[blindlaw] Virtual Forum on Improving Access to Federal IT to be Held September 8, DBTAC

[Nightingale, Noel]

Link:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-08-18/html/2011-21144.htm

Text:
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 160 (Thursday, August 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51345-51346]
>From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21144]


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ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD


On Behalf of the Accessibility Committee of the Federal Chief
Information Officers Council; Listening Session Regarding Improving the
Accessibility of Government Information

AGENCY: Federal Chief Information Officers Council, Architectural and
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a listening session that the Federal
Chief Information Officers Council will be conducting to hear from the
public on ways the federal government can take stronger steps toward
improving the acquisition and implementation of accessible technology
for people with disabilities. In order to better understand the needs
of diverse communities, the Federal Chief Information Officers Council,
in collaboration with the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, the
General Services Administration Office of Governmentwide Policy, and
the U.S. Access Board, will hold a virtual listening session, where
participants may either call in or log onto a Web site to participate
and express concerns and propose ideas.

DATES: The listening session will be held on September 8, 2011 from 2
p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time (E.T.).

ADDRESSES: The listening session will be held by telephone and online.
Instructions on how to participate are at: http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/session-instructions.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Creagan, Office of Technical and
Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board, 1331 F Street, NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-
1111. Telephone (202) 272-0016 (voice) or (202) 272-0074 (TTY). e-mail
address board.gov">creagan at access-board.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and
information technology accessible to people with disabilities.
Inaccessible technology interferes with an ability to obtain and use
information quickly and easily. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
(29 U.S.C. 794d) was created to eliminate barriers in information
technology, open new opportunities for people with disabilities, and
encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these
goals. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop,
procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under
Section 508, agencies must give employees with disabilities and members
of the public with disabilities access to information that is
comparable to access available to others without disabilities.
    Effective implementation of Section 508 is an essential element of
President Obama's principles of open government, requiring that all
government and data be accessible to all citizens. In order for the
goal of open government to be meaningful for persons with disabilities,
technology must also be accessible, including digital content.
    On July 19, 2010, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) took
steps to assure that the Federal government's progress in implementing
Section 508 is stronger and achieves results more quickly by releasing
a memorandum to agencies, titled ``Improving the Accessibility of
Government Information'' (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/procurement_memo/improving_accessibility_gov_info_07192010.pdf).
    The OMB has directed that a series of listening sessions be held to
gain feedback on ways to improve Section 508 performance. The Federal
Chief Information Officers Council, in collaboration with the Chief
Acquisition Officers Council, the General Services Administration
Office of Governmentwide Policy, and the U.S. Access Board, have held
four listening sessions to engage citizens and federal employees and
hear their concerns and ideas. Transcripts from the previous listening
sessions can be found on the Federal Chief Information Officers Council
Accessibility Committee webpage (http://www.cio.gov/pages.cfm/page/Listening-Sessions). This final listening session will be a virtual
session, where participants may either call in or log onto a website to
participate. The listening session will focus on what steps the federal
government can take to increase the accessibility and usability of
government information and data for persons with disabilities. Input
from private industry is sought on the following questions:
     What is private industry doing to implement information
technology (IT) accessibility that the federal government should
follow?
     How can implementation of Section 508 be improved?
     What could the federal government ask for that would allow
vendors to better show that their products meet accessibility
provisions?
     What support do newly emerging technology companies need
to build in accessibility in their product and service offerings?
    Input is also sought on the following questions:
     What can the federal government do to use technology
better or in new ways?
     What can the federal government do to make technology more
accessible?
     What emerging technologies does the federal government use
that you cannot?
     What technologies should the federal government use that
would enhance your interactions with government agencies?
     What are state and local governments doing to implement
information technology accessibility that the federal government should
follow?

[[Page 51346]]

     What is academia doing to implement IT accessibility that
the federal government should follow?
     What can the federal government do to influence technology
accessibility?
     What can the federal government do to support the
availability of effective communities of practice on IT accessibility?
     Would the IT industry benefit from a professional
certification or credential that denotes a company's expertise in
accessibility? If so, how could it be implemented and what role should
the government play?
    Feedback from the listening session will be used by, and shared
across agencies to improve accessibility and usability of electronic
and information technology. The listening session will be accessible.
Computer assisted real-time transcription (CART) will be provided.
Persons wishing to participate in the virtual listening session can
either call in and speak their comments over the telephone or go online
and type them on the afternoon of the listening session. Callers should
dial 1-877-939-0745 and then enter 51300082  to join the
session; callers must use a touch-tone telephone. Persons going online
should go to the Access Board's Web site at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/session-instructions.htm for instructions.

David M. Capozzi,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-21144 Filed 8-17-11; 8:45 am]
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