Thread Subject: Re: AT Interoperability

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From: Brad Hodges
Date: Tue, Aug 14 2007 1:40 PM

Greetings:

I echo these concerns. Such a fundamental shift is not acceptable.



-----Original Message-----
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
[mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Debbie
Cook
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 2:02 PM
To: TEITAC Web/Software Subcommittee
Subject: Re: [teitac-websoftware] AT Interoperability

OK I'm extremely concerned about this proposal. Concern is greater
because,
at the same time, it is proposed to reduce the Functional Performance
Criteria to something lokie philosophy rather than requirement
applicable to
all.
So, taken together with the proposal for interoperability, it really
does
appear to me that products which could theoretically have AT support but

don't, would be equally compliant with those that have AT support. Where
is
the incentive there? More important, where is any accessibility? I
really
fail to see how the end user gains from this.
I could live with the concept of the API being adequate if the final
test
would be the FPC. But that appears to be going away or significantly
weakened based on discussions at General.
So, my concern remains that products which are not accessible to
consumers
with disabilities will pass with equal status as those which are. And
agencies, woh may lack the expertise to discern all the nuances will
purchase those that do not as readily as those that do.
This is a pretty fundamental change in the construct of Section 508 with

huge implications.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Korn" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
To: "TEITAC Web/Software Subcommittee"
< = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: [teitac-websoftware] AT Interoperability


Hi Gregg,

We have more or less come to the consensus that we don't want to write
specific provisions for assistive technologies (e.g. requiring that AT
purchased by the government must implement support for platform
accessibility services, let alone any API that any application chooses
to invent and use). Unless that changes, we cannot insist that AT and IT
must work together. Further, we cannot tell IT that it has the sole,
unshared burden of working with AT.

I feel this provision is nearly the best that is possible within those
constraints. Pushing IT to use platform accessibility services where
they exist (and by implication encouraging platforms to define and
promulgate such services) will go a long way to improving AT-IT
interoperability.

But at AT and IT typically come from different companies, there is no
way one can control the other. And since government-wide regulations
like 508 must be technology neutral, 508 itself cannot say "your IT must
work with the Gregorian Screen Reader". Individual agencies can (and
do!) do that, but that is part of how they define their business need.


Regards,

Peter Korn
Accessibility Architect,
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

> I can't tell from the current language.
>
> 1) Does this provision require that software actually work with
> assistive technology?
>
> 2) Or does it only require that information be provided that AT could
> work with?
>
> 3) Could someone sell something to the government that met this
> provision - but where there was no assistive technology available for
> one or all disability groups?
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Gregg
>
> ------------------------
>
> Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.
> Professor - Depts of Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
> Director - Trace R & D Center
> University of Wisconsin-Madison
> _<http://trace.wisc.edu/>_ FAX 608/262-8848
>
> DSS Player at http://tinyurl.com/dho6b
>
> If Attachement is a mail.dat try http://www.kopf.com.br/winmail/
>
> <http://trace.wisc.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/>
>
>
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