to do any good, they should have consumer groups and federal people on the
panel.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Catherine Alfieri" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 8:35 AM
Subject: CURR: Important Web cast on Section 508
Hello,
What is the current status of Section 508 implementation within the
federal government? Is 508 benefiting federal employees with disabilities?
Are there ripple effects for 508 to the consumer or other government levels,
and if there are where are they? Who is the lead federal agency involved in
implementing 508? These questions and others will be discussed Friday, June
20 at a town meeting on the web.
Join us and tell your friends to join us.
Thanks,
John Williams
TVWORLDWIDE.COM PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release Thursday, June 12,
2003
Disability Experts to Webcast National Town Meeting on Rescuing Section 508
at AT508.com
Noted Panelists to Convene Disability Community On-line to Issue "Federal
Agency Report Card on Section 508 Compliance" as Concern over Government
Implementation Grows: Friday, June 20, 2:00 PM ET at www.AT508.com
Contact: Dave Gardy John Williams
TV Worldwide.com AT508.com
[log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]
www.tvworldwide.com www.at508.com
(703) 961-9250 ext. 221 (703) 404-0071
Chantilly, Va. Internet TV Channel and leading assistive technology portal
AT508.com, an affiliate on the TVWorldwide.com network, announced it will
offer a free live video webcast of the National Town Meeting to Rescue
Section 508, to be held June 20, 2003 2:00 PM ET, on-line at www.AT508.com.
The event will highlight Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act on
its 2nd anniversary and feature prominent expert panelists from the
community of those people with disabilities who will issue a "Federal Agency
Report Card on Section 508 Compliance". The panel will be led by
world-renowned disability columnist John Williams of AT508.com and Mike
Paciello, President of The Paciello Group (TPG), a leading international
authority on Internet and software accessibility. Other panelists from
industry and government will be announced shortly. The meeting will be
webcast with open captioning of the streaming video, or "webcaptingsm",
developed by TVWorldwide.com to assist federal agency clients in complying
with Section 508.
"Our goal is to generate mainstream awareness of the inherent weaknesses in
the federal government's implementation of the important Section 508
legislation," stated Mr. Paciello. "A key flaw in the effective enforcement
of Section 508 involves a consistent and reliable set of usability, quality
assurance, and certification measures that ensure E&IT product
accessibility. Consequently, federal agencies aren't truly complying -- and
vendors are given mixed messages about what is or isn't accessible. This
town meeting will result in a viable plan of action, with real proposals for
re-structuring conflicts of interest in Section 508 enforcement and federal
agency oversight as we unite our community to rectify this problem."
"President Bush's administration has not made the enforcement of section 508
a priority, despite the fact that they've claimed credit for doing exactly
that," remarked Mr. Williams. "There are more than 56 million Americans with
disabilities, and its time that the federal government's enforcement of
disability legislation is granted the same dedication of resources as other
ongoing federal efforts such as the war on drugs."
"Individuals with disabilities are a very close-knit community and we've
found through the rapid growth of AT508.com, that the web is a strong
enabling factor for this demographic," commented Dave Gardy, CEO of
TVWorldwide. "I am very proud of our accessible video streaming applications
being utilized to engage the community of those people with disabilities and
pleased to be working with AT508.com to make this interactive webcast event
a reality for the thousands we expect nationally. "
Visitors to the live webcast town meeting will be able to post questions to
panelists and participate in Q&A via e-mail, providing a fully interactive
forum for sharing of information.
The event will be webcast live and archived for viewing at
www.tvworldwide.com and www.AT508.com. Participants should have the free
Real Video Player installed prior to the event and should log on by 1:45 PM
ET on Friday, June 20.
About AT508.com
TVWorldwide's AT508.com Internet TV channel was launched in October at the
World Congress on Disabilities in Orlando, Fla, featuring world-renowned
disability columnist John Williams covering the latest in assistive
technology and Section 508 news and since then has webcast the TASH, ATIA,
CSUN and CEC events for the community of people with disabilities. AT508.com
features articles and videos on the latest in assistive technology products,
services and issues and during trade show events, highlights keynotes,
presentations and interviews with exhibitors and speakers. AT508.com events
are webcast live and archived in fully accessible format using the captioned
video streaming of TVWorldwide.com's "webcaptingsm" process. AT508.com
sponsors include The Paciello Group, Keybowl, HP, Kurzweil Educatonal
Systems, Corda, Deque, Audio Eye, Sighted Electronics Freedom Vision and
Vcom3D.
About The Paciello Group (TPG)
Founded by Mike Paciello, TPG is an international leader in Accessibility
Consulting and Engineering. TPG is dedicated to helping corporations,
government agencies and educational institutions make their IT
resources accessible to all people, including those with disabilities. They
offer professional consulting, technology solutions and monthly monitoring
services to ensure that clients reach and maintain the ongoing accessibility
of their digital assets. Further information on The Paciello Group can be
found
online at www.paciellogroup.com.
About TV Worldwide
As a leading global Internet broadcasting and streaming media company, TV
Worldwide (www.tvworldwide.com) is developing a network of video channels
that is an affiliation of community-based Internet television stations, each
underwritten by a strategic partner, "aimcastingsm" to targeted demographic
audiences worldwide. TVWorldwide.com works with strategic partners to
develop the latest in live and archived state-of-the art video streaming
content applications. . TVWorldwide.com was recently named one of the
streaming video industry's "Hottest Streaming Companies" by Streaming
Magazine, www.streamingmagazine.com, and CEO Dave Gardy was honored by the
magazine as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Streaming Media.
TVWORLDWIDE.COM PRESS RELEASE
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