URL: http://www.govtech.net/magazines/story.phtml?id=2530000000000945


 Enabling Technology

   Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require all technology to
   be accessible to people with disabilities. What effect will this have
   on state and local governments and the technology they purchase?
   By Darby Patterson - February 2001


When the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, a cry of
   alarm rose from the private and public sectors. The prophets of doom
   claimed the law would put people out of business and raise the costs
   of products and services. A decade later, those predictions have
   failed to materialize.
   But as 2001 rolls on, the naysayers are at it again. Amendments to
   Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act require the federal
   government to purchase only those IT products and services that are
   accessible to people with disabilities. As a result, there is renewed
   controversy about what effect the ADA will have on American
   governments and businesses.
   Cynthia Waddell, a vigorous crusader for disability rights and
   accessibility, is on a mission to dispel those concerns and tell the
   public how the new standards will advance the electronic future for
   everyone.
   "The benefits of accessible technology extend far beyond the disabled
   community," Waddell said. "It allows people with low technology
   devices to access high technology."
   The benefactors, according to Waddell, include a worldwide community
   of 750 million disabled people, 54 million of them in the United
   States.
   Making a Difference
   According to a Harris poll conducted earlier this year, disabled
   individuals use the Internet twice as much as the mainstream
   population, and it has made a difference in their lives. Half of
   disabled users surveyed said Internet access has significantly
   improved their lives while only one-quarter of the non-disabled users
   reported lifestyle enhancement.
   Waddell, who wears two hearing aids and often depends upon captioning
   technology in her use of the Internet, is an attorney who was
   previously the compliance officer for the
   city of San Jose, Calif. It was there she became immersed in the
   challenges that evolving technology presents to sight and hearing
   impaired people and those with mobility limitations. "What I didn't
   know then," she remembered, "was that, as I was trying to solve
   disability issues for the city of San Jose, it really was an
   international issue."
   Waddell has since broadened her horizons by taking a position with
   PSINet's Accessibility Center of Excellence, a unique training and
   consulting service provided to governments and companies to facilitate
   compliance with disability laws. She is working feverishly to educate
   businesses and government about the details and the timeline for
   compliance with the new regulations, which are scheduled to take
   effect in June.
   In the spotlight are technology standards that allow people with
   disabilities to actively use the Internet and communications
   technologies, including telephones, wireless devices, copy machines
   and Web pages. At the same time, accessibility adaptations should have
   a positive effect on the general marketplace, creating compatibility
   and integrated systems that do not currently exist.
   According to Gregg Vanderheiden, executive director of the Trace
   Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, challenges in using the
   Web are universal. For example, who hasn't come across a Web page that
   runs off the screen, making content a guessing game? "If that page
   were laid out to be more flexible, it could be viewed on a narrower
   screen or a [handheld device]," he said. "The key to access is basic
   flexibility."
   Designing for All Users
   Difficulties arise when features on a Web page can only be deciphered
   by one sense, such as sight or hearing. For example, a graphic element
   might convey important information. But for a blind person, the
   content is invisible if the graphic is not coded for accessibility.
   Screen-reader software allows a blind user to access content conveyed
   by the graphic. The text will be read out loud or accessed through the
   user's refreshable Braille display. By coding the graphic for
   accessibility, the content is revealed to two senses. The same is true
   for audio content and the hearing impaired. A system that permits
   captioning is a flexible and inclusive system.
   People with disabilities will use specialized software to enable their
   computers to talk to them in ways that suit their needs. There is
   access software that translates information on a screen into speech or
   Braille. Captioning for the hearing impaired is created through
   transcription or webcasts, and other technologies allow folks to
   manipulate computer commands without using their hands.
   All these adaptive technologies require friendly computer systems and
   flexible Internet pages to work. Of course, the elements that
   construct accessible technology require a little education and upfront
   time. However, experts agree that it's far more economical and
   efficient to make an initial investment rather than retrofit a design.
   The road map, Section 508, makes clear to designers of Web pages and
   applications what must be done.
   "It's not much work to do once you know how," explained Vanderheiden.
   "The challenge is developing strategies for doing it so that when you
   program, it's second nature. It's a learning curve."
   The variety of browsers, he added, presents challenges because
   applications and design can behave differently depending upon the
   browser used.
   "The goal is to change the way products are designed by using standard
   market mechanisms to create a market with a preference and let
   industry compete to address those features," said Vanderheiden.
   According to Waddell, the expansive definition of electronic
   information, which includes multiple electronic devices, and
   technology as outlined in Section 508, will send ripples throughout
   government and electronic-government companies. On the surface, it
   seems like a simple e-commerce issue -- purchase only accessible
   products. However, a short leap of logic says that private technology
   companies hoping to sell to the federal government will pay close
   attention to 508 requirements.
   "The federal government is the largest consumer of information
   technology in the world," Waddell said. "It has created a market
   incentive to ensure functionality of elements in the design of
   technology. It will be hard for a vendor to say they will make
   accessible technology for government and not for others. A two-tier
   system doesn't make sense."
   Waddell added that before the final rules were released, 45 major IT
   companies had voluntarily committed themselves to an accessibility
   program.
   Making a Commitment
   It is also important for states to note what the new Section 508
   requirements will not do. For example, the law will not require that
   workstations of non-disabled employees be fully accessible to persons
   with disabilities. Desktop computers do not have to be equipped with
   refreshable Braille displays, but they must be compatible with the
   adaptive technology should a person with a disability need it. In
   addition, agencies do not have to procure electronic information
   technology to satisfy Section 508 requirements if the purchase
   presents "undue burden" or is "commercially unavailable." Finally, the
   requirements cover the development, maintenance and use of products
   and services purchased on or after Aug. 7, 2000. Agencies will not be
   required to retrofit and rebuild systems that existed before that
   date.
   Last September, President Clinton embarked on a tour that focused on
   adaptive technologies in public schools. Among the technologies viewed
   by the former president's entourage was Eye Gaze, LC Technologies'
   communication and control system for people with complex physical
   disabilities. A video camera mounted below the computer observes one
   of the user's eyes, tracking where it is traveling on the screen. By
   looking at various keys displayed on the screen, a person can
   synthesize speech, control the environment, type, operate a telephone,
   run computer software and access the Internet. In other words, become
   enabled through technology.
   Another application, Jaws for Windows (JFW), is a screen reader that
   speaks everything on the computer screen. There is also a Braille
   Window that works with JFW and reads the words in Braille. This
   function is critical to people who are blind and deaf.
   These technologies address some severe disabilities. However, much of
   the controversy and litigation about accessibility has been inspired
   by more basic events, such as inaccessibility of information on
   government sites or the inability to make ATM transactions, that are
   second nature to the mainstream community.
   Section 508 in the Workplace
   Sometimes, access is inextricably linked to livelihood. In the 1980s,
   when the switch from DOS to Windows was made, screen readers wouldn't
   function, and blind employees were left without access. It was a
   relatively quiet blood bath that cost jobs and launched several court
   actions. According to one federal manager, who wished to remain
   anonymous, "It took much too long, and many, many lives were
   disrupted."
   There are other sound business reasons to create accessible Web
   design. According to surveys, approximately 70 percent of people in
   the United States with severe disabilities can't work. Assistive
   technology could open new windows on the world for people who have
   been isolated from the economic mainstream.
   Darby Patterson is an electronic government program analyst at the
   Center for Digital Government, the knowledge-management and research
   division of e.Republic.

   Darby Patterson
   Center for Digital Government
    S I D E B A RARE YOU ACCESSIBLE?
   There are a growing number of resources for information about
   accessibility requirements. Cynthia Waddell of PSINet's Accessibility
   Center of Excellence said the World Wide Web Consortium is one of the
   best references for information. The group has developed a set of
   content accessibility guidelines that was a source for the Section 508
   regulations. The W3C was created to "lead the Web to its full
   potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution
   and ensure its interoperability."
   Another online resource is the Bobby site, named for its ability to
   police sites for accessibility. A company can submit its Web site for
   an online assessment of usability. Waddell, however, said the service
   might tend to create confusion. "Once Bobby was the only thing out
   there. Today, Bobby is a primitive-level diagnostic." She cautioned
   not to equate analysis on the site with ADA compliance.
   In addition, e-government companies like PSINet are beefing up to
   become part of the solution. Waddell says she is thrilled to have
   found a home in the private sector where she can talk about the
   little-discussed physical side of the digital divide. "You hear people
   talking about the digital divide in terms of economics, education and
   location but seldom in terms of disabilities," she said.
   An optimist and a fighter who has turned her own physical challenges
   into a powerful communications tool, Waddell intends to help shape the
   future of the Internet. She envisions an Internet that responds to
   "user preference" without any special or adaptive tools -- an Internet
   that doesn't care how the user interacts, whether with hands, eyes,
   voice or in some yet unimagined way. "When a person sits in front of a
   computer, their user preference will already be known and the system
   will dynamically adjust," she predicted. "That's where we want to be
   in the future."



    S I D E B A RADA AND VOICE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY
   In 1990, Congress enacted the Americans With Disabilities Act. This
   ruling specifies that all publicly accessible facilities must provide
   access to all persons, regardless of physical ability. Voice
   recognition can play a significant part in providing compliance to the
   ADA. The following are several ways speech recognition can improve
   accessibility to facilities and information.
   Elevator Control
   If you've ever watched Star Trek, you no doubt will remember scenes
   where Captain Kirk enters what looks like an elevator, grabs a handle
   and says, "Bridge." When the door opens, he's on the Enterprise's
   bridge. The technology to perform this task is not that difficult to
   implement. Low-cost, embeddable devices are available that can allow
   elevator users to speak their desired floor number and actuate the
   elevator's controls. Rumor has it that a similar system was
   implemented by Apple engineers in one of their corporate buildings
   when the Quadra 840AV computer was introduced. They supposedly removed
   the existing controls and replaced them with a blank panel with a
   microphone attached. The computer was placed on top of the elevator
   car and was wired into the elevator control panel. With today's
   technology, it is no longer necessary to go to that level of trouble.
   Devices, such as the VoiceDirect 364 from Sensory Inc. , and others
   can be adapted to augment the existing controls and provide voice
   control to elevators.
   Door Control
   Some wheelchair users may not have sufficient mobility to press the
   door opener switches on public buildings. Devices similar to those
   described above can be used to augment these switches.
   Office Systems
   In an office environment, repetitive stress injury is always a
   concern. Continuous speech dictation systems, such as ViaVoice from
   IBM and Voice Xpress from Lernout & Hauspie, show great promise in
   their ability to alleviate this potential problem. While not ideal for
   a noisy office environment, once trained, the systems perform
   admirably where there is not substantial background noise. These
   systems may also offer assistance to employees who are motion or
   visually impaired. In fact, a personal computer equipped with a
   voice-recognition package and a speech-synthesis package allows
   persons with virtually no visual acuity to access data from and create
   and organize data for the computer. Continuous speech-recognition
   systems can also be used to assist in filling out forms by physically
   and visually challenged persons. In addition, telephone systems can be
   updated to support voice activated dialing for hands-free operation.
   Web Access
   Systems from InTouch Systems, IBM and others provide unified messaging
   via telephones. This type of environment allows users to access
   e-mail, voice mail and Web sites -- all from a telephone. Access to
   the information is provided by a bi-directional speech-based
   interface. When the user is prompted for the type of information
   requested, the user can reply with a touch-tone key press or by
   speaking. If the material to be delivered is not already in audible
   form, the system translates the text to speech using speech synthesis.
   -- By Peter Hermsen


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