULTS OF 508 SURVEY

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act: Accessibility for People with Disabilities in the Information Age (Results of 2001 Survey), June 14, 2004.

Data for this report arises from the 2001 Federal Agency Self-Evaluations and Reports, which targeted (1) Federal Agency Web accessibility, (2) Administrative Complaints, and (3) Other Concerns involving TTYs and ITMs. Results of the Self-Evaluations and Reports, mandated to take place every two years (29 U.S.C. § 794d(d)(2)), in part found that:

1. Easy fix website problems remain, such as the absence of ALT tags for graphic images;
2. Interactive voice-response systems, accessed through a Relay Service, can require repeated calling for proper use.
3. ITMs pose barriers to individuals with disabilities who use wheelchairs if controls are placed too high, and "[b]lind users may not be able to determine the function of the keys or the visual display on the screen."

1. Offering 'Challenge Grants to Create Incentives to Improve Accessibility of Modern Technologies.'
2. Creating an 'Informal Complaint Resolution Processes.'
3. Making the complaint process well-known.
4. Training employees to use Relay Services, TTYs, and other options for communicating with deaf users.
5. Including TTY Lines for high volume call lines.
6. Ensuring compatibility with TTY lines.
7. Ensure that ITMs procured after June 21, 2001, conform to Section 508 Standards.

3. A CHECKUP FOR SECTION 508

Mike Paciello, Online Extra: A Checkup for Section 508, Government Computer News (GCN), June 21, 2004.

Hailed as "the single most influential disability mandate since the Americans with Disabilities Act came into law in 1990," accessibility to technology varies widely among the federal agencies. The Social Security Administration, Department of Education, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the General Services Administration are among those which have developed and implemented best practices.

Mike Paciello, whose work entails assisting vendors, agencies, educational institutions, and corporations make accessible technology choices, suggests that low compliance arises from the lack of agency expertise with the issues, the absence of a watchdog, and casual attitudes among IT vendors for minimally compliant efforts.

Read the Full Story:
http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/accessibility/26304-1.html


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RESOURCES

1. TECACCESS EVALUATES LATEST SINGLE COURSEWARE PLATFORM FROM THOMASON NETG

The latest, single courseware platform from Thomson NETg, a "major enterprise e-Learning provider," exceeds 508 requirements, according to TecAccess in its May 24, 2004 issue. Its "accessibility options include keyboard support, text-to-speech, audio support, narrative on-screen text, and a high-contrast interface" without further need for plug-ins. Moreover, the courseware is specifically "designed to work side-by-side with other enabled accessibility programs and third-party products."

Read the Full Story:
http://www.tecaccess.net/content/pressroom/tomsonnetg504.shtml

2. "CLOSING THE GAP" FORUMS

This free online discussion board is an opportunity to share experiences and ask and answer questions regarding the use of technology to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Access the Forums:
http://www.closingthegap.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

• PDF Accessibility
• Surfing the Web with a Screen Reader
• Access to Information through Technology in Education

 

PAST EVENTS

1. THE DECEMBER 2003 SPECIAL ISSUE OF "INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DISABILITIES"

The December 2003 issue, published by Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI), contains the following academic articles:

- Federal Standard for Electronic and Information Technology
David Baquis, U.S. Access Board

- Analyzing Recent Americans with Disabilities Act-Based Accessible Information Technology Court Challenges
Susan B. Kretchmer, Johns Hopkins University &
Rod Carveth, Rochester Institute of Technology

- Universal design: Is It Really About Design?
Jim Tobias, President, Inclusive Technologies

- Factors Influencing Adoption of Wireless Technologies: Key Policy Issues, Barriers and Opportunities fro People with Disabilities
Paul M.A. Baker & Christine Bellordre
Georgia Institute of Technology

- Web-4-All: Web Accessibility Through Sight, Sound and Touch
Lawrence Euteneier, Web Accessibility Office, Industry Canada

For more information:
http://www.rit.edu/%7Eeasi/itd/itdv09n2/contents.htm

• Why Accessibility is important: Timothy Creagan, ITTATC (tim.Creagan@ittatc.org)
• Accessibility Standards: David Baquis, U.S. Access Board (baquis@access-board.gov)
• Solutions / Demonstration: Paul Michaelis, Avaya (http://www1.avaya.com/enterprise/508/)
• The Business Case for Accessibility: Deborah Buck, Assn. of Tech Act Projects (dbuck@nycap.rr.com)