overcoming barriers to ict through accessibility “partners for progress” april 18, 2013...
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Overcoming Barriers to ICT through Accessibility
“Partners for Progress”
April 18, 2013
Tennessee Association on Higher Education and Disability (TNHEAD)
2013 Spring Conference
Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN
Today’s speaker:
Timothy Creagan
Senior Accessibility Specialist
U.S. Access Board
Today’s topics:
I. Introduction
II. Barriers
III. Background: §508 of the Rehabilitation Act and
§255 of the Telecommunications Act
IV. What about modern technology?
V. The “Refresh” of Sections 508 & 255
I. Introduction: U.S. Access Board
Budget: $7.0 million (FY 2013)Staff: 29
• Executive Director’s Office• General Counsel’s Office• Office of Administrative Services• Technical & Information Services
Access Board Programs
• Guidelines and standards development• Architectural Barriers Act of 1968• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990• Telecommunications Act of 1996• Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998
• Technical assistance and training• Research• ABA enforcement
II. Barriers to People with Disabilities
Have you ever struggled to see the characters on a screen?
Seeing:
• Phones• Illuminated displays• High contrast controls• Large buttons
• Computers• Zoom display• High contrast display• Screen reader
Hearing:• Phones
• Hearing aid compatibility• Text capability• Vibrating alerts
• Computers• Video captions• Visual alerts
Holding and manipulating:
• Phones:• Large buttons• Lightweight• Speed dial
• Computers• Sticky keys• Keyboard commands• Voice recognition
= +
Thinking, remembering:
• Phones• Automatic redial• Voice activated dialing
• Computers• Alternate input modes• Screen reader
III. Background:
• §508 of the Rehabilitation Act and • §255 of the Telecommunications Act
Overview
• Telecommunications Act of 199647 U.S.C. §255
• “Section 255”
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 29 U.S.C. § 794 (d)
• “Section 508”
Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act
Overview
§ 255 General Requirements
Manufacturers & service
providers must:
• Provide equipment that is
accessible
• Include representation from
people with disabilities in the
processes of Product Design,
Development, and Evaluation
Cell Phone: How Accessible ?
ButtonFeel
PoorBetter!
Volume control
On/Off buttonPoor
Better!
TextSize10-pt
Text on screen
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Overview
§508 General Requirements:Each Federal department and agency, as well as the U.S.
Postal Service, when procuring, maintaining, developing or using electronic and information technology, must ensure that:
• Federal employees with disabilities, and members of the public with disabilities seeking information or services, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by persons who are not individuals with disabilities, unless…
Standard: ….an “Undue Burden” would be imposed on the agency.
What Technology is Covered by §508? Includes, but is not limited to…
Computers Telecommunications
Office Equipment
Websites
Kiosks
Printers
Software
Who Benefits from § 508
1. People with disabilities who interact with federal agencies.
2. Federal employees with disabilities.
3. All people with disabilities, because accessible products for the federal market are also sold in the public marketplace.
IV. What about modern technology?
Modern Technology can be used by People with Disabilities:
iPods and Podcasting
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Phones
Making technology accessible:
• Captions• Alternative formats: text for audio, alt tags
for images• Use of API (Application Programming
Interface) to address compatibility between AT and IT software (make products interoperate)
• “Apps” or “Applications” on Smart phones
This is happening world wide
• Other countries are watching U.S. design
Convergence of Technology • Web applications and web-software
installed on a pc v. on web
wiki
• Hardware, esp. mobile devices
Cell phone /w text messaging
Mobile TelecommunicationsTexting
SMS (Short Message service)
RTT (Real time Text) –
Multi media:
video + text + audio =
Multi-touch and gesture interfaces:
Touch interfaces on mobile devices. Touchscreens, cameras, and other movement detection systems can receive and analyze complex actions: “chorded” input
(several fingers at once)
Whole gestures: spreading two fingers apart or tilting one’s head to the side
Multi-touch interfaces:• Apple iPhone
• HP TouchSmart PC
HP TouchSmart PC
V. The Refresh of Section 508
The “Refresh” of Section 508:
The “Refresh” is an update of:
Section 508 standards for electronic and information technology (“E&IT”) (procured by Federal agencies)
Section 255 guidelines for telecommunications products
Why Refresh? • Statutory requirement:
• “The Access Board shall periodically review and, as appropriate, amend the standards to reflect technological advances or changes in electronic and information technology.” (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act)
• “The Board shall review and update the Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines periodically” (Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act)
• Changes in technology• 12 years since the first Section 508 standards • 15 years since the first Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines
• Clarify ambiguities in current standards and guidelines• What products are covered? • Improve testability
ICT Refresh Steps • TEITAC establishment: July 2006• TEITAC report: April 2008
• First ANPRM and draft text: March 2010• Public comments: March-June 2010 • Review comments
• Second ANPRM and draft text: Dec. 8, 2011• *Harmonization draft published* • Public Comments: Dec . 2011– March 2012• Review comments, revise text of proposed rule
Final Steps• Develop proposed rule (NPRM):
**Text, preamble & regulatory assessment• Submit to OMB• Publish NPRM in the Federal Register
• Public comment period – 60 days• Analyze comments
• Develop final rule & regulatory assessment• Publish Final Rule in the Federal Register
Some trends in updating the 508 standards:
1. Organize technical provisions by functions, rather than product types –
“two way voice communication” NOT “telephones”
2. Reference external standards –
WCAG 2.0; ANSI C63.19-2011
3. Provide technical assistance within the document.
4. Define “covered electronic content”
2011 ANPRM• 508 Chapter 1: Application and Administration • 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements• 255 Chapter 1: Application and Administration • 255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements
• Chapter 3: Functional Performance Criteria• Chapter 4: Hardware• Chapter 5: Platforms and Applications• Chapter 6: Documentation and Support
Services
ResourcesCIOC Accessibility Committee: www.CIO.govBest Practices subcommittee for Section 508:
http://www.cio.gov/committees.cfm/csec/3/cid/\
www.Section508.gov – FAQs, procurement
www.Access-board.gov – §508 & §255
WCAG 2.0 materials: http://www.w3.org• UNDERSTANDING-WCAG 2.0 • Techniques for WCAG 2.0
Contact us:
Technical assistance:• [email protected]• [email protected]• (800) 872-2253 (voice)• (800) 993-2822 (TTY)
Website: • http://www.access-board.gov
Thank you!
www.access-board.gov