TOPICS

The scope of this thread includes but is not limited to the following major topics:

Emerging Technologies and Accessibility

• New standards (i.e. XML, XHTML, CSS, etc.)
• Software improvements
• Semantic web (“The Semantic Web is a vision: the idea of having data on the web defined and linked in a way that it can be used by machines not just for display purposes, but for automation. integration, and reuse of data across various applications. “ The Semantic Web, Scientific American, May 2001, Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler and Ora Lassila.)

Infrastructure, Technology and Techniques

• Architecture to accommodate different types of needs for physical challenges

• Methodologies

• Technology

• Assistive Technology

International Challenges

• Translation and Interpretation

• Web design

• Resources

New Roles for Teachers/Learners

• Design and Development of Web Sites

• Interaction

• Evaluation

• Accessible Collaboration

Other

• Research

• Library issues

• etc.

Policy and Law

• History

• Court cases

• International policy and law

Site Management Considerations

• Technical requirements

• Design

• System Validation

Legal & Technical Background

Federal laws mandates that anyone who is providing on-line information must meet the new section guidelines. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed to prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities and to provide for affirmative action. The Act requires Federal Agencies to promote both affirmative action and equal employment of the disabled. The Rehabilitation Act was amended in 1998 to include Section 508. Section 508 specifically addresses the procurement, maintenance, and use of Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) products and services. Under Section 508, Federal Agencies must ensure that federal employees with disabilities have access to IT products that is comparable to the access of employees without disabilities. In addition, disabled persons in the general public who seek information from the Agency, must have access comparable to non-disabled public information seekers.

Summary of Section 508 Important Limitations

Source: Cynthia Waddell’s paper, An Overview of Law & Policy for IT Accessibility:

http://www.icdri.org/SL508overview.html

Built-in assistive technology is not required where it is not needed. The law does not require every workstation of nondisabled employees­ or every EIT product to be fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Products such as desktop computers do not have to be outfitted with refreshable Braille displays, but must be compatible with refreshable Braille displays so that if an individual who is blind needs one as a reasonable accommodation, he or she can use it with the agency's standard workstations. The Access Board's Section 508 Standards will determine when an EIT product must be fully accessible and when it must only be compatible with assistive technology.

Undue burden. Agencies do not have to procure EIT products that satisfy the Access Board's Section 508 Standards if doing so is an undue burden. "Undue burden" generally means a "significant difficulty or expense." The Standards will include factors that agencies can use to help apply this term consistently.

Development, maintenance, and use of EIT products. The enforcement provisions of section 508 cover only "procurement" of EIT products and services on or after August 7, 2000.  Agencies will continue to have long-standing obligations under sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request

The expected outcome is this thread is to 1.) help computer professionals, educators, and other information originators will clarify their responsibilities in this area. 2.) provide examples of techniques to meet the Section 504 guidelines and 3. suggest resources to  make information originator's job responsibilities clearer.

This special strand Program Chair is Deanie French, RN, Ph.D. She is a professor in the Department of  Health Services and Research, Southwest Texas State University. She is the editor of Web Accessibility Applications: Seniors, Healthcare, and Higher Education (Institute:00) and lead editor of Online Teaching Competencies: From Lecture Enhanced to Virtual Learning (e-Linkages and Trafford: 2002). The online teaching book integrates accessibility issues throughout appropriate chapters.