Biometric Accessibility Standards David Baquis & Bruce Bailey U.S. Access Board

What is the Access Board? Independent Federal agency Promulgates guidelines and standards for accessible design Provides technical assistance and training The term “Access Board” is used to refer to the staff of the Board, as well as the Board

Section 508 – The Law and The Standards The 508 STATUTE requires Federal agencies and departments to ensure that federal information and communication technologies is accessible, when it is procured, developed, used or maintained The 508 STANDARD sets forth design requirements for accessibility of information and communication technologies The law authorized the Access Board to develop the 508 Standard

508 Provisions on Biometrics (d) (c) –“When biometric forms of user identification or control are used, an alternative form of identification or activation, which does not require the user to possess particular biological characteristics, shall also be provided.”

Disabilities Addressed Vision (low vision as well as blindness) Hearing (hard of hearing as well as deaf) Speech Dexterity/Mobility Cognition addressed in Section 255 (intellectual disability as well as learning disability)

Types of Products Covered Under Section 508 Software applications and operating systems Web-based Intranet and Internet information and applications Telecommunications products Video and multimedia products Self contained, closed products Desktop and portable computers

Other Relevant IT Public Policies Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act –(255 Guidelines folded into 508 Standards) Help America Vote Act – 2005 Voluntary Voting Systems Guidelines: (c) Dexterity –“The accessible voting station controls shall not require direct bodily contact or for the body to be part of any electrical circuit.” –Discussion: This requirement ensures that controls are operable by individuals using prosthetic devices.

… And now, remarks from Bruce Bailey

TEITAC Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee Several issues raised through their recommendations for refreshing the Section 508 Standards: –Is it okay to require possession of a biological characteristic, if the Standard allows more than one biometric to be used as a basis for an identification? –Recommended Research Questions: Are there biometrics that are inherently inclusive? Are there any two (or more) commercially available biometrics that (when combined) are totally inclusive?

Some Themes from TEITAC Technology Convergence –Feature oriented instead of product categories Testability –Objective metrics Lots of mandates –HSPD12 (products for physical and logical access) –FDCC (computer access) –FIPS –ABAAG/ADAAG on Reach Range (308) and Operable Parts (309) for facilities

Buy Accessible Product and Data Center Where to find a product that meets the 508 standards? One market research tool available is ( All IT companies that wish to sell to the federal government should take advantage of that free tool

Enforcement All three standards and guidelines mentioned are enforceable with remedies available to aggrieved users: –508 –255 –HAVA (voluntary to states, but VVSG- conformance required for EAC certification) Enforcement is important because it drives implementation of accessibility

How to Reach the U.S. Access Board Toll-free… – (voice) – Internet… …

Questions for discussion: How to test products for accessibiilty? Do accessibility requirements conflict with security requirements? In which biometric-related IT standards should there be a reference to 508-accessibility? What are promising practices for encouraging manufacturers to design accessible biometrics?