[Nfb-science] Fwd: Updated 508 Standards: Advisory Committee Report [FWD]

[David Andrews]

>
>From: Sect508WG [mailto:Sect508WG at listserv.gsa.gov]
>Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 12:23 PM
>   To: SECT508WG at LISTSERV.GSA.GOV
>Subj: [SECT508WG] Advisory Committee Presents Report on Updated 508
>Standards
>
>From: http://www.access-board.gov/news/teitac-report.htm
>
>On April 3, the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information
>Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC) presented its report
><http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/refresh/report/> to the Access Board
>on updating accessibility criteria for information and communication
>technologies.  The committee's report recommends revisions to the
>Board's standards for electronic and information technology covered by
>section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.  It also addresses updates to
>guidelines for telecommunications products issued by the Board under
>section 255 of the Telecommunications Act.
>
>"We firmly believe that the recommendations of this report will lead to
>new versions of the standards and guidelines that comprehensively cover
>accessibility in a dynamic and innovative marketplace," stated Mike
>Paciello of the Paciello Group who co-chaired the committee.  Co-chair
>Jim Tobias of Inclusive Technologies concurred, noting that "this
>committee, through the incredible range of expertise and talent it
>enlisted, indeed rose to the challenge and was not shy in confronting a
>host of complex issues before it."
>
>The committee's report details recommended changes to both the substance
>and the structure of the standards and guidelines. The recommendations,
>adopted by consensus under a process common to Federal advisory
>committees, specify updates that are responsive to market trends and
>technological innovations that continuously reshape the range of
>products covered.  These include technologies used for communication,
>computing, storage, duplication, and production, among others.  Access
>is addressed for all types of disabilities, including those that are
>sensory, physical, speech-related, or cognitive in nature.
>
>Organized by the Board in July 2006, the committee met regularly over
>the course of its charter and held numerous teleconferences in between
>meetings. The committee's 41 members comprised a broad cross-section of
>stakeholders, including representatives from industry, disability
>groups, standard-setting bodies in the U.S. and abroad, and government
>agencies, among others.  In their deliberations, committee members
>addressed a range of issues, including new or convergent technologies,
>market forces, and international harmonization. Recognizing the
>importance of standardization across markets worldwide, the committee
>coordinated its work with other standard-setting bodies in the U.S. and
>abroad. Representatives on the committee from the World Wide Web
>Consortium, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and Japan greatly
>facilitated this effort.
>
>The committee sought to balance the need for detailed criteria with an
>approach that accommodates the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of the
>technologies covered.  Many people, from product designers and engineers
>to procurers and end users, have called for clear delineation of what
>makes a product accessible for compliance purposes.  However, the
>committee determined that product-specific criteria will not keep pace
>with innovative trends and market forces which enhance the capabilities
>of products and blur their categorization. Convergent technologies, for
>example, support the growing demand for all-in-one products, such as
>mobile devices that offer voice and text communication, web browsing,
>and media players.
>
>The committee's report puts forth a revised set of performance criteria
>that describe access capabilities for products generally.  The committee
>organized these provisions to serve as a framework for supplementary
>technical specifications that have been updated to address hardware,
>user interfaces and electronic content, audio-visual players, displays,
>and content, real-time voice communication, and authoring tools.  Unlike
>the current section 508 standards, these provisions are organized by the
>features or capabilities of a product, instead of discreet product
>types.  The recommendations contain advisory and background information
>on the performance and technical provisions, including references to
>related standards, and update defined terms and provisions covering
>documentation, support, and maintenance.  The report also advises the
>Board on considerations for future updates, supplementary guidance
>materials and tools, compliance testing, and further research.
>
>The Board will propose updates to the section 508 standards and
>telecommunications guidelines based on its review of the committee's
>report.  The Board's proposal will be made available for public comment.
>Additional information is available on the Board's Section 508 Update
>webpage <http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/update-index.htm> and the
>committee's website <http://teitac.org>.  For further information,
>contact Tim Creagan at:  creagan at access-board.gov, (202)272-0016 (v), or
>(202)272-0082 (TTY).