October 1, 2004 (Vol 4, Issue 12)

In This Issue:

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. World Congress and Exposition on People with Disabilities, October 7-9, 2004
2. The Wireless Internet for the Mobile Enterprise Consortium 2004 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) FORUM, Oct. 12, 2004
3. First annual ATAP Conference on Assistive Technology (AT) and Accessible Information Technology (IT), Nov. 9-10, 2004
4. Seventh Annual Assistive Technology and Accessible Media in Higher Education Conference, November 9-12, 2004
5. Design for Inclusion: Creating a New Marketplace

FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. National Organizations Call on FCC to Address Quality Issues in Closed Captioning
2. FCC Announces Efforts to Ensure Priority Restoration of TRS in an Emergency
3. Dates Set for Comments on Telecommunications Relay Services (Oct. 18, 2004)
4. NPRM - Comment Sought on Service Rules for Licensed Fixed & Mobile Services

FOR YOUR ACTION/INFORMATION

1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Oct. 6 Open Door Forum on Technology & Innovation
2. Court of Appeals Affirms Decision that ADA Does Not Require Business Websites to Be Accessible
3. Premier Assistive Technology Announces Sale of Its Products Through Amazon.com
4. NCTET Seeks Nominations for 'NCTET Community Builder Award'
5. New RSA Website on Inclusive Design
6. Dept. of Homeland Security to Create 508 Compliance Officer
7. Micro-Purchase extension until April 1, 2005.
8. ITTATC offers Voter Survey on Voting Experience

ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS

1. Verizon Settles O'Day Complaint
2. TDI Receives $1.5 Million Grant to Develop Emergency Preparedness Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
3. Making Federal Information Technology Accessible: A Case Study in Social Policy and Procurement
4. California Awards Contract to Provide Relay Services to the Deaf
5. Top Five State Government Web Sites Announced
6. Head of Cyber Security in Department of Homeland Security Resigns

RESOURCES

1. Streamlined Access to State Accessibility Information Technology Resources.
2. Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines
3. MathPlayer 2.0
4. PEBBLES: A Robot for School
5. Cingular Makes Phone for Vision-Impaired
6. 'Buy Accessible Wizard' to Debut October 1, 2004
7. Intercon Associates Forms Strategic Partnership to Offer Validation Service for Electronic Forms Accessibility and Usability

PAST EVENTS

1. P.O.V.'s 'Freedom Machines': A Look at Disability Through the Lens of Technology

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. WORLD CONGRESS & EXPOSITION ON DISABILITIES
October 7-9, 2004

The WCD, the world's leading disability event, is committed to improving the lives of those with disabilities, their families and caregivers, physicians, direct support professionals, allied healthcare professionals, educators and adapted physical education specialists and everyone working within the disability community. Featuring a huge 200+ vendor expo, an unparalleled educational program along with tons of invaluable special events & activities, the WCD is able to provide a unique forum for the exchange of ideas and products for persons with disabilities and special health care needs, as well as for those involved with their care and development.

For more information on the conference, access: http://www.wcdexpo.com/index.cfm

• Achieving Web Accessibility with Section 508
• Digital Collections of Historical Documents and Accessibility
• Evaluating Text to Speech Software for College Students with Learning Disabilities

 

FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS/REGULATIONS

1. NATIONAL ORGANIZATION CALL ON FCC TO ADDRESS QUALITY ISSUES IN CLOSED CAPTIONING

ADAWatch.org, Aug. 26, 2004.
http://www.adawatch.org/ClosedCaptioning.htm

Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc., the Association of Late-Deafened Adults, the National Association of the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network, and Self-Help for the Hard of Hearing People have filed a complaint with the FCC regarding "chronic problems" with close captioning on broadcast, satellite, and cable television programming.

Until a docket no. is assigned to this complaint, comments can be emailed to fccinfo@fcc.gov or faxed to 1-(866)-418-0232.

 

FOR YOUR ACTION/INFORMATION

1. CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES OCT. 6 OPEN DOOR FORUM ON TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold a Special Open Door Forum on Oct. 6, 2004 (2-4 PM EST) to discuss the role of the newly established Council on Technology & Innovation (CTI), pursuant to the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.

The CTI is "charged with leading improvements in the coordination of coverage, coding, and payment processes with respect to new technologies and procedures . . . . CTI will additionally serve in facilitating the exchange of information between CMS and other entities both public and private, that are faced with making similar decisions."

In part, CMS intends for the Special Open Door Forum to elicit public comment on how the CTI can best meet the needs of the public.

To Participate in the Forum By Phone:
Dial: 1-800-837-1935 & Reference Conference ID: 81246 (No need to RSVP).
TTY: 7-1-1 or 1-800-855-2880
Internet Relay Services: http://www.consumer.att.com/relay/which/index.html

 

ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS

1. VERIZON SETTLES O'DAY COMPLAINT

Jeffrey Silva, Verizon Settles O'Day Complaint, ADAWatch.org Aug. 27, 2004.
http://adawatch.org/VerizonODay.htm

Verizon Wireless became the second communications service to reach a settlement with Dr. Bonnie O'Day, who is blind, following O'Day's 2003 complaint with the FCC. O'Day alleged that Verizon was in violation of federal law for "failing to make its products and services accessible to people with visual disabilities." Audiovox Communications settled a similar complaint with O'Day last December.

Consequently, Verizon Wireless intends to release an affordable and accessible wireless handset later this year, following the lead of Audiovox Communications. Verizon Wireless is taking additional steps to make its manuals, billing statements, and websites accessible, and to provide employee training in disability issues.

2. TDI RECEIVES $1.5 MILLION GRANT TO DEVELOP EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAMS FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has selected TDI, Inc. (formerly Telecommunications for the Deaf) to receive a $1.5 million, two-year grant to provide outreach and training services in emergency preparedness as part of the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network project. TDI will coordinate their efforts with the following community service centers "in developing model community education programs for deaf and hard of hearing consumers."

• Deaf Counseling and Advocacy Resource Agency - San Francisco, CA
• Developmental Evaluation and Adjustment Facilities (DEAF), Inc. - Allston (Boston), MA
• Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons - Fairfax, VA
• Communication Service for the Deaf - Sioux Falls, SD

3. MAKING FEDERAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBLE: A CASE STUDY IN SOCIAL POLICY AND PROCUREMENT

Professor Yukins argues that while section 508's successes include "advances in accessibility . . . [in] the commercial marketplace" arising from reliance on federal procurement funds, 508 regulations are "fantastically complex" and many agencies have resisted compliance due to the perceived "costs and burdens that accessibility imposes" (p. 669).

Moreover, the author argues that the origin of 508's shortcomings is in the conflict between competing visions for the law during its movement through Congress, i.e., the vision of those who sought IT accessibility across the commercial marketplace versus those who sought improved accessibility only within the federal sphere.

Yukins concludes, in part, that:

• Congress did not foresee "the enormous costs of making information technology accessible" (p. 718);
• The "undue burden" standard remains unclear (p. 719);
• Section 508 is instructive of the dangers that arise from not specifying who can enforce the law;
• "Section 508 . . . provides an intriguing case study of strategies that work (such as using the procurement system to leverage society-wide change) and strategies that fail (importing complex or idiosyncratic standards into an already over-burdened procurement system)" (p. 720).

 

RESOURCES

1. STREAMLINED ACCESS TO STATE ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES

The Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC), Georgia Institute of Technology, has published two reports that describe all of the states' accessibility laws, policies, standards and other resources that are available on-line.

ITTATC recently updated its much-visited database of state accessibility-related laws, policies, and standards. The information is good as of September, 2004.

To view the state database, go to http://www.ittatc.org/laws/stateLawAtGlance.cfm.

If you are aware of additional resources that should be added to the database, please send us your feedback using the form at http://www.ittatc.org/contact/mailform.cfm.

2. RESEARCH-BASED WEB DESIGN AND USABILITY GUIDELINES

http://usability.gov/pdfs/guidelines.html

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed and released "Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines," a resource designed to assist government agencies, commercial endeavors, and academic groups to make effective accessible web design decisions.

 

PAST EVENTS

1. P.O.V.'S 'FREEDOM MACHINES': A LOOK AT DISABILITY THROUGH THE LENS OF TECHNOLOGY

Press Release, P.O.V.'s 'Freedom Machines' Looks at Disability Through the Lens of Technology, Ability Magazine (Sept. 9, 2004).
http://abilitymagazine.com/news_POV_freedom_machines.html

This presentation aired across the nation beginning Sept. 14, 2004 on local PBS stations.

This film addressed the technological present and future for meeting the needs and enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities, though suggesting that the accessibility of employment, education, and public services and accommodations, mandated by the ADA, remains unfulfilled.

For more information about the film, visit:

PBS: http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/freedommachines/about.html
Freedom Machines: http://www.freedommachines.com/


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