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Access Board Holds Public Hearing on Draft ICT Rule

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From: John E Brandt
Date: Jan 13, 2012 9:09AM

Not sure if everyone is on this announcement list. My apologies if you've
seen this before. I've pasted the "full story" below so you don't have to go
to the website FMI.



>>

The U.S. Access Board recently held a public hearing on a revised draft of
updated requirements for information and communication technology (ICT)
covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the
Telecommunications Act. See the full story (below).



The Board will hold a second hearing March 1 at the CSUN Conference in San
Diego. The hearing will be open to the general public and will not be
limited to those registered for the conference.



Next Public Hearing on the Draft ICT Rule



March 1, 1:00 - 3:00

27th Annual CSUN conference

Manchester Grand Hyatt, Ballrooms Elizabeth D & E

One Market Place

San Diego, CA

>>



FULL STORY from http://www.access-board.gov/news/ict-hearing-dc.htm

<<

The Board conducted a public hearing January 11 on a revised draft
<http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/refresh/draft-rule.htm>; of updated
requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) covered by
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the
Telecommunications Act. Over a dozen people provided comments at the
hearing, including representatives from advocacy groups, industry, and
government.

Many speakers expressed support for structural changes made by the Board to
streamline the rule and simplify requirements. They also endorsed the
incorporation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG) by
direct reference to eliminate redundancy and promote greater harmonization.
Some called attention to specific sections of the draft that should be
clarified as a result of the rule's reorganization or the replacement of
requirements with the WCAG reference.

Commenters voiced concern over the timeframe to complete this update,
particularly in view of the increasing speed of technological change and
innovation. They urged the Board to explore options for a more timely
process to refresh the ICT requirements on a continuing or rolling basis to
keep pace with the ever-changing and newly emerging technologies of a
dynamic market. Delays in keeping the requirements regularly updated, it was
argued, impede industry compliance and hamper the incorporation of
accessibility into new products.

Participants urged the Board to revise the rule to cover certain
technologies or barriers to access. These recommendations addressed
self-service machines and kiosks, which are becoming more prevalent, the
growing market of gesture-based interfaces, such as touch screens, the
emerging trend in digital or biometric identification as an alternative to
password protection, hand held devices and access for people with limited
dexterity, refreshable braille, and access for people with cognitive
disabilities. In addition, recommendations were made to improve coverage of
products with closed functionality, communication device software, web
authoring tools, and technologies involving multiple languages, such as
those used in foreign language instruction or translation.

Some speakers called attention to failures in the implementation of section
508 resulting in access issues for members of the public and federal
employees with disabilities. Comments pointed to the importance of
supplementary technical assistance materials, including answers to
frequently asked questions, to improve implementation and compliance. It was
also recommended that efforts be made to make the functional performance
criteria of the rule testable to help validate compliance.

A transcript of the hearing will be posted to the rulemaking docket on the
www.regulations.gov
<http://www.regulations.gov/#%21docketDetail;D=ATBCB-2011-0007> website in
coming weeks. The Board will hold a second hearing March 1 at the CSUN
Conference in San Diego. The hearing will be open to the general public and
will not be limited to those registered for the conference.

Further information on this rulemaking is available on the Board's website
<http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm>; .

<<



John E. Brandt

www.jebswebs.com
<EMAIL REMOVED>

207-622-7937

Augusta, Maine, USA