April 2010 Technology and Disability Highlights
Volume: 10.4 April 2010 Technology and Disability Highlights
Other Available Formats
Contents:
- Overview
- Legislative Activities
- Regulatory Activities
- Other Items of Interest
- Wireless RERC Updates
- Upcoming Events
Overview
The month of April was highlighted by the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) attention to the subject of accessibility of broadband and wireless technologies for Americans with disabilities. First, the FCC released a white paper on broadband accessibility, which is the Commission’s first such publication on the issue. The white paper was part of the FCC’s broader efforts to formulate a National Broadband Plan (NBP), and includes a number of recommendations for ensuring accessibility. In addition, the FCC announced that it would hold a workshop on May 13th to examine how disability access for wireless technologies and services might be improved. The Commission’s efforts in these two areas were complemented by Congressional action this past month. A House subcommittee held a hearing on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the digital era, with an emphasis on how technologies have impacted shopping, education, and inclusion more generally.
The month of April was also notable for the activities of the Wireless RERC. Partnering with the Aware Home, Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA), Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), and Health Systems Institute (HSI) at Georgia Tech, the Wireless RERC participated in an open house to highlight some of the work being done at Tech to improve accessibility and inclusion. In addition, the Wireless RERC showcased its current wireless emergency communications (WEC) project. Project director Ed Price recently spoke at the National Academies Workshop on “Public Responses to Public Alerts and Warnings on Mobile Devices: Current Knowledge and Research Need,” while principal investigator Helena Mitchell, PhD, and researcher Frank Lucia were interviewed for Emergency Management Magazine.
Legislative Activities
The ADA in the Digital Age
04.22.2010 – The U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing on “Achieving the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the Digital Age – Current Issues, Challenges and opportunities.” Witnesses included Hon. Samuel R. Bagenstos, U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ); Mark D, Richert, Esq., American Foundation for the Blind; Judy Brewer, World Wide Web Consortium; Steven I. Jacobs, IDEAL Group, Inc.; and Daniel F. Goldstein, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP. Due to the increased and sometimes exclusive use of information communication technologies (ICT) for delivering information and services, witnesses generally agreed that equivalent access to ICT has developed into a civil right for people with disabilities. Hon. Bagenstos, confirmed the DoJ’s position on Title III of the ADA’s application to private businesses and their websites, as well as, private Internet-only businesses. Hon. Bagenstos also addressed accessible electronic instructional information used at colleges and universities, such as eBook readers.
Attorney Richert’s testimony commended the DoJ’s commitment to enforcing Title III of the ADA but urged it to go further and clarify and assure that accessibility obligations are extended to high-tech equipment, as well as ICT services. Access to the latter, in many cases, is dependent upon the accessibility of the former. Ms. Brewer’s testimony focused on the role of web accessibility standards as the tool to enable and empower businesses and web designers to create accessible web content; promising that accessibility does not inhibit creativity or limit the rich media that can be displayed and interacted with in an Internet environment. Likewise, Mr. Jacobs warned against the over-sensationalization of the technical challenges associated with ICT accessibility, citing the investment of resources into the technology access research programs of multiple universities and private companies as evidence of its technical feasibility. Finally, Attorney Goldstein discussed the American Federation for the Blind’s contributions to advancing web accessibility through law suits against corporations like Target and America Online. Though the suits were settled out of court, therefore not setting a precedent, the companies mentioned (subsequently), and other commercial websites (proactively) quickly made their websites fully accessible. Goldstein would like to see more of proactive accessibility measures taken with new entrant technologies in the market, rather than costly retrofitting.
[Source: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties]
Additional Information:
Regulatory Activities
Broadband and Disability Focus of FCC’s First Working Paper on Accessibility
04.23.2010 – The FCC issued a working paper entitled “A Giant Leap & A Big Deal: Delivering on the Promise of Equal Access to Broadband for People with Disabilities,” which is the Commission’s second paper in its OBI Working Paper series and its first ever paper dedicated solely to the subject of disability. The paper was written by Elizabeth E. Lyle, policy advisor to the Omnibus Broadband Initiative, and published as part of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) efforts. The document considers barriers to access and use of broadband by people with disabilities, particularly inaccessible hardware, software, services, and web content, as well as the need for expensive assistive technology (AT) for access. Researchers found that only 42 percent of Americans with disabilities have high-speed Internet at home, and that 39 percent of all broadband non-adopters have a disability.
In response to these problems, the working paper presents three broad recommendations contained within the Plan: 1) creation of a Broadband Accessibility Working Group (BAWG), 2) the establishing of an Accessibility and Innovation Forum at the FCC, and 3) modernization of accessibility laws, rules, and subsidy programs by the Commission, Department of Justice, and Congress. More specific recommendations include gathering and analyzing more information about disability-specific broadband adoption issues, coordination of accessibility policy and funding priorities, and updates to the government’s approach to accessibility problem solving.
Additional Information:
Disability Access to Be Focus of Upcoming FCC Workshop
04.26.2010 – The FCC announced that it will host a workshop on disability access, as part of the Commission’s efforts to develop and implement consumer-focused policies. This particular workshop will be dedicated to three issues: 1) mobile communications access issues and disparities faced by people with disabilities regarding technology access, 2) how new technologies can meet these communications access needs, and 3) technology demonstrations of advanced mobile communications.
The workshop, which is entitled “Expanding Disability Access with
Wireless Technologies,” will be held on May 13, 2010, from 10:30 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room at the FCC Building in
Washington, D.C. Panelists will be announced at a later date.
Reasonable accommodations will be available upon request, but early
notice is strongly encouraged.
For more information, e-mail fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice) and 202-418-0432 (TTY).
Additional Information:
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Other Items of Interest
AFB’s Sweet 16
04.09.2010 - The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is recruiting adults with vision loss to participate in a research project to update their "Sweet 16." AFB’s Sweet 16 is a list of the top 16 features that AFB has identified as essential mobile technology features that should be accessible to people with vision loss. Participants will join in one-hour focus group discussions to provide consumer input on the present and potential use of mobile technology and its accessibility. Focus groups will be held between May 3-21 in Dallas, Texas; Huntington, West Virginia; Washington, DC; and possibly other locations. To participate, or for questions, contact Jennifer Howard, MPP, MSW, AFB's Senior Policy Research Associate, at jhoward@afb.net.
[Sources: AFB]
Additional Information:
Wireless RERC Updates
CSUN 2010
03.24-27.2010 - Wireless RERC researchers and their collaborators presented at the 25th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego, California, March 24-27, 2010. Topics included social networking, workplace accommodations and emergency communications.
“Advanced Auditory Menus for Universal Access to Electronic
Devices”; “Sound Design: Enabling Access to Visual Dynamics for
Visitors with Vision Impairments”; and “Language Fundamentals of AAC:
Sentence Types, Morphology, Stages, Parts of Speech, Pragmatics,”
Bruce Walker, presented at the 25th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, March 24, 26 & 27, 2010, San Diego.
“New Tools For Public Participation: Web 2.0, New Media, and
Inclusive Policymaking, ”
Paul M.A. Baker, John C. Bricout, Andrew C. Ward, Art Seavey, Panel to be presented at the 25th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, March 25, 2010, San Diego.
“Accessible Emergency Alerting for People with Disabilities,”
Salimah LaForce, Richard Ray, June Isaacson Kailes and Frank Lucia, Panel to be presented at the 25th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, March 26, 2010, San Diego.
“Beyond Accessible: New Digital Technologies and the Inclusive
Workplace,”
Paul M.A. Baker, Jim Tobias, Timothy Creagan, and James White, Panel to be presented at the 25th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, March 26, 2010, San Diego.
“Developing Inclusive Workplace Accommodations for People with Disabilities: Results from Policy Research, ”
Nathan W. Moon and Paul M.A. Baker, to be presented at the 25th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, March 27, 2010, San Diego.
2010 Design Competition at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech
04.12.2010 - During the 2010 Spring semester, Wireless RERC staff mentored Industrial Design students at both Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) through an exercise on universal design of handheld wireless products. Students worked in teams of 3-5 to explore the unique abilities and wireless needs of three personas: Elizabeth, who is 85 years old and has very low vision due to macular degeneration, Michael, a 15 year old student who sustained a brain injury from a car accident, and Zach, a 24 year old army veteran who lost the use of his right (dominant) arm due to a combat injury. On April 12, 2010, Brian Jones and Jim Mueller participated in the final team presentations by Georgia Tech’s junior class.
[Source: Wireless RERC]
WEC Research Hits the Road
04.14.10 – In an effort to disseminate WEC research findings and inform the development of the national alerting system, Ed Price spoke at an invitation only National Academies Workshop on “Public Responses to Public Alerts and Warnings on Mobil Devices: Current knowledge and research needs” April 12-14, 2010. The workshop conducted by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academies is supported by the Department of Homeland Security’s Command, Control and Interoperability Division. The workshop will contribute to an understanding of how the public reacts to alerts and warnings over mobile devices, inform the implementation of the CMAS Program, influence how messages are crafted, and identify areas for future research
[Source: National Academies]
Additional Information:
Available Online: Emergency Communications special issue of IJEM (International Journal of Emergency Management)
04.15.2010 - The special Emergency Communications (Wireless RERC State of Technology Conference) issue of IJEM (International Journal of Emergency Management) edited by Paul M.A. Baker and Helena Mitchell is available online. It features nine select papers presented at the SoT conference.
[Source: IJEM]
Additional Information:
Enabling Technology: An Open House
04.27.2010 – The Wireless RERC, in conjunction with The Aware Home Research Initiative, the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, the Center for Advanced Communications Policy and the Health Systems Institute, convened a multi-site open house to showcase assistive and accessible technology research at Georgia Tech. The event featured interdisciplinary and collaborative research on design and technology to promote the health, active lifestyles, and societal participation of people of all ages and abilities.
[Source: CATEA]
Additional Information:
WEC Research Featured in Emergency Management Blog
04.30.20 – Helena Mitchell, PhD and Frank Lucia were interviewed by Rick Wimberley, blogger for Emergency Management Magazine. The first of a series of blogs on the topic was published on April 30, 2010. To read and comment, go to [http://www.emergencymgmt.com/emergency-blogs/alerts]
Additional Information:
Upcoming Events
NTID 2010
06.21.2010 – 06.23.2010 – The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) will hold its annual Technology Symposium in Rochester, New York from June 21-23, 2010. The theme is Exploring Instructional and Access Technologies; tracks include access technology, using technology to support learning, assessing the impact of technology, and online learning.
For more information about the symposium, please visit http://www.rit.edu/ntid/vp/techsym/index.html.
[Source: NTID]
RESNA 2010
06.26.2010-06.30.2010 – The Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA) will hold its annual meeting from June 26-30, 2010, at the Red Rock Spa in Las Vegas. The meeting site will also host the associated International Symposium on Quality of Life Technology.
For more information about the conference, including details on how to register, please visit http://www.resna.org/conference/index.php.
[Source: RESNA]
ICCHP 2010
07.14.2010 – 07.16.2010 – The 12th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs will be held on July 14-16, 2010 at the Vienna University of Technology, Austria. The conference focuses on user centered design to enable social inclusion and eAccessiblity, involving all stakeholders and addressing the broad range of access to information communications technology.
For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.icchp.org/node/194.
[Source: Institut Integriert Studieren]
VIC 2010
10.14.2010 – 10.16.2010 - The inaugural event Visions of an Inclusive Community, will be held in Tampa, Florida on October 14-16, 2010. VIC2010 is designed to bring together members of the design/build community, the healthcare industry, the disabled community, aging in place advocates and governmental agencies to facilitate the transfer of knowledge that will build empathy and identify opportunities for more inclusive design of products and spaces.
For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.vic2010.com/.
[Source: VIC]
Technology and Disability Policy Highlights reports on national and local public policy events and recent wireless technological advances and political activities; and tracks emerging issues of interest to individuals with disabilities. Technology and Disability Policy Highlights is published monthly by the Wireless RERC. The Wireless RERC is a research center promotes universal access to wireless technologies and explores their innovative applications in addressing the needs of people with disabilities. For more information on the Wireless RERC, please visit the Wireless RERC website at [http://www.wirelessrerc.org].
For further information on items summarized in this report, or if you have items of interest that you would like included in future editions, please contact this edition’s editor, Nathan W. Moon [nathan.moon@cacp.gatech.edu] or Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D., AICP, CACP Director of Research [paul.baker@cacp.gatech.edu].
Congratulations go to Brian Coppola!
Assistive Technologies Showcase at Abilities Expo - Atlanta 2012
