Outline

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ISO/IEC JTC 1 Special Working Group on
Accessibility (SWG-A) JTC 1 SWG-A N
138 2006-03-17 Document Type Presentation Tit
le U.S.-E.C. ICT Standards Dialogue on
e-Accessibility Report to March 2006
JTC 1 SWG-A Meeting Source Ms.
Ileana M. Martinez, National Institute of
Standards and Technology Requested For
consideration at the March 2006 SWG-A meeting.
Action JTC 1 SWG on Accessibility
SecretariatITI/INCITS1250 Eye Street NW, Suite
200, Washington, DC 20005jgarner_at_itic.org
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U.S.-E.C. ICT Standards Dialogue on
e-AccessibilityIleana M. MartinezNational
Institute of Standards and TechnologyISO/IEC
JTCI SWG-A meetingMarch 17, 2006
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Origins of the U.S.-E.C. Dialogue

• Dialogue first launched in 2004 as Exchange of
  Information Regarding the Planned Use of ICT
  Standards in Support of Regulations and other
  Public Policies
• Reinvigorated in 2005 as part of the U.S.-EU
  Innovation Initiative
• Currently focusing on e-accessibility

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Goals of the Dialogue

• The U.S.-E.C. ICT Standards Dialogue seeks to
  minimize bilateral trade frictions and facilitate
  a better understanding of U.S. and EU goals
• One goal of the e-accessibility dialogue is to
  encourage the EC to avoid creating technical
  specifications and regulations that may stifle
  accessibility innovation and technology to the
  detriment of both suppliers and end-users

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Support for the Dialogue

• Dialogue is under
• Commerce Secretary Gutierrez and EC Vice
  President Verheugen U.S.- E.U. Innovation
  Initiative, formalized at the 2005 U.S.-EU Summit
• U.S. E.C. Regulatory Cooperation led by
  United States Trade Representative, following the
  Transatlantic Economic Partnership Guidelines on
  Regulatory Cooperation and Transparency
• The Dialogue enjoys the support of industry and
  private sector stakeholders

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Drivers for the Dialogue

• In the U.S., the Access Board plans to update and
  revise the Electronic and Information Technology
  Accessibility Standards (section 508) and the
  Tele- communications Act Accessibility Guidelines
  (section 255)
• In the E.C., there is a renewed effort on
  e-accessibility focusing on approaches that have
  worked in other markets and a desire to cooperate
  beyond Europes borders

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Dialogue U.S. participation

• Access Board
• General Services Administration
• Federal Communications Commission
• Department of Commerce International Trade
  Administration
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
  Dialogue lead

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Access Board update Why now?

• The Access Board shall periodically review and,
  as appropriate, amend the standards to reflect
  technological advances or changes in electronic
  and information technology (section 508)
• The Board shall review and update the
  Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines
  periodically (section 255)
• Section 508 is 5 years old and the
  Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines
  is 8 years old
• Desire for harmonization with requirements in
  other countries

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Access Board revisions rulemaking

• While one rulemaking is planned, the scopes of
  508 and 255 (intended audience and the level of
  effort) will remain different
• An Advisory Committee is planned, to consult with
  relevant stakeholders and allow for a substantive
  role in the development of the Guidelines (before
  public comment)
• Representation from other countries in the
  Advisory Committee

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Access Board revisions section 508

• The Electronic and Information Technology
  Accessibility Standards (section 508) applies to
  Federal government agencies
• When agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use
  electronic and information techno- logy, they
  must ensure that it is accessible to Federal
  employees and individuals with disabilities who
  are members of the public seeking information or
  services from a Federal agency unless an undue
  burden would be imposed on the agency

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Access Board revisions section 255

• The Telecommunications Act Accessibility
  Guidelines (section 255) apply to manufacturers
• A manufacturer of telecommunications equipment
  shall ensure that the equipment is designed,
  developed, and fabricated to be accessible to and
  usable by individuals with disabilities, if
  readily achievable

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Access Board goals of revision

• We agree that what is needed are clear,
  consensus driven, testable, and reliable
  accessibility requirements. In this world of
  global scales, it is critical that accessibility
  requirements be harmonized throughout the world.
  Product manufacturers want to build to a single
  set of requirements or at least not be faced
  with competing world wide requirements. We
  should do what we can to facilitate this, because
  ultimately if we can make the regulatory process
  easier to achieve and by that I do not mean
  that we need to weaken the requirements that
  exist today we will enhance accessibility for
  people with disabilities worldwide.
• Marc Guthrie, Access Board public member
• International Workshop on Accessibility
  Requirements
• Brussels, Belgium -- October 21, 2004

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e-Accessibility in the European Union

• Various initiatives and directives i2010,
  Lisbon agenda, eEuropa 2005, eEuropa 2002,
  eInclusion (2002 Ministerial Declaration),
  directives on electronic communication, universal
  service, radio and telecom terminals, public
  procurement, employment equality, various
  resolutions, etc
• Lack of effectiveness of previous action
• Member states are initiating and implementing
  country-unique actions
• Action now is considered a social, ethical,
  economic
• and political imperative

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European Commission objectives

• Market creation. Previously, market considered a
  niche. However, market potential is now
  recognized to go beyond the disabled and older
  populations, to encompass all.
• Policy actions to promote consistent approach in
  e-accessibility initiatives in Member States on a
  voluntary basis
• Industry self-regulation

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European Commission approach

• Communication, September 2005
• To be reviewed in 2 years to assess progress and
  impact
• Standardization Mandate to the European Standards
  Organizations (ESOs), December 2005
• Consideration of various compliance models and
  mechanisms
• Procurement directives

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Communication on eAccessibility

• Introduction
• Practical challenges
• Market and economic issues
• Legal and policy issues
• Ongoing activities at the EU level
• Increasing the e-Accessibility of ICT products
  and services in Europe Three new approaches
• Conclusions and follow-up

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EC standardization mandate (1)

• While the EC has chosen to use a
  standardization mandate to the ESOs as a tool to
  develop technical requirements for
  e-accessibility, this mandate is not related to a
  directive and, as such, it is significantly
  different than mandates under the New Approach

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EC standardization mandate (2)

• Objectives of the mandate
• Rationale
• Background
• Policy issues
• Public procurement legislation
• Description of the mandated work
• Phase I
• Phase II
• Modus operandi and co-ordination aspects
• Execution of the mandate

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Standardization mandate objectives

• Harmonize and facilitate the public procurement
  of accessible ICT products and services by
  identifying a set of functional requirements
• Provide an electronic toolkit for public
  procurers to facilitate the use of harmonized
  requirements in the procurement process

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Standardization mandate phase I

• Report with 5 parts on inventory of
  products/services used by procurers existing
  functional requirements gaps existing
  standards and proposal of work
• Report on analysis of testing and conformity
  schemes
• Reports must be submitted to open review by all
  interested parties (via internet and an open
  event)
• Reports to be delivered 12 months after
  acceptance of mandate

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Standardization mandate phase II

• Phase II starts after agreement by Commission of
  Phase I deliverable
• Five deliverables, within 12 (and 18) months
  after the start of work
• Already existing requirements, guidelines,
  toolkits, best practices, etc, developed in
  Europe and internationally should be taken into
  consideration

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Standardization mandate phase II deliverables

• European standard specifying ICT products and the
  corresponding accessibility requirement
• Report giving standards that comply with above
  mentioned requirements
• Guidelines for accessibility procurement award
  criteria
• Guidance and support materials for public
  procurement
• On line accessible toolkit providing access to
  above materials

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Standardization mandate cooperation (1)

• ESOs to maintain adequate and efficient
  coordination mechanisms
• Achieve widest possible consensus
• Shall work in close cooperation with industry
  representatives, public authorities, people with
  disabilities and older persons, their
  representative organizations, accessibility
  experts, consumer organizations

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Standardization mandate cooperation (2)

• Close involvement of relevant European and
  national organizations
• Consider results of EU research and
  standardisation
• Involve public procurers and relevant EC units
• International cooperation shall be established
  with
• W3C/WAI, ISO, IEC, JTC1, ITU-T, UN/CEFAT

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Sources of information U.S.

• http//www.access-board.gov
• Web-based training and information
  www.section508.gov
• Web-based acquisition tool, the Buy Accessible
  Wizard www.buyaccessible.gov
• Web-based product research tool, the Buy
  Accessible Data Center (beta)
  http//emgbaw.accessibilityforum.org/bad

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Sources of information E.C.

• European Commission webpage on e-accessibility in
  generalhttp//europa.eu.int/information_society/p
  olicy/accessibility/index_en.htm
• Policy implementation, procurement requirements
  and standardization mandate
• http//europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/ac
  cessibility/regulation/index_en.htm
  http//europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/
  accessibility/regulation/pubproc/index_en.htm
  http//europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/
  accessibility/regulation/pubproc/a_documents/m376
  20en.pdf

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• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
• Ileana M. Martinez
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• email ileana.martinez_at_nist.gov