State Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives: A NATIONAL AND STATE PERSPECTIVE

State Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives:

A NATIONAL AND STATE PERSPECTIVE

Second Annual Web Cast

October 22, 2002

National Institute on Disability and

Rehabilitation Research

#H133A000405

Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center

www.ITTATC.org Toll free: 866-9ITATTC (948-8282) (Voice/TTY)

ITTATC promotes the development of accessible electronic and information technology

products and services related to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and

Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act by providing:

To…

InformationTrainingTechnical Assistance Industry

TrainersState officialsConsumers

State IT Accessibility InitiativesSecond Annual Web Cast/October 22, 2002

State Information Technology Initiatives:

A National and State Perspective

State Information Technology Initiatives:

A National and State Perspective

MODERATOR:

Michael MorrisChair, ITTATC State IT Initiatives Workgroup

Law, Health Policy & Disability CenterUniversity of Iowa College of Law

[email protected] (202) 521-2930


Purpose of the Web CastPurpose of the Web Cast

The purpose of the Web Cast is to provideinformation from selected state stakeholderson current experiences with electronic andinformation technology (E&IT) accessibilitychallenges related to Web Sites, ApplicationDevelopment, Procurement, and Places ofPublic Access.


Targeted AudienceTargeted Audience

STATE-LEVEL

• Policymakers• Assistive Technology Projects• Offices of the Chief Information

Officer• Procurement Officials• Persons with Disabilities


Panelists Will AddressPanelists Will Address

• State specific examples of IT accessibility policy development and compliance and verification strategies.

• Effective strategies to overcome barriers to IT accessibility.

• Challenges of procurement of accessible IT products and services.

• State approaches to training state level CIO and Procurement staff on IT accessibility.


FeaturingFeaturing

Kathleen Anderson, Chair, State of Connecticut Committee on Web Site Accessibility

Erin Labate, IT Policy, Pennsylvania Governor’s Office for Information Technology

Diane Golden, Director, Missouri Assistive Technology

Mark Urban, Chair, North Carolina Governor’s Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities

ITTATC State IT Initiatives Workgroup

PURPOSEAND

OBJECTIVES


The Overall Goal of the State IT Initiatives Workgroup is to:The Overall Goal of the State IT Initiatives Workgroup is to:

Improve electronic and informationtechnology accessibility at a statelevel:

– online– in places where employees of state

government work– in places of public access


ObjectivesObjectives

• Increase understanding• Build capacity• Inform and transfer knowledge about

promising state IT accessibility policies and practices related to:– state operated or funded Web Sites– application development– places of public access


To Meet These ObjectivesTo Meet These Objectives

The Workgroup, with collaboratingstate stakeholders:

• develops information materials targeted to the knowledge utilization needs of targeted state stakeholder audiences


To Meet These ObjectivesTo Meet These Objectives

The Workgroup, with collaboratingstate stakeholders:

• develops and maintains an online database that provides current information on IT accessibility initiatives with links to state specific policies and guidelines


National Assessment of State IT Access Initiatives


• Partners supporting the assessment, along with Georgia Tech, are:

– Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America's Technical Assistance Project (RESNA TA)

– Association of Tech Act Projects (ATAP) – New York State Office for Technology

.




• Three groups within each state were asked to participate in the assessment:– State Offices of the Chief Information Officers (CIO

Office) – State Procurement Officials (PO)– State Assistive Technology Projects (AT Project)

• The assessment was conducted during the months of September 2001 through May 2002.

Barriers to Achieving IT Accessibility

FINDINGS


FINDINGS

• Growing interest and level of activity.

• State E&IT accessibility policies and practices are changing.


FINDINGS

• Increasing influence of a centralized coordinating agency managing state IT policy development and implementation.

• Interagency collaboration was identified as a key element to development of E&IT accessibility policies.


FINDINGS

• Over half of the states have adopted policies or guidelines that set standards for accessibility of state agency Web Sites. Progress is significantly slower with Application Development, Procurement, and Places of Public Access.


FINDINGS

• Events of the past 12 months had a significant impact on time and resources being allocated to develop and implement E&IT accessibility policies.

• Time and budgetary constraints have slowed expected progress.


FINDINGS

• Security and privacy issues have become the two concerns of CIO Offices.

• CIO Offices cited shortage of resources as a most significant need related to accessibility of Web Sites, Application Development, and Places of Public Access.


MAJOR BARRIERS TO PROGRESS

• Both groups--AT Projects and CIO Offices--cited Lack of Training as a most significant barrier in the core areas: Application Development, Procurement, and Places of Public Access.


MAJOR NEEDS

• CIO Offices cited as most significant the need for assistance with Standards, Application and Verification with Procurement and Places of Public Access.

• Both stakeholder groups expressed the need for more clarity and guidance regarding the application of Section 508 to states, and technical assistance on effective strategies for verifying compliance with accessibility standards.

CONCLUSION


CONCLUSION

• There are differences in staffing and financial commitments among states.

• There are differences in levels of knowledge and understanding about E&IT accessibility issues within a state and among states.


CONCLUSION

• There are differences in current adoption of Web access guidelines that vary from adoption of Section 508 standards, WC3 guidelines and a hybrid set of rules.

• There are differences in emerging verification requirements and level of compliance activities.


CONCLUSION

• Despite these differences, there is growing interest and progress with the development and implementation of E&IT accessibility policies through legislation, regulations, and state guidance.

FOR MOREINFORMATION


Visit the ITTATC Web Site

http://www.ittatc.org

Visit the ITTATC Web Site

http://www.ittatc.org


QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

QUESTIONS FOR PANELIST:– CALL: 703-961-9250 X226– FAX: 703-961-9255– E-MAIL: Access the “e-mail” or

“chat” link on your screen

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES:– CALL: 703-961-9250 X223– E-MAIL: [email protected]

State Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives: A NATIONAL AND STATE PERSPECTIVE

Documents

promising state

disabilitiesittatc state

state approaches

state perspectivemoderator

accessibility policies

state of connecticut

web castthe purpose

training state level