Accessibility Standards for ICT

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Accessibility Standards for ICT

• Timothy Creagan, Sr. Accessibility
  SpecialistU.S. Access Board
• Workshop on Standards and Conformity Assessment
  ActivitiesBangkok, Thailand
• June 21, 2007

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Agenda

• 1. Terminology
• 2. What is the Access Board?
• 3. Accommodation v. Accessibility
• 4. What are the 508 Guidelines?
• 5. TEITAC
• 6. What Next?

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1. Terminology

• In the United States,
• Information and Communications Technology or
  ICT
• Is referred to as,
• Electronic and Information Technology or
• EIT
• ICT EIT

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Electronic and Information Technology
Accessibility Standards (508 Standards)
The U.S. Access Board
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2. What is the US Access Board?

• An independent Federal agency devoted to
  accessibility for people with disabilities.
• Created in 1973 to ensure access to federally
  funded facilities, the Board is now a leading
  source of information on accessible design.
• The Board develops and maintains design criteria
  for the built environment, transit vehicles,
  telecommunications equipment, and for electronic
  and information technology.

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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
• Compliance and enforcement

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Access Board Role

• Draft technical standards for 508
• Electronic and Information Technology
  Accessibility Standards (508 Standards)
• Draft technical guidelines for 255
• Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines
  (255 Guidelines)

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EIT and Telecomcomputers and phones

• Electronic and Information Technology
  Accessibility Standards
• Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines

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3. Accommodation v. Accessibility

• Particular
• Occurs after the fact
• 504
• Person focused
• Civil Rights

• Global
• Built In
• 508
• Technology Focused
• Procurement

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Differences Between the ADA, 504, 508, and 255

• ADA and 504 - do not directly regulate the
  design of technology and are primarily focused on
  the individual.
• 508 - requires Federal entities to develop,
  procure, and maintain accessible EIT and is
  primarily focused on the technology environment
  available to anyone (employee or consumer) of
  government services.
• 255 - requires Telecommunication manufacturers
  and service provider to provide accessible
  products and services.

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4. What are the 508 Guidelines?
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Overview

• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
  amended 29 U.S.C. 794 (d)
• Section 508
• Telecommunications Act of 199647 U.S.C. 255
• Section 255

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Electronic and Information Technology

• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
  amended (29 U.S.C. 794d), requires 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.

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Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Overview
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Rehab Act 508 requires

• Federal agencies
• develop, maintain, procure or use and purchase
  accessible EIT
• through procurement process
• Enforcement mechanisms
• Complaint Process
• Legal Action

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Who Must Comply With 508?

• Each Federal Department and Agency
• United States Postal Service
• When procuring, developing, maintaining, or using
  EIT

Section 508 (a)(1)(A)
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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.

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What Technology is Covered by 508?
Includes, but is not limited to
Printers
Computers
Telecommunications
Kiosks
Software
Office Equipment
Websites
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Access Board 508 Standards Cover--

• Technical Standards
• Functional Performance Criteria
• Information, Documentation and Support

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5. TEITAC

• Telecommunications And Electronic and Information
  Technology Advisory Committee

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Access Board Revisions of Standards and
Guidelines

• Rulemaking Process provides for periodic review
  and refresh of
• Electronic and Information Technology
  Accessibility Standards (508 Standards)
• And
• Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines
  (255 Guidelines)

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Renewal or Refreshof the 508 Standards
and255 Guidelines

• Why should this be done?

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Changed Technology

• iPods and Podcasting
• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Phones

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What are other countries doing?

• How can we harmonize our standards?

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Rulemaking Process

• Used when creating, drafting or refreshing a rule
• Governed by Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)
• Requires an Advisory Committee

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Federal Advisory Committee Act

• Charter outlines the committee's mission and
  specific duties
• Duration two years
• Committees must be fairly balanced in terms of
  the points of view represented and the functions
  to be performed
• Members are selected by the head of the agency

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Why an Advisory Committee?

• 508 requires consultation
• Advisory committees allow interested groups,
  including those representing designers, industry,
  and people with disabilities, to play a
  substantive role in the development of guidelines
  which are then proposed for public comment

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Electronic Information TechnologyUndue Burden

• The Electronic and Information Technology
  Accessibility Standards apply to Federal
  government agencies
• When agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use
  electronic and information technology, they must
  ensure that it is accessible to Federal employees
  and individuals with disabilities who are members
  of the public seeking information or services
  from a Federal agency unless an undue burden
  would be imposed on the agency

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TEITAC Meetings

• To Date
• September 27-29, 2006
• November 8-9, 2006
• February 6-8, 2007
• May 22-24, 2007

• In the future
• July 16-18, 2007
• September 4-6, 2007
• As needed ???

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Subcommittees formed

• General Interface
• Web and Software
• Telecommunications
• Audio Video
• Self contained/Closed Products
• Desktops/Portable
• Subpart A
• Documentation and Technical Support

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Themes

• Cognitive Disability
• Emerging products and components
• External standards by reference
• Harmonization
• Maintaining and Updating the standards
• Testability
• Economic Impact
• Interoperability with AT
• Usability of the Standards

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TEITAC Members

• Adobe Systems, Inc.
• American Assn. of People w Disabilities
• American Council of the Blind
• American Foundation for the Blind
• AOL LLC
• Apple, Inc.
• Association of Technology Act Programs
• Assistive Technology Industry Assn.
• ATT
• Avaya, Inc.
• Canon USA, Inc.
• Communication Service for the Deaf
• CTIA - The Wireless Association
• Dell, Inc.
• Easter Seals
• European Commission
• Hearing Loss Association of America
• Human Rts Equal Op. Commn. (Australia)
• IBM

• Information Technology Industry Council
• Japanese Standards Association
• Microsoft Corporation
• National Association of State Chief Information
  Officers
• National Center on Disability and Access to
  Education
• National Federation of the Blind
• National Network of Disability and Business
  Technical Assistance Centers
• Panasonic Corporation of North America
• Paralyzed Veterans of America
• SRA International, Inc.
• Sun Microsystems, Inc.
• Telecommunications Industry Association
• The Paciello Group, LLP
• Trace Research and Development Center
• Usability Professionals Association
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Social Security Administration
• WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
• World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility
  Initiative

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A current discussion topic.

• If our new agency security system requires
  biometric data (retina scans and fingerprints)
  for identification or to activate individual
  workstations, how can we make an accessible
  system?
• How do I do that without compromising security?

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Another discussion topic

• To what level of detail do I need to describe my
  non-text elements in my alt tag? 1194.22(a)
• Some examples
• A Map (static image)
• An EKG report (the graph itself)
• A dynamic weather map? (moving images)

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• 6. What Next?

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Future Meetings

• July 16-18, 2007
• September 4-6, 2007
• As needed ???

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Overview of the Revision Process

• TEITAC
• Produce a report of consensus recommendations to
  the Access Board
• (You should do X)
• Delivery Date Fall 2007

• Access Board
• Review the report
• Draft regulations
• Publish regulations to get public comments
• Other steps..
• Final Rule is issued

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What are the RequiredRulemaking Steps?

• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• Regulatory assessment costs and benefits
• Submit to OMB 90 day review period
• Publish in Federal Register minimum 30 day
  comment period
• Final Rule
• Regulatory assessment
• Submit to OMB 90 day review period
• Publish in Federal Register

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Goals in the Revision Process

• We agree that what is needed are clear,
  consensus driven, testable, and reliable
  accessibility requirements.
• In this world of global scales, it is critical
  that accessibility requirements be harmonized
  throughout the world.
• Product manufacturers want to build to a single
  set of requirements or at least not be faced
  with competing world wide requirements.
• We should do what we can to facilitate this,
  because ultimately if we can make the regulatory
  process easier to achieve and by that I do not
  mean that we need to weaken the requirements that
  exist today we will enhance accessibility for
  people with disabilities worldwide.
• Marc Guthrie, Access Board public member
• International Workshop on Accessibility
  Requirements
• Brussels, Belgium -- October 21, 2004

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Resources on 508 and 255

• Government
• US Access Board www.access-board.gov
• FCC www.FCC.gov
• Federally Funded
• ITTATC (Information Technology Technical
  Assistance and Training Center) www.ittatc.org

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Questions? Future Contact

• U.S. Access Board
• www.access-board.gov
• Tim Creagan
• creagan_at_access-board.gov
• 202-272-0016
• Comments
• 508_at_access-board.gov 508 Refresh

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Thank You!