May 1, 2003 (Vol 3, Issue 7)

In This Issue:

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. ITTATC and RESNA TA Offer 2 Part Information Series on the Help America Vote Act (HAVA): Full Participation in the Electoral Process for Persons with Disabilities
2. 2003 GSA Expo
3. GTC 2003 West
4. E-Gov 2003
5. ITTATC Offers Practicum for Industry Marketers and Accessibility Program Managers
6. RESNA 26th International Conference

PAST EVENTS

1. GSA Assistive Technology Showcase

ARTICLES

1. Automatic Speech Recognition as a Job Accommodation for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
2. Distance Education and Computer Based Courses of Study

FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. Chairman Powell Names Members of FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee

FOR YOUR ACTION

1. IMS Releases Draft Specification to Improve Accessibility of Online Learning

RESOURCES

1. ITTATC Published streamlined access to State Initiatives available on the web
2. ACCESS Board: New Tutorials on Section 508 Standards to be Made Available
3. Section 508 Market Research Reports
4. Progress and Outcomes: A Report on the State Assistive Technology Act Projects 2000-2001
5. Is It Working? A Review of AT Successes and Barriers

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. ITTATC AND RESNA TA OFFER 2 PART INFORMATION SERIES ON THE HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT (HAVA): FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

The Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America's Technical Assistance Project (RESNA TA) and the Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) are proud to host a two-part series on the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) featuring an audio conference on May 7th and a web cast on May 13th.

The purpose of this series is to educate multiple stakeholders at a state level on the current status of the implementation of HAVA; in particular, in reference to the accessibility challenges. Featuring presenters from the federal agency level who are charged with HAVA implementation, state government and outside perspectives, both events will include time for questions and answers.

Help America Vote Act Audio Conference
Part 1 of a 2 Part Series
Date: Wednesday, 7 May 2003
Time: 3:00-4:30 PM EST

Audio Conference Topics include:

1. Overview of HAVA and Accessibility Issues, Brian Hancock, Federal Elections Commission
2. States' Role and Responsibility for Implementation of HAVA, Leslie Reynolds, Executive Director, National Association of Secretaries of State
3. States' Experiences, Diane C. Golden, Director, Missouri Assistive Technology Project and Deborah Cook, Director, Washington Assistive Technology Alliance.
4. Grants for R&D on Voting Equipment, Election Systems, Voting Technology, Margaret Giannini, Director, Office of Disability, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
5. Technical Assistance and Training for Protection and Advocacy Systems Regarding HAVA, Christina Galindo, Disability Legal Specialist, National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems
6. Open Discussion

1. Usability and Accessibility Regarding the Voting System Standards, Featuring:
   1. Stephen Berger, Chair, Voting Systems Standards, IEEE
   2. John O'Hara, Brook Haven National Labs
   3. Doug Lewis, Executive Director, Election Center, Houston Texas
   4. Gregg Vanderheiden, Director, Trace Research & Development Center
2. Compliance with HAVA, Hans Von Spakovsky, U.S. Department of Justice
3. Open Discussion

2. 2003 GSA EXPO
May 6-8, 2003
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
San Antonio, TX

GSA Expo 2003 offers Federal employees and military members over 150 training sessions over 3 days that will provide powerful purchasing knowledge.

Training Tracks for the GSA Expo 2003 include:

• E-Business: GSA Advantage, e-Library, e-Buy
• Procurement: Section 803 & Me, Performance Based Acquisition, Using Schedules Effectively, Ordering through GSA the Easy Way, VA Procurement Reviews, The DOD Purchase Card
• Program Solutions: Airline City Pairs, DLA Logistics Solutions, Information Technology, Engineering and Logistics, Property Disposal, Furniture and Furnishings, Professional and Financial Services, OGP Transportation Policy Update
• Security, Safety & Health: Safety in the Workplace, Buy Green, Security Solutions, Homeland Security and You, Building Security

3. GTC 2003 WEST
May 12-16, 2003
Sacramento Convention Center
Sacramento, CA

The Government Technology Conference (GTC) is the largest and most respected technology conference for state and local government. Designed by Government-for-Government, GTC delivers a cutting-edge educational program addressing the most important policy, management and technology issues facing government today. GTC provides an unbiased forum for government professionals and the IT industry to openly discuss and develop solutions for the public sector.

For conference schedule, exhibitor and registration information access the Seventeenth Annual Government Technology Conference page at the Government Technology website, http://www.govtech.net/events/conference.phtml?confid=76.

4. E-GOV 2003
June 9-12, 2003
Washington, D.C.

Information Technology for Improving Government.

The E-Gov 2003 Conference and Exposition, presented with Federal Computer Week, offers attendees a complete educational experience, with multiple venues designed to address diverse learning experiences. E-Gov 2003 provides a unique forum for government and industry professionals to discuss strategies, explore new technologies, and identify solutions for today's public sector challenges. A variety of platforms allow attendees to network, collaborate, and actively learn from expert faculty and peers.

For conference schedule, exhibitor and registration information access the E-Gov website at http://www.e-gov.com.

5. ITTATC OFFERS PRACTICUM FOR MARKETERS AND ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM MANAGERS
June 10 –11, 2003
Kellogg Conference Center at Gallaudet
Washington DC

ITTATC will offer a 2-day, hands-on course on Accessible IT for Industry Marketers and Accessibility Program Managers. Participants will engage in hands-on experiences that build skills identifying usability and accessibility product features for diverse populations and techniques for promoting accessibility, including developing a business case.

Guest instructors are Jim Tobias from Inclusive Technologies, Inc. and Steve Jacobs from IDEAL Group, Inc.

For more information and to register on-line, go to the hands-on course registration page on the ITTATC website at http://www.ittatc.org/training/accessibleit_june03.php.

6. RESNA 26TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Technology & Disability: Research, Design, Practice and Policy
June 19-23, 2003
Hyatt Regency
Atlanta, GA

The RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America) 26th International Conference is for people interested in technology and disability. The conference program is organized into three tracks:

• Practice and Service Delivery
• Research and Development
• Public Policy

PAST EVENTS

1. GSA ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

Each month the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA) provides an Assistive Technology Day to showcase various assistive technology products for the workplace.

On April 24th, CITA featured representatives from Sighted Electronics to demonstrate and provide discussions on their products (see below) for persons who are blind or have low vision these included.

• Basic-D Braille Embosser, a tractor-feed paper format Braille Embosser which has serial, parallel, USB, and Ethernet connect-ability. The Everest Braille Embosser is similar in capabilities to the Basic except it can use single sheets of regular office card stock paper. This is a double-sided embosser.
• WinBraille, free Braille translation software for Index Braille Embossers. WinBraille works with almost all Windows applications including Adobe Acrobat documents. WinBraille is network ready and will work on Window's 98, NT, 2000, XP Millennium, XP and XP Professional. WinBraille supports USB, Ethernet, serial, and parallel ports found on Index Braille Embossers.
• BRAILLEX EL1D80, is an 80 cell Braille display that works like a computer monitor but in real time in Braille, which is a media that is usable for people who are blind. The EL2D has a 66 cell horizontal display with a second vertical display, which gives a tactile representation of a computer's screen. The vertical and horizontal feature makes the EL2D models a two-dimensional Braille display.
• Elba or EL Braille Assistant, is a Braille note taking device, which uses the Linux Operating system. Linux is a universal operating system that can be connected to networks that run Unix or Windows. Just connect through Elba's Ethernet connector and log on; your blind employee will be mobile with his or her adaptive technology anywhere. The Elba's demonstrated will be a 20 and 32 cell Elba using the QWERTY keyboard and a 20 and 32 cell Braille keyboard unit. Come by and learn how a government employee used their Elba to access a computer system for a training class where no adaptive hardware or software was available.
• Colibri, auto-focus split screen VGA CCTV for visually impaired persons, which will work with a computer's monitor screen. Owl auto focus switch screen and owl school system will be demonstrated.

ARTICLES

1. AUTOMATIC SPEECH RECOGNITION AS A JOB ACCOMMODATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING

Taken from the JAN E-News, Vol. 1, Issue 2, Second Quarter, 2003. JAN E-News is the quarterly newsletter of the Job Accommodation Network. JAN is a service of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.

Automatic Speech Recognition (the computer-driven transcription of spoken language into readable text) technology has been used as a job accommodation for years. Although the technology has most commonly been used to prevent or alleviate workplace cumulative trauma injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and to enable computer access for individuals with fine motor limitations, vision impairment, or learning disabilities, this article focuses on its use by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. To read the complete article about using automatic speech recognition as an accommodation for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, go to http://www.jan.wvu.edu/enews/2003-2/speech_recognition.htm.

To view other articles from the JAN E-News, access JAN's website at http://www.jan.wvu.edu.

2. DISTANCE EDUCATION AND COMPUTER BASED COURSES OF STUDY

New legislation in New Mexico for persons with disabilities and distance learning.

House Bill 708 (Distance Learning for Disabled Persons) represents an Act relating to education, providing for accessible electronic formats for individuals with disabilities enrolled in distance learning courses of study and using computer-based instructional materials. If enacted, House bill 708 will require each institution of higher education to provide electronic formats of materials for all distance learning and computer-based instructional materials to be used by students with disabilities using assistive technologies.

To view the full text of House Bill 708, along with action steps and committee reports accessthe Bill Finder on the New Mexico Legislature page at http://legis.state.nm.us/BillFinder.asp and enter the bill number in the search query. You can also access the ".txt" version at http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/03%20Regular/bills/house/HB0708.html and the ".PDF" version at http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/03%20Regular/bills/house/HB0708.pdf.

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FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. CHAIRMAN POWELL NAMES MEMBERS OF FCC’S CONSUMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Chairman Michael K. Powell, of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has named the 35 members of the FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC). The first meeting of this committee was held on April 25th. Future meetings of the Committee during calendar year 2003 will take place on Friday, July 11, and Thursday, November 20th.

CAC's predecessor advisory committee was the Consumer/Disability Telecommunications Advisory Committee (C/DTAC) which had been operating for two years. The Committee was rechartered as the Consumer Advisory Committee to reflect the broader scope of its responsibilities.

The Committee is organized under, and operates in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C., App. 2 (1988). Minutes of meetings are available for public inspection at the FCC and are posted on the Commission's website at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cac. Meetings are broadcast on the Internet in Real Audio/Real Video format with captioning at www.fcc.gov/cgb/cac. Meetings are sign language interpreted with real-time transcription and assistive listening devices available. Meeting agendas and handout materials are provided in accessible formats. The meeting site is accessible to people with disabilities.

Members of the public may address the Committee or may send written comments to Scott Marshall, Designated Federal Officer of the Committee at 202-418-2809 (voice) or 202-418-0179 (TTY); e-mail: smarshal@fcc.gov.

To read the FCC press release, which includes the topics the Committee will address, along with a list of the members, for ".PDF" format access http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-232622A1.pdf, or for MS Word format access http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-232622A1.doc.

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FOR YOUR ACTION

1. IMS RELEASES DRAFT SPECIFICATION TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY OF ONLINE LEARNING

Specification developers seek public review and comment on a model for describing and recording user preferences for online learning. Public comments will be accepted through June 9, 2003.

On April 30th, IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS) and WGBH's National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) announced the release of a Public Draft of Accessibility for Learner Information Package (LIP) - a specification they have collaboratively developed through a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education's "Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships" (LAAP) program.

The specification is a model for describing and recording user preferences for content, display, and control of interfaces for online learning, useful for a wide range of users including those with disabilities. The goal of the collaborative effort is to create a framework, adoptable by small and large eLearning developers and content providers around the world, which serves all users by making learning materials easy to access from any and all "points of entry" (school, home, office, library or while suing mobile devices) after an initial, one-time recording of preferences by the user.

The Public Draft of the IMS Accessibility for LIP is a set of four documents - both technical and narrative in nature. The full document set includes the following components and is available for public review and comment.

• Accessibility for LIP Information Model
• Accessibility for LIP Best Practices and Implementation Guide
• Accessibility for LIP XML Schema Binding
• Accessibility for LIP Use Cases

RESOURCES

1. ITTATC PROVIDES STREAMLINED ACCESS TO STATE ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON-LINE

In April 2003, ITTATC published two reports that describe the states' accessibility laws, policies, standards and other resources available on-line. The authors provided links to and excerpts from on-line resources in the core areas of website, application development, IT procurement, and public hardware accessibility.

ITTATC anticipates that the reports will be used by State officials as they consider the development and adoption of accessibility laws and standards; by consumers and advocates as they develop strategies to stimulate the adoption of statutes in other states; and by industry representatives as they determine customer requirements for accessible electronics and information technology.

The reports, which are part of ITTATC's "National Assessment of State E&IT Accessibility Initiatives" series, supplement the survey that was conducted with state CIOs and Tech Act projects during 2001 and 2002.

Overview of State Accessibility Laws, Policies, Standards and Other Resources Available On-line at http://www.ittatc.org/laws/stateLawAtGlance.php
Accessibility Laws, Policies, Standards and Other Resources Available On-line: Related to Application Development, IT Procurement, and Public Hardware at http://www.ittatc.org/laws/report_2.php
Accessibility Laws, Policies, Standards and Other Resources Available On-line: Related to Websites at http://www.ittatc.org/laws/report_3.php

If you have any questions or suggestions, please provide them via the feedback form on the web site.

2. ACCESS BOARD: NEW TUTORIALS ON SECTION 508 STANDARDS TO BE MADE AVAILABLE

Since issuing its Section 508 standards for electronic and information technology, the ACCESS Board (Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board) has maintained a program of continuing online guidance and training on the requirements of the standards. These standards, issued under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, cover various means of disseminating information, including computers, software, websites, and electronic office equipment. Federal agencies must ensure that the technologies they procure are accessible according to the standards.

The Board has sponsored the development of a series of interactive web-based tutorials on different sections of the standards. The tutorials supplement previously released material and provide advanced guidance on how products can conform to the standards. Three new courses are being made available that cover requirements for software applications and operating systems; desktop and portable computers; and self contained, closed products, such as information kiosks, calculators, and fax machines. The courses will be part of the online "508 Universe" program, which was developed by the Federal Information Technology Accessibility Initiative, an interagency partnership on the implementation of Section 508. The program, which is available on the Initiative's website at http://www.section508.gov, also provides a user-friendly introduction to the law, information on buying compliant products, and previously released courses on designing accessible websites and accessible video and multimedia.

Additional information on developing accessible software has also been posted on the Board's Section 508 homepage at http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm. The Board is also developing guidance materials on Section 508 requirements for telecommunications products that will also serve as the basis for an upcoming tutorial.

Section 508 tutorials on "websites" and "video & multimedia" are now available. By mid-May, tutorials on "software," "computers," and "self contained, closed products" will be posted, and future tutorials will include "telecommunications products." For more information and to access the tutorials, visit the Section 508 website at http://www.section508.gov.

3. SECTION 508 MARKET RESEARCH REPORTS

Market Research Reports were developed by Section 508 Agency Coordinators for Section 508 Technical Standards. The reports will provide an understanding of what might be involved in doing Market Research for specific Section 508 areas.

Market research, as conducted pursuant to Section 508, is the mechanism for determining the availability of compliant electronic and information technology (E&IT) products and comparing products that meet the government's requirements for accessibility. To view these reports, access the Section 508 website at: http://www.section508.gov. A link to the reports can be found on the "Resources and Links" area of the website.

4. PROGRESS AND OUTCOMES: A REPORT ON THE STATE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACT PROJECTS 2000-2001
March 2003

The Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA) Technical Assistance Project, recently issued a report "Progress and Outcomes: A Report on the State Assistive Technology Act Projects 2000-2001." The report demonstrates the work State Assistive Technology (AT) Projects do to meet AT Act (Assistive Technology Act of 1998) goals. It explains the information, training, technical assistance, and coordination services they provide, using methods that they have determined best meet the needs of people with disabilities who reside within their borders. It also shows the important role State AT Projects play in coordinating and improving services to people with disabilities in diverse areas that include identifying financial assistance, creating equipment distribution services, offering hands-on AT demonstrations, and assisting with developing appropriate state policies.

The report is available online in ".txt" format at: http://www.resna.org/taproject/library/Policy_Final.txt, and ".PDF" format at: http://www.resna.org/taproject/library/Policy_Final.pdf.

5. IS IT WORKING? A REVIEW OF AT SUCCESSES AND BARRIERS

Community Research for Assistive Technology launches first publication from Assistive Technology Study

As a way to disseminate research papers and success stories for research on Assistive Technology, the Community Research for Assistive Technology project (CR4AT) is launching a book of first-year findings. The book, entitled "Is It Working? A Review of AT Successes and Barriers" discusses the importance of Assistive Technology in the lives of people with disabilities.

The first year results are based on four thematic areas for AT - Employment, Health, Function and Independent Living. Funding and the issues of ethnic minorities were two crosscutting issues that spanned each of the four themes. To illustrate the importance of Assistive Technology in the lives of people with disabilities, each paper includes a success story.

To obtain a copy, visit http://atnet.org/CR4AT/cr4at.home.html. A link can be found under the topic heading "Results of Research to Date." You can also request a copy by sending an email to Amy Noakes at anoakes@cfilc.org.

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