Accessibility Forum Meeting

1
Accessibility Forum Meeting

• May 11, 2001
• Gallaudet University

2
Agenda
900 AM-915 AM Opening Remarks Ms. Terry
Weaver 915 AM-945 AM Keynote Address Dr.
Joan Steyaert 945 AM-1045 AM Accessibility
Forum Mr. Corley and Mr. Hetzner 1045
AM 1105 AM Break 1105 AM 1200 PM Questions
and Answers Panel
3
Forum Planning Session Attendees

• ADAexpert, Inc.
• AbleTV.net
• Adobe.com
• AFB
• ALVA Access Group
• American Council of the Blind
• American Foundation for the Blind
• ATT
• ATIA
• X

• BBN
• Behavioral Implications Management
• CAST
• CESSI
• Cingular Wireless
• Common Ground Solutions
• Compaq Computer Corp
• Compusult
• Conversay, Inc.

4
Forum Planning Session Attendees

• Def. Info School
• Diebold
• Digital Access Corp.
• Duke U.
• ECCS, Inc.
• Freedom Scientific
• GA Technical College
• Gallaudet University
• Gateway Computer
• Gateway Inc.
• GeroTech
• GSA

• Hewlett Packard
• HUD/ECCS, Inc.
• iamdigix.net
• IBM
• IDEAL at NCR Corp.
• Inclusive Technologies
• ITAA
• ITI
• ITTATC
• J.L. Mueller, Inc.
• Keyboard Alt. Vision Solutions

5
Forum Planning Session Attendees

• Microsoft Corp.
• MITRE
• Motorola
• NAD
• NAD Law Center
• NASA
• Nat. Industries for the Blind
• NCITS
• NCITS-V2
• NCR
• NIST
• NSA

• OMB
• Oracle Corporation
• PA Initiative on Assistive Technology
• Panasonic
• PSInet Accessibility Center of Excel.
• RESNA
• SAP
• SAS Institute Inc.
• SHARE, Inc
• SHHH
• SSB Technologies

6
Forum Planning Session Attendees

• Sun Microsystems
• TCS Associates
• Telecommunication For Deaf
• The Disability Network
• Trace RD Center
• U.S. Access Board
• U.S. Census Bureau
• U.S. Dept of Education
• U.S. Dept of Justice

• United Cerebral Palsey Assn
• VRI
• Wayne State University
• Xerox Corporation

7
Accessibility Forum Overview

• Jack Corley
• Bill Hetzner

8
May 11 Accessibility Forum Meeting Goal

• To provide an overview of the Accessibility Forum
  and to announce the launch of efforts aimed at
  assisting the government in making informed
  decisions about Section 508 related procurement.

9
Section 508

• Electronic and Information Technologies (EIT)
  accessible for persons with disabilities.
• Applies to all federal agencies when they
  develop, procure, maintain or use EIT.

10
Section 508 Technical Assistance

• General Services Administration and the Access
  Board
• Directed to provide technical assistance to
  individuals and federal agencies.
• The Accessibility Forum is a key component of GSA
  strategy to provide technical assistance
• Question How to know when a particular product
  meets Section 508 requirements?

11
Goals for GSA Sponsorship of Accessibility Forum

• Establish a collaboration among stakeholders
  affected by Section 508.
• Develop effective and broad acceptance of tools
  for Section 508 requirements.
• Foster Forum growth and gain stakeholder
  leadership.

12
Contribution Criteria

• I believe that you understand my point of view.
• I believe that I understand your point of view.
• Whether or not I prefer this decision, I will
  support it because it was reached in an open and
  equitable way.

13
Accessibility ForumMission Statement

• The Accessibility Forum is an ongoing
  collaboration among stakeholders affected by
  Section 508 including user, industry, government,
  and other communities in order to benefit
  employees and members of the public with
  disabilities.
• The Forum will identify, prioritize and conduct
  projects that assist government in making
  informed decisions about Section 508 related
  procurement, and allow government, industry, and
  users to communicate and highlight areas where
  further effort is needed.

14
Accessibility Forum Stakeholders

• Industry represented by associations and by
  companies
• EIT Vendors of Software and O/S Web-based
  Telecommunications Video and Multimedia
  Self-contained PCs
• Assistive Technology Vendors of products like
  screen readers Voice recognition Voice
  enhancers and Mobility interface
• Users
• Represented by Advocacy Groups for Visual,
  Hearing/Speech, Physical, and Cognitive
  Disabilities
• U.S. Government Agencies

15
Project Philosophy

• Bring together a multi-disciplinary project team
  facilitated by Forum staff.
• Involve industry and user community on the
  project team and in project management to
• Assure effectiveness.
• Gain broad acceptance.
• Demonstrate that results are usable and validate
  effectiveness.

16
Project Operational Concept

• A project working group maintains ongoing
  dialogues with
• Accessibility Forum on project progress, results,
  issues.
• Stakeholder communities to gain feedback and
  broad acceptance of project results.
• Projects will
• Use consistent process with well-defined
  milestones and deliverables refined by Forum.
• Wherever possible, take advantage of existing
  mechanisms, standards, guidelines.

17
Project Results Are Broadly Deployed

• Forum promotes general acceptance of the process
  and results by
• Vendor community
• User community
• Results are documented in a clear, consistent
  form.

18
Who is the Accessibility Forum?

• People who
• Represent significant stakeholders.
• Act as gatekeepers
• For individual industry, user and government
  organizations
• For industry, user and government communities
  affinity groups.
• Know what collaboration means and takes.
• You have an opportunity to join!

19
Who is the Accessibility Forum Staff?

• Organizational Resource.
• Distributed Technology Management.
• Facilitated face-to-face and virtual activities.
• Technical Resource.
• Communication and Collaboration tool Resource.
• Includes Advanced Technology Institute, Arthur D.
  Little, ERIM, and GSA.

20
An Overview of Forum Work Efforts

• Bill Hetzner

21
User Requirements

• User Abilities/Disabilities
• Visual, Hearing, Physical, Speech and any
  combination
• Physical Setting
• Controlled, Public Sites
• Library, Kiosk, ATM
• Uncontrolled, Private Sites
• Home, Business

22
Product Characteristics

• Two important concepts
• Functional Characteristics.
• Product Accessibility Features.

23
Examples of Functional Characteristic

• Ability to display visual elements in more than
  one form.
• Color coding, supporting text labels, pictorial
  representations, auditory
• Ability to set and control the appearance of user
  interface elements.
• Ability to display larger font sizes and choice
  of font styles
• Ability to set controls On/Off, varying levels of
  comfort.

24
Examples of Product Accessibility Features

• CRT
• Font size, type and color
• Color background and shapes
• Feedback mechanism
• Touch operated controls
• Keyboard
• Ordering
• Surface texture
• Feedback mechanisms

25
Forum Processes

• Living technical development plan that meets
  member organization requirements
• Schedule defined and tracked by project
• Regularly scheduled meetings and conference calls
• Maximum use of electronic mail, internet, and
  electronic bulletin boards
• Robust website
• Careful identification and management of risks

26
Role of the Project Team

• Maintain ongoing dialogue with Forum about
  project progress and deliverables.
• Gain general approval and broad acceptance of
  project results.
• Take advantage of existing guidelines, efforts,
  products, and mechanisms.
• Document results that can be used by government
  and industry to evaluate products against Section
  508 requirements.

27
Summary

• Jack Corley

28
Summary

• The Accessibility Forum is an ongoing
  collaboration among user, industry, government,
  and other communities stakeholders affected by
  Section 508 including in order to benefit
  employees and members of the public with
  disabilities.

29
Summary

• The Forum will identify, prioritize and conduct
  projects that assist government in making
  informed decisions about Section 508 related
  procurement, and allow government, industry, and
  users to communicate and highlight areas where
  further effort is needed.

30
To be effective, stakeholder participation is
needed.
31
Questions and Answers

• Panel
• Terry Weaver, Ed Reniker, Bill Hetzner, Jack
  Corley