Title: Welcome to Apple Computer, Inc'
1Welcome to Apple Computer, Inc.
- Cupertino, California
- February 24-26, 2003
2Agenda Overview Plenary Session
- Monday, February 24
- 830 AM 1130 AM
- Welcome and Agenda Review
- Welcome Comments from Apple
- Vendor approaches to 508 Apple
- Guest Speaker
- Loretta Guarino Reid, Adobe
- Break
- ATIA/Interop Update
- Dept. of Justice Update
- Ken Nakata
3Agenda Overview Plenary Session
- Monday, February 24
- 1130 AM 330 PM
- Review of 508 Activity in Various States
- Cynthia Waddell, Int'l Center for Disability
Resources on the Internet - LUNCH
- PANEL Accessibility and Application Building
Tools - Project Teams Close-out Report
- Bill Hetzner and Jim Kindrick, Staff
- Break
4Agenda Overview Plenary Session
- Monday, February 24
- 330 PM 500 PM
- Government Experience and Need for Tools
- Harry Leibowitz, Social Security Administration
- Review of Government Agency Interviews (Survey)
- Terry Weaver, GSA
- Joy Gatewood-Fulton, Staff
- Wrap up / Plan for Tuesday
5Agenda Overview Plenary Session
- Tuesday, February 25
- 830 AM 1200 PM
- Welcome and Agenda Review
- Understanding Requirements for Procurement
- Lesley Field, Office of Federal Procurement
Policy - Proof-of-Concept Presentation
- Bill Hetzner and Jim Kindrick, Staff
- Break
- Open QA Session on Proof-of-Concept Presentation
- Lunch
6Agenda Overview Plenary Session
- Tuesday, February 25
- 100 PM 500 PM
- Maintaining the Information Base
- Skip Crane, Staff
- Vendor approaches to 508 SUN
- Marney Beard, Sun Microsystems
- Break
- ITTATC
- Mimi Kessler, ITTATC
- Council Activity Update
- Mary Beth Janes, Apple, Council Chair
- Wrap up / Plan for Wednesday
7Agenda Overview Plenary Session and Workshops
- Wednesday, February 26
- 830 AM 430 PM
- Welcome and Agenda Review
- Guest Speaker
- Mary Mitchell, GSA
- Break Out Groups
- Lunch
- Reconvene for Work Group presentations
- Break
- General Discussion / Open Issues
8Vendor Approach to Section 508
9Section 508 An Application Vendors Perspective
The Accessibility Eco-system
- Loretta Guarino ReidSenior Computer Scientist
- Adobe Systems, Inc.
10Presentation Agenda
- Introduction
- Section 508
- Section 508 Compliance vs. Accessibility
- Accessibility Eco-system
- Summary
11Introduction
- 25 Years in Software Development
- Xerox, Digital Equipment Company, MicroUnity
Systems Engineering - 7 years at Adobe
- 3.5 years working on Accessibility in Acrobat and
PDF
12Section 508 Standards
- Outlines vendor, author responsibilities
- Educates on accessibility issues
- Allows for continuing technology development
- But evaluating for compliance is difficult
13508 Compliance vs. Accessibility
- Compatibility does NOT equal Accessibility
- Users want accessibility
- Application vendors only part of solution
14Accessibility Eco-system
- Application Vendors
- Assistive Technology Vendors
- Operating System Vendors
- Content Authors
15Eco-system Challenges
- Requires cooperation among companies
- Asynchronous product release schedules
- Long development cycles
- Varied levels of knowledge and experience
16Summary
- Section 508 provides accessibility guidance
- Users want accessibility, not 508 compliance
- Accessibility is an eco-system
- Application vendors
- Assistive Technology vendors
- Operating System vendors
- Content Authors
- Real progress being made
17ATIA/Interoperability Update
- Mary Beth Janes, Apple
- Marney Beard, Sun Microsystems
- Chris Hofstader, Freedom Scientific
18US Department of Justice Update
- Ken Nakata
- US Department of Justice
19508 Activities in the States
- Cynthia D. Waddell, JDExecutive
DirectorInternational Center for Disability
Resources on the Internet
?2003 ICDRI
20Overview
- Section 508 Impact on the States
- State Laws and Accessibility Drivers
- NASCIO and State Issues
- California and State Observations
- ITTATC State Reports
21Section 508 - Impact
- Provides a private right of action against
federal agencies - Provides a marketplace incentive for designing
accessibly - Informs entities covered under ADA and Section
504 of Rehabilitation Act on accessible IT
22State Laws
- States are subject to federal laws prohibiting
discrimination against people with disabilities - Every state also has state statutes prohibiting
discrimination - Every state is unique in structure and system
23State Accessibility Drivers
- E-commerce Gov't initiatives require every
citizen access - Workforce Investment Act requires accessible
information technology at one-stop centers - Help America Vote Act requires accessible voting
machines
24State Profiles
- National Association of State Chief Information
Officers (NASCIO) - Accessibility is criteria in annual recognition
awards (2000) - Events of 9/11 have shifted focus to security and
privacy
25NASCIO AWARDS-2002
- Wisconsin- Fast Transcription and Captioned
Telephone
26State Issues
- Adoption of IT accessibility standards, policies,
and implementation plans - Contracts and procurement
- IT testing and verification strategies
- Administrative complaint procedures and/or
civil action
27State Observations
- Interagency collaboration is key factor in
development of EIT policies and implementation - Education and training is probably most needed
from cabinet level to trenches
28California
- Amended CA Government Code 11135 prohibiting
discrimination against disability - Requires all recipients of state funding to
develop, procure, maintain, or use EIT complying
with Section 508 - Existing private right of action now also
requires contractor resolution of EIT complaints
29State Observations
- Trend for states to have web accessibility
policies based on W3C WCAG or Section 508 or a
hybrid - Balance of Section 508 technical standards for
accessibility have not appeared to advance as
quickly in application development and IT
procurement
30State Observations
- A number of states have access procurement
clauses (Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, Texas,
Kentucky, Nebraska, Arkansas) - Some states only require accessibility for
software - Some states limit IT accessibility to visual
disabilities rather than cross-disability
31State Observations
- Some states have administrative complaint
procedures and authorize civil action (Missouri,
Kentucky,N. Carolina, Arkansas) - One state requires vendor to take a state
web accessibility course based on state standards
for entry into RFP process (Connecticut)
32Resource
- Information Technology Technical Assistance and
Training Center - State IT Initiatives Reports
- State IT Initiatives Resources
- State IT Initiatives Training
- www.ittatc.org/stateDocs/state.cfm
33ITTATC State Initiative Reports
- 2002 needs and barriers to achieving IT
accessibility - 2002 state IT accessibility standards,
laws/policies and resources - 2002 state web site IT accessibility standards
34- For further information about ICDRI
accessibility oversight consulting services
contact - Cynthia.Waddell_at_icdri.org
- Clients Include Government Agencies,
Vendors-Including Voting Machines, Universities,
European Commission, and the United Nations
35Panel Accessibility and Application Building
Tools
- Keith Elliott, Director--Accessibility Competence
Center, SAP - Preety Kumar, CTO, Deque Systems
- Connie Myers, Accessibility Program Manager,
Oracle - Bob Regan, Accessibility Product Manager,
Macromedia - Skip Crane, Accessibility Forum Staff, Moderator
36Project Team Close-Out Report
- Bill Hetzner, Accessibility Forum Staff
- Jim Kindrick, Accessibility Forum Staff
37Projects
- Project Process
- Resource Documents
- AT-EIT Interoperability
- Objective Measures
38Project Process
- Project Teams began in August 2001
- Work conducted by
- Bi-weekly or so teleconferences
- Email discussions and message board
- Working sessions at the Forum Meetings
- Deliverables defined as Resource Documents in
September of 2002 - Background material of technology and
accessibility information directly related to the
508 standard
39Resource Documents
- Released late October for review by Forum members
- Comments received by 11/15/02
- Comments reviewed by project teams and final
documents released in December 2002 and January
2003
40AT-EIT Interoperability Resource Document
- Applicable interoperability provisions
- Interoperability as it applies to EIT products
- How current Assistive Technology products work
with EIT Products - How EIT Products are evolving
- Suggestions for realizing interoperability
between current AT and EIT products
41AT-EIT Interoperability Comments
- Received 133 separate comments that related to 86
individual issues - From all stakeholder groups
- 84 issues have been resolved
- Two are waiting comment by the Access Board Staff
42AT-EIT Interoperability Next Steps
- Two additional inputs from team member to
Software and Operating Systems. - Government review
- Deliver information to users to assist at
appropriate points in the procurement process - Develop mechanism to keep information current and
accurate
43Objective Measures Resource Document
- Structured analysis of technical provisions
- Terms and Definitions
- Assumptions
- Clarifications
- Measurement Preconditions
- Data Collection or Measurement Methods
- Related Resources
- Comments and Suggestions
44Objective Measures Comments
- Received over 400 individual comments
- Some on the same issue
- Over 200 unique issues have been resolved
- 13 conference calls from late Nov - Jan
- Generated 14 additional questions for
clarification
45Objective Measures Next Steps
- Some topics not included in resource documents
- Subpart C Functional performance criteria
- Subpart D Information, Documentation, and Support
46Government Experience and Need for Tools
- Harry Leibowitz
- Social Security Administration
47Government Experience and Need for Tools
- In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act
to legally mandate Federal Agencies to require
their electronic and Information technology
(EIT) to be accessible to people with
disabilities. - Inaccessible technology interferes with an
individual's ability to obtain and use
information easily.
48Government Experience and Need for Tools
- Section 508 was enacted to
- Eliminate barriers in information technology
- Make new opportunities available for people with
disabilities - Encourage development of technologies that will
help achieve these goals. - The law applies to all Federal agencies when they
develop, procure, maintain, or use EIT.
49Government Experience and Need for Tools
- Successful implementation of Section 508 requires
the support of each and every Federal employee
who is involved in the design, development,
procurement, or use of EIT. - This includes any time a Federal employee
- Requests the purchase of any EIT
- Is involved in the design of systems
requirements or, - Is involved in the development of Internet or
Intranet pages and their content.
50SSA Touches Every Person In America
- In addition to a large central office complex in
Baltimore, there are - 1350 field offices
- 10 Regional Offices
- 6 Programmatic Service centers
- 65,000 employees of which almost 2,000 are
severely disabled - There are also 120 State Disability Determination
Staffs (DDS's) that have their - EIT funded by SSA
- 10,000 employees
51Government Experience and Need for Tools
- In Fiscal 2002, SSA's Office of Acquisition
Grants processed just under 2,000 contracts. - Total spent was just over 500 million.
- 90 of these purchases were EIT.
- Of the 26 largest Federal Agencies, SSA placed
23 out of the 26 for EIT expenditures.
52SSA Is Committed To Section 508
- Last Year SSA's Deputy commissar for Systems
relocated the Section 508 team into SSA's
Usability Center so that both Usability and
Accessibility are part of the development
process. - Each procurement solicitation has Section 508 in
the requirements section just like Energy Star. - SSA's procurement shop WILL NOT process an EIT
procurement to award without Section 508
documentation.
53Government Experience and Need for Tools
- In FY 2002, SSA had 134 Section 508 exceptions
(less than 8). - ABOUT 80 WERE back office exceptions due to
SSA's large in-house IT infrastructure. - ABOUT 20 WERE fundamental alteration exceptions
for devices that by their nature are not 508
Compliant nor can they be made compliant without
a fundamental alteration. - THERE WERE NO EXTERNAL UNDUE BURDON EXCEPTIONS
since the passage of Section 508. - SSA's DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR SYSTEMS AND Deputy
CIO HAVE STATED THAT THEY WILL NOT SIGN UNDUE
BURDON EXCEPTIONS the Deputy CIO reviews each
exception on a quarterly basis.
54Government Experience and Need for Tools
- SSA has created a Section 508 Procurement Wizard
on our Intranet. - Provides the Project officer with "a resource for
compliance determinations but a listing of all
previously approved section 508 exceptions. - In addition, a Section 508 Testing Wizard was
created to identify and categorize all software
submitted to the Accessible Solution Branch for
testing.
55SSA Is Committed To Section 508 Education
- SSA has provided in-depth training for all
procurement specialists in central office. - Many of the regional procurement specialists have
been trained and acted as Train-the-trainer. - During the first year after enactment, SSA
invited 10 other federal agencies to tour our
Section 508 accessibility lab. - We showed them our compliance testing
procedures and offered advice on making buying
compliant products. -
56SSA IS Committed To Section 508 Education(1 of 2)
- Because almost anyone at SSA can initiate a
requisition and thus become a project Officer, we
created a Section 508 Desk Guide. - Approximately 4,000 of these have been
distributed nationally to SSA employees. - Samples have been provided, upon request, to
other Federal agencies, State Agencies adopting
Section 508, and other interested parties.
57SSA IS Committed To Section 508 Education(2 of 2)
- SSA created a formal, published Section 508
Implementation Plan. - Distributed in hard copy
- Available on SSA's Intranet site
- Copies are also available to other Federal
Agencies. - The SSA Usability Center promotes both usability
and Accessibility at various SSA meetings and
other national conferences such as IPIC (the
Information Processing Interagency Conference for
Agency executives).
58SSA Is Committed To Section 508 Education
- As funds permit, we provide current accessibility
fundamentals textbooks to SSA managers and
employees alike. - Speaking of funds, there are numerous
accessibility aids available on the WEB and from
various sources such as GSA and the World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C) at little or no cost. - We have sponsored nation-wide training for all
SSA Webmasters by our Section 508 WEB Remediation
and Design vendor. Plans are to make this an
annual cycle. - An entire Section 508 guide, including VPAT
template, is available under SSA.GOV in the
Selling to SSA" section. - Vendors with questions may call our procurement
shop that will refer any Section 508 issues or
questions to the Accessible Solutions Branch.
59SSA Is Committed To Section 508 Compliance
- SSA has met with numerous hardware and software
vendors and worked with them to explain Section
508 and to offer suggestions to make the products
accessible. In some cases, minor changes to
hardware and a handful of code changes were all
that was needed to be Section 508 compliant. - SSA has provided almost 800 licenses for our WEB
remediation and design tool to our webmasters
around the country. Anyone who touches a web
page at SSA has access to the tool. - SSA provides assistance to vendors for testing of
products that are proposed to SSA and other
agencies through contract vehicles. In many
cases, compliance issues are related to
misunderstanding of template language.
60SSA Is Committed To Section 508 Compliance(1 of
2)
- Comments in Federal Computer Week by Craig
Luigart, CIO, Dept. of Education-- - Although height and reach were important, the
digital displays that require a direct downward
line-of-sight were a hindrance to people in
chairs. - Working with a copier vendor and a European
design firm, there is now a solution sure to be
copied throughout the industry. - The simple, easy access module provides almost
full printer functionality without looking
through the digital screen.
61SSA Is Committed To Section 508 Compliance(2 of
2)
- Craig Luigart comments (contd)
- This device provides eye-level, one-touch
printing for persons in chairs and with visual
impairments. - There is no change in copier function for walk-up
users. Even those of us that are confused or
intimidated by inputting 4 or 5 commands to make
a single copy will love this device.
62SSA Is Committed To Section 508 Compliance
- Finally, SSA has pursued some imaginative
procurement vehicles to have Section 508
compliance software tools written for us. These
products will be commercially available to all
federal agencies later this year. - Software tool to convert inaccessible PDF
documents to XML so that they may be made
accessible by any number of means. - Software tool to check for accessibility errors
and provide suggested solutions for native Java
and Visual Basic code.
63Accessibility and Section 508 Compliance
- Because Its The Right Thing To Do!
64Survey of Federal Requiring OfficialsA Wrap-Up
from October 2002 Report
- Terry Weaver, General Services Administration
- Joy Fulton, Accessibility Forum Staff
65Outline
- History
- Approach
- Survey Results
- Further Analysis
- List of Potential Needs
- Top 20 Needs
66History
- Analysis of published information about EIT
procurement practices from 15 Federal Agencies - How Section 508 was implemented
- Poster board illustrating research results
available - Interviews with requiring officials from 10
federal agencies - Major customers for EIT
- Paper describing interview results available
67Approach
- Develop confidential questionnaire/survey to
identify problems and issues in implementing
Section 508 - Analyze how these agencies describe their process
and procedures to - Determine Applicability of Section 508 to
procurements - Consider Section 508 in source selection
- Train requiring officials
- Provide documentation
68Survey Results
- Reported in detail in September
- Generally found that
- Federal agencies are committed to implementing
Section 508 - They need further guidance and assistance on how
to implement - Many agencies were unclear on the official
guidance and on what further assistance is needed.
69Further Analysis
- Content analysis of survey results(done)
- Developed a list of 20 potential needs
- Provided feedback to survey respondents(done)
- Review by the Section 508 Working Group(in
process) - Prioritizing of the top 20 potential needs
70List of Potential Needs
- What follows are survey results, a compendium of
interview comments - Comments were made and noted during confidential
interviews, then analyzed later - Potential needs are not government or Forum
approved requirements - Some are beyond what can or should be provided as
guidance or help
71List of Potential Needs(1 of 2)
- Standard 508 agency-wide training program for
everyone in the agency - Standard 508 government-wide training program for
everyone in the government - Additional funding for 508 compliant technologies
- Tool for determining the provisions that apply
- Better understanding of applicability across
state and international boundaries, including US
government facilities overseas - Means of communicating 508 requirements to
vendors - Government wide market research information
repository for 508-related technologies
72List of Potential Needs(2 of 2)
- Qualified bidders list of compliant vendors
- Database of tested, certified products maintained
by the Agency - Database of tested, certified products maintained
government wide - Logo or icon or other labeling program to confirm
product compliance - Standard RFP language for 508 documentation
including 508 requirements, applicable provisions
and exceptions - Tool for determining which provisions apply to a
particular product and product features, in
addition to those required by the acquisition - Means of communicating additional accessibility
requirements because of their products features
to vendors
73Your Questions and Comments
- Floor open for questions and discussion
74Agenda OverviewTuesday, February 24
- Welcome and Agenda Review
- Understanding Requirements for Procurement
- Proof-of-Concept Presentation
- Open QA Session on Proof-of-Concept Presentation
- Maintaining the Information Base
- Vendor approaches to 508 SUN
- ITTATC
- Council Activity Update / Status Reports
75Understanding Requirements for Procurement
- Lesley Field, Office of Federal Procurement
Policy
76Overview
- Activity of the Section 508 Working Group
- Review of the project team Resource Documents
- Process for federal EIT procurement
- A process framework for Section 508 requirements
77Section 508 Working Group Review of Project
Resource Documents
- Some material isnt necessary
- Focus on the provisions
- Some material is too technical
- Layman understanding
- Unlikely to use measurement methods
- Lack of time and expertise
- Some material is helpful
- Assumptions, clarifications, related resources,
comments and suggestions - Wish list
- Need help on how to implement requirements
within the procurement process
78Overview
- Activity of the Section 508 Working Group
- Review of the project team Resource Documents
- Process for federal EIT procurement
- A process framework for Section 508 requirements
79Some Sources of Information About Federal EIT
Procurement Processes
- Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
- Research on current Federal Agency practices
- Interviews with Federal Agencies
- Review of tools to support EIT procurement
- Section508.gov, FAQs, IAE, etc.
80Some Observations
- There are multiple processes in place for EIT
procurement - There is variation from agency to agency in the
implementation of Section 508 requirements - Responsibility for EIT requirements is becoming
more distributed throughout the federal
government - The process must address basic procurement
requirements - Can we abstract a process framework for Section
508 requirements?
81A Process Framework for Federal EIT Procurement
- Needs Assessment
- Determine program requirements for EIT
- Solicitation
- Produce RFP
- Source Selection
- Evaluate RFP responses and select proposal
- Delivery
- Inspection and acceptance evaluation of purchased
products
82Proof of Concept Presentation
- Jim Kindrick and Bill HetznerAccessibility
Forum Staff
83Overview
- Federal EIT procurement and Section 508
- Procurement process and derived functional
requirements - A closer look at the requirements
- User needs and existing practice
- The concept
- Apply resource documents to help
84Section 508 Requirements in the Procurement
Process
- Needs Assessment
- Intended need what is the agency requirement
and technical environment? - General exceptions who must comply with Section
508? - Applicability specifically which Section 508
requirements apply? - Market research how do available EIT products
meet the requirements? - More exceptions what if specific requirements
cannot be met? - Solicitation
- More market research what specific functions of
EIT are needed/implied? - RFP process - what standard language is needed?
85Section 508 Requirements in the Procurement
Process
- Source Selection
- Even more market research how to interpret
information from vendors? - Proposal evaluation how to assess for source
selection? - Delivery
- Inspection and acceptance what are appropriate
criteria? - Contract lifecycle what is the plan for EIT
evolution/upgrades?
86Needs Assessment - Intended Need
- Need to understand if agency needs EIT products
or services - Does Section 508 apply at all?
- Need to know how a product will be used, not who
will use it - Section 508, not Section 504
- Need to understand the intended technical
environment for EIT - FAR state Technical specifications and minimum
requirements would be developed based on the
market research results and agency needs. - What about products purchased as components of an
existing system? - Need to produce documentation for intended need?
87Need Assessment - General Exceptions
- Need to determine if an exception applies to an
EIT procurement - Many different general exceptions are possible
- Micro-purchase
- National security system
- Acquired by a contractor incidental to a contract
- Located in spaces frequented by service personnel
for maintenance, repair, or occasional monitoring
of equipment - Determining if and which exceptions apply is not
easy - Need to produce documentation for exceptions
88Needs Assessment - Applicability
- Need to determine which parts of Section 508
apply to EIT procurements for specific products - Many multi-functional products cross the
boundaries of the technical sections of the
Section 508 standard - Requires detailed knowledge of the standard and
EIT accessibility - Functional characteristics of certain products
might exceed requirements of agency - Need to produce documentation for applicable
requirements - Required later for producing the RFP
89Needs Assessment - Market Research
- Need to gather information about available
products and services - Requiring officials have diverse levels of market
research expertise. - Variety of capabilities are available for
products and services - Information from industry about the accessibility
of their products is not always consistent or
comparable - Lots of time is required to do market research on
product - Need to produce documentation for market research
- Exceptions for specific requirements on products
and services - Is there time and resource for market research on
micro-purchases?
90Need Assessment More Exceptions
- Need to determine if appropriate exceptions apply
for a specific requirement - Many different exceptions are possible
- Undue burden
- Fundamental alteration in the nature of a product
or service or its components - Commercial non-availability
- Determining if and which exceptions apply is not
easy - Need to determine if a product provides
equivalent facilitation for a requirement - Need to produce documentation for specific
exceptions and equivalent facilitation
91Section 508 Requirements in the Procurement
Process
- Needs Assessment
- Solicitation how to support the RFP process?
- More market research what specific functions of
EIT are needed/implied? - RFP process - what standard language is needed?
92Solicitation More Market Research
- Need more detailed product information on
specific capabilities and functionality of
available products - Market research is an iterative process
throughout procurement - Product functional characteristics might exceed
specific agency requirements, which may result in
more applicable provisions - Need to document results of market research
- Additional requirements based on product
functions - Equivalent facilitation for certain requirements
by specific products
93Solicitation RFP Process
- Need Section 508 language for the Standard
Uniform Contract (Solicitation) Format - Section C Description/Specification/Work
Statement - Section E Inspection and Acceptance
- Section F Deliveries or Performance
- Government Cost Estimate (which helps to generate
section B) - As well as sub-sections of
- Section B Supplies or Services and Price/Costs
- Section D Packaging and Marking
- Section G Contract Administration Data
- Section H Special Contract Requirements
- Section L Instructions, Conditions, and Notices
to Offerors or Quoters - Section M Evaluation Factors for Award
- Source Selection Plan
- Contract Administration Plan
94Section 508 Requirements in the Procurement
Process
- Needs Assessment
- Solicitation
- Source Selection how to evaluate RFP responses?
- Even more market research how to interpret
information from vendors? - Proposal evaluation how to assess for source
selection?
95Source Selection Even More Market Research
- Need to interpret and verify market research data
to understand and evaluate product information
from vendors - Dialogue with certain vendors regarding their
proposed products and services - Sometimes difficult to interpret vendor responses
to RFP due to highly technical or inconsistent
language - Need to document results of detailed market
research - Characterize how available EIT meets Section 508
requirements
96Source Selection Proposal Evaluation
- Need to evaluate products and services against
the applicable requirements of the 508 Standard - No generally accepted measurement/data collection
methods - VPAT information an important resource
- Need to assess products and services in relation
to each other based on their relative
satisfaction of the 508 requirements - Driven by Solicitation Section M Evaluation
Factors for Award? - How is this related to the Source Selection Plan?
- Need to select most appropriate proposal
- No consistent way to compare evaluation results
- No consistent way do document selection
97Section 508 Requirements in the Procurement
Process
- Needs Assessment
- Solicitation
- Source Selection
- Delivery - what are conditions for receipt?
- Inspection and acceptance what are appropriate
criteria? - Contract lifecycle what is the plan for product
evolution/upgrades?
98Delivery - Inspection and Acceptance
- Need techniques for inspection and acceptance
- Difficult to evaluate purchased products and
services against the applicable requirements of
the Standard - No clear, easy to use, and consistent process for
evaluation. - No clear way to verify evaluation results
- No consistent documentation of evaluation results
for re-use - Need to document results of product acceptance
99Delivery - Contract Lifecycle
- What is the plan for EIT evolution/upgrades?
- Need to do continuing market research?
- Evaluation of EIT utility of a continuing basis?
- Need to do continuing needs assessment?
100Overview
- Federal EIT procurement and Section 508
- Procurement process and derived functional
requirements - A closer look at the requirements
- User needs and existing practice
- The concept
- Apply resource documents to help
101 A Closer Look at the Requirements
- Federal Agency needs and the functional
requirements - Making sure perceived needs are met by the
functions - Existing pieces of the solution for some
requirements - Procedures, methods, and tools currently
available to help
102Federal Agency Needs and the Functional
Requirements
- Making sure perceived needs are met by the
functions - QFD-like analysis of the top 20 needs derived
from procurement interviews - Matrix describing how the top 20 needs derived
from procurement interviews are addressed by the
various Section 508 requirements - Conclusion the matrix is dense gt every user
need is addressed by at least one proposed
functional requirement - Requirements are validated against perceived user
needs
103Federal Agency Needs and the Functional
Requirements
- Placeholder for graphic slide that shows the
matrix and indicates cells that are populated
illustrating - The dense population of the matrix
- Each user need (column) has at least one cell
which is populated
104Existing Pieces of the Solution for Some
Requirements
- Examination of existing procedures, methods, and
tools currently available to help - What do the existing methods and support tools
do? - What requirements are currently being addressed?
- Pieces of the solution include
- Federal agency Section 508 specific tool
- EIT industry product/service vendor Section 508
specific tool - International government EIT accessibility tool
- Web site accessibility validation tools
- Standard Operating Procedures for some agencies
- E-commerce or SBA tools??
- Automated RFP generation tools
- Currently do not address Section 508 issues
105Existing Pieces of the Solution for Some
Requirements
- Matrix analysis of various current resources
against the Section 508 requirements - Matrix describing how existing elements of the
solution address the various Section 508
requirements - Conclusion the matrix is sparse gt need
additional and more Section 508 specific tools - Requirements are not all met with current
available resources
106Existing Pieces of the Solution for Some
Requirements
- Placeholder for graphic slide that shows the
matrix and indicates cells that are populated
illustrating - The sparse population of the matrix
107Overview
- Federal EIT procurement and Section 508
- Procurement process and derived functional
requirements - A closer look at the requirements
- User needs and existing practice
- The concept
- Apply resource documents to help
108 The Concept
- Information resources that apply to meet some
requirements - Relating Forum resource documents to the
requirements - Delivering information and assistance as needed
during the process - Description and example scenario to prove the
concept of a federal EIT Section 508 procurement
assistance portal
109Information Resources That Apply to Meet Some
Requirements
- Accessibility Forum Project teams resource
documents - Available, extensive, manual and hard to use,
requires structure, - Matrix analysis of various kinds of information
from resource documents against the Section 508
requirements - Matrix describing how existing work of projects
address the various Section 508 requirements - Conclusion the matrix is dense gt every kind of
information addresses at least one proposed
functional requirement - Resource documents apply to EIT procurement
requirements
110Information Resources That Apply to Meet Some
Requirements
- Placeholder for graphic slide that shows the
matrix and indicates cells that are populated
illustrating - The relatively dense population of the matrix
- Each information type (column) has at least one
cell which is populated
111 Delivering Assistance As Needed During the
Process
- Some concepts illustrating use cases for
assistance deliveryFor example, an interface -- - Presenting a taxonomy of product types and to
produce identify applicability of Section 508
requirements, and perhaps also followed by a
screen illustrating inputs and controls to
produce some standard requirement text for the
RFP - Presenting definition, clarification, or tutorial
information to the user to explain an applicable
requirement - Presenting definition, clarification, or tutorial
information to help interpret vendor information - Illustrating input and controls to produce
additional standard language for the RFP
112Delivering Assistance As Needed During the Process
- Users actively engaged in a procurement and using
the tool to help manage the process - Navigation through a standard process under
user control - Modules corresponding to steps in the process
- Consistent presentation of explanatory and
clarifying information - Some decision logic to focus on requirements
- Collection, storage, and management of
procurement data - Use of gathered data to support required
documentation - Users just visiting browsing for general
information and help about EIT procurement and
Section 508 - Depending upon security, maybe browse agency-wide
or beyond - Reuse of previous procurement experience from
others
113Delivering Assistance As Needed During the Process
- Placeholder for graphic slides that show a series
of mock-up screen images walking a thread through
(a part of) the process
114Conclusions
- Valid Section 508 requirements from the
procurement process map to information content in
'resource documents' - Delivering the right content as an information
service through appropriate tools at the right
point in the procurement process can help meet
the requirements
115Maintaining an Information Base
- Skip CraneAccessibility Forum Staff
116Elements of an Information Base
- Kinds of information
- Process for maintaining
- Participants in the process
- Application to broader needs and interests
117What Information?
- EXAMPLES --
- Access Board Standard (including additions and
updates as they occur) - Resource Documents
- Data on Product Features and Functions
- RFP Language
- Inspection / Acceptance testing methods and
evaluation criteria
118For What Purpose?
- The Information Base is intended to grow over
time as a living, relevant, and useful
information resource that - Supports a broad-based constituency
- Meets the needs of varied objectives, interests,
and applications - Supports change
- New technologies, product data, accessibility
features - New Inspection / Acceptance testing methods and
evaluation criteria
119Process for Maintaining Information Base
- Supports relevance, timeliness, and utility of
information - Addresses
- Content (What to include)
- Currency (How to accommodate change)
- Process (How that will be decided)
- Participants (Who to include in the process)
- Capitalizes on a network of communication and
cooperation - Stakeholder community of knowledge, experience,
and expertise - Proven process for reaching consensus
120Participants in the Maintenance Process
- The stakeholder community is already in place
(industry, end-users, government, academia, and
experts and researchers) - Significantly, the stakeholder community also
represents the primary SOURCE of content - The interaction has to be managed
121Structure of the Maintenance Process Supports
(1 of 2)
- A need that must be addressed
- If we build it, they will come but if we
DONT build it, some one WILL - A collaborative community because
- The Process
- Is beyond the resources of any one stakeholder
group within the community - Requires cooperative, consensus strategy
- Should be driven from WITHIN, not imposed from
outside
122Structure of the Maintenance Process Supports
(2 of 2)
- Combined interests of the community members
- Everyone should realize Whats in it for me?
- A compelling mission and business case
- Flexibility
123Benefits for the Stakeholder Community Whats
In It for Me? (1 of 2)
- Advocacy and consumer groups can voice their
requirements - Industry can interact with agencies and users on
best practices for compliance - Government can gain valuable insight into product
information for consistent - Needs assessment and market research
- Product feature mapping to Section 508
- Methods for evaluation as part of inspection /
acceptance step
124Benefits for the Stakeholder Community Whats
In It for Me? (2 of 2)
- All stakeholders can
- Understand issues from a wide range of
perspectives - Contribute to the value of the information
- Identify and resolve issues and opportunities
125Flexibility of a Structure for the Maintenance
Process
- Examples of structure form
- Consortium
- Subscription Services
-
- Common characteristics of each form
- Member driven
- Member managed
- Member supported
- Resource leverage
126Linking Efforts to Other Interests
- Information Base should support other
applications as part of the same Process - E-Gov / Integrated Acquisition Environment
- Unify and Simplify Through Shared Services
- Uses common building blocks
- Integrated Vendor Profile Network Single point
of vendor registration, initial capability - Consolidated eCatalog a directory of GWAC and
MAC contracts to simplify selection and
facilitate leverage of Government buying
127Summary Information Base Should
- Meet the needs of varied objectives, interests,
and applications - Grow over time as a living, relevant, and useful
resource - Be maintained using a process that capitalizes on
a network of communication and cooperation - Support other applications as part of the same
Process
128Sun's Approach toDesktop Accessibility
- Marney Beard
- Sun Microsystems
129Overview
- Assistive Technologies acquire information from
desktop applications . . . by one means or
another. It's inefficient for AT to gain
information by guesswork. - The key to Sun's approach is a comprehensive and
reliable interface, making a clear division of
labor among the platform, the application, and
the AT. This is the heart of the Java
Accessibility API, and now the GNOME
Accessibility Framework as well. - With GNOME, we have the first open source user
environment to enable accessibility for diverse
applications. - For the customer, these recent developments
signal alternatives and opportunities in lower
costs, more flexible development of AT, a wider
development community, and broader support for
accessibility.
130At The Core Formal Division of Responsibility
- Platform Define the Accessibility API implement
it on the user-interface primitives supply AT
building blocks (e.g., speech engines). - Application Fully implement platform
accessibility API (e.g., provide labels, identify
relationships among UI components), keyboard
accessibility, etc. - Assistive Technology Focus on user interface
fully use the platform accessibility API.
131Benefits to the AT Vendor
- Legacy approaches are very brittle Significant
changes to the operating system lead to
significant breakage in the information needed by
AT. - The Accessibility API is a contract Assistive
Technology Vendors can rely on it from one
release of the platform to the next. Common
properties are provided in common ways. - Development is faster and less error-prone It's
easier to build new AT, adapt an existing
product, and make enhancements over time.
132Benefits to the Application Developer
- Just as AT needs information, the application
must provide it. A reliable API does this almost
for free, with no compromises in functionality or
performance. - Sun and other companies have built toolkits that
implement the Java and GNOME Accessibility APIs,
making components accessible by default. - With source code available for standard
components, developers can easily copy common
elements and build accessibility into custom
components.
133Expanding the Options Open Source Accessibility
- All source code is available for examination.
Interfaces and applications can be studied and
understood. - AT developers can fix bugs and release their own
patches. Contributions can go back into the
common source, improving the base for all. - AT may be open source too. Acting as the
"maintainer," an ATV can choose to accept code
contributions from others. - Interest among more mainstream developers in the
GNOME community is growing. Good ideas and
constructive criticism abound.
134Designed In From The Start GNOME Accessibility
- Open source, like the GNOME desktop user
environment itself. Project led by Sun, with many
contributions from others (notably people from
Ximian and RedHat). - Core accessibility features
- Full keyboard accessibility, plus AccessX
functionality built in - Full theme support - with a variety of themes
- Comprehensive and extensible accessibility
architecture
135Designed In From The Start GNOME Accessibility
- Included assistive technology - also open source
- Gnopernicus screen reader/magnifier with Braille
support - GOK dynamic on-screen keyboard with switch
support - Award-winning approach to accessibility Sun and
the GNOME community were honored by the American
Foundation of the Blind with the Helen Keller
Achievement Award.
136Benefits to the "508-Sensitive" Customer
- You acquire and build a wide variety of
applications. Section 508 requires you to be
prepared to meet a wide variety of users' needs. - Open source provides options and alternatives to
proprietary solutions. Development of AT will
become more flexible, taking advantage of the
wider development community. - Standard interfaces, common implementations,
predictable access to information ... all reduce
complexity, reduce error, reduce cost. - Ask about the architecture, not the
accommodations in specific applications.
Criticize and contribute!
137Information Technology Technical Assistance and
Training Center
- Promoting Accessibility Through Training and
Assistance - Mimi Kessler
- ITTATC
138ITTATCs Mission
National Institute on Disability
and Rehabilitation Research H133A000405
139ITTATC
In Collaboration With
- Southeast DBTAC
- Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental
Access (CATEA)Georgia Institute of Technology,
College of Architecture - World Institute on Disability
- Inclusive Technologies
- Law, Health Policy Disability CenterUniversity
of Iowa College of LawWashington D.C. Office - Trace Research Development CenterUniversity of
Wisconsin-Madison - Georgia Tech Research Institute
- Information Technology Association of America
- Jim Thatcher, Independent Consultant
140Year 3 Goals
- Increase contact with industry
- Increase outreach to consumers
- Increase training to underserved 508/255
audiences - Provide more access to quality Technical
Assistance - Provide more tools for TA and training
- Increase collaboration with other groups with
similar mission (GSA, DOL, FCC)
141Methods to Achieve Goal 1
- Increase Contact with Industry
- Accessibility Training Preview presentation
- Conducting train-the-trainer sessions
- Business case / economic drivers for
accessibility - Presentation for trainers
- On-line presentation
- On-line full course via EASI
- Attending ITIs State IT Initiatives
- Presentations for local IT organizations
- To reach small and medium sized companies
- Increased participation in industry standards
organizations
142Methods to Achieve Goal 2
- Increase Outreach to Consumers
- Toolkit presentation and demos for general
audiences - Consumer trainings across the country starting in
Spring 2003 - Outreach to consumer organizations to train
trainers - Added a full time Director of Consumer Training
in DC
143Methods to Achieve Goal 3(1 of 3)
- Increase Training to Underserved 508/255
Audiences - State officials IT, disability rights officers,
and procurement - Assist with sharing information between states
- Gain insight from Federal agencies and from
others - Consumers with disabilities and their networked
communities - Help them understand how to participate in the
design process - Help them understand how industry works
144Methods to Achieve Goal 3(2 of 3)
- Increase Training to Underserved 508/255
Audiences - Industry segments
- Usability and Marketing
- Small to medium sized companies
- System Integrators
- Application Service Providers
- Knowledge Brokers (ex META/ Gartner)
145Methods to Achieve Goal 3(3 of 3)
- How to Reach These Audiences
- Recruiting a Training Network of trainers across
the country to match-make requests for training
with people who train - Providing trainers with high quality training
materials that are tailored to audiences - Providing incentive monies depending
- On the right presentation
- Given to the right audience
- By the right presenter
146Methods to Achieve Goal 4
- Provide More Access to Quality TA
- TA knowledgebase
- Resource for a wide range of people
- Will be able to query it and 4 other sites on our
site - TA resource network
- Increasing the technical expertise of the
accessibility community - List of consultants and accessibility
professionals - TA reports, pamphlets, and brochures
147Methods to Achieve Goal 5
- Provide More Tools for TA and Training
- Customized training programs
- Provided by phone or by Wizard on the web
- Knowledgebase as resource to trainers, technical
people and consumers - Tools to experience barriers to EIT
- On-line and telephone assistance
- Search feature added to redesigned web site
148Methods to Achieve Goal 6
- Increase Collaboration with Other Groups
- GSA and other Federal Agencies
- No reinventing the wheel
- Linked search results from 4 other authoritative
sites - Section508.gov (GSA)
- Assistivetech.net (NIDRR)
- AccessIT (NIDRR)
- Disabilityinfo.gov (DOL)
149New Resources Added
- Redesigned web site for easier access to
information including search results from othe