IT Accessibility 2001 Ensuring Information Technology Access for People with Disabilities National Institute of Standards and Technology May 22-23, 2001 Presentation by: Karen Peltz Strauss Deputy Bureau Chief Consumer Information Bureau Federal Communications Commission

Section 255-Access to telecommunications equipment and services Captioning of television programming Standards for closed captioning decoders Video description of television programming Telecommunications relay services The FCC Regulates Many Access Issues

Hearing aid compatibility/volume control Allocation of spectrum Section 508 (agency compliance) Access to wireless services (analog and digital) Internet telephony (to lesser extent) The FCC Regulates Many Access Issues (Cont.)

DISABILITIES RIGHTS OFFICE Review relevant agenda items and other documents prepared by other bureaus to ensure conformance with existing disability laws and policies. Provide advice and assistance to other Bureaus, to members of the industry, and to the consuming public on disability laws and policies. Prepare and conduct rulemaking proceedings related to disability access.

DISABILITIES RIGHTS OFFICE (Cont.) Assist FCC at Consumer Centers and Enforcement Bureau on disability-related questions and complaints Work with Consumer Education Office on outreach and education pertaining to disability issues Prepare Commission materials in accessible formats

Improved Relay Services – February 2000 Expands definition of relay services to include speech-to-speech relay, Spanish language relay Steps to encourage use of video relay services Requires immediate transfer of emergency calls to 911 operators Establishes minimum typing speed of 60 words per minute Establishes partial access to interactive response systems  Hot key for notification  Recording of message  Waiver of duplicate charges for extra calls New FCC Orders

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Relay Services February 2000 New technologies IP Relay National Outreach Access to Emergency Programming April 2000 Requires televised emergency programming to be accessible to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing May use open or closed captions, crawls, or scrolls across the screen New FCC Orders (Cont.)

Video Description – July 2000 Requires certain networks to insert audio descriptions of the key elements of a television’s program into the natural pauses of the audio portion of that program Requires broadcast stations and multichannel video programming distributors to make their emergency information accessible to viewers who are blind or have visual disabilities 711 Relay Access – July 2000 One easy, uniform relay access number nationwide will make access to relay easy, fast, and uncomplicated – will also encourage call-backs by voice users Effective October 1, 2001 New FCC Orders (Cont.)

Digital Captioning – July, 2000 Adopts technical standards for the display of closed captions on digital television receivers Viewers may control size, font, and color of captions Viewers may choose among multiple streams of captioning New FCC Orders (Cont.)

Telecommunications for the Disabled Act of 1982 Initial use of “universal service” obligation to mandate telephone access Recognition of limitations of a competitive marketplace for people with disabilities Recognition of costs to society of “lost access” Reference to “ pervasiveness of the telephone ” in “ commercial transactions ” and “ personal contacts ” (parallel to current pervasiveness of the Net and other information technologies)

Breaking Down the Barriers Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (federal employment and federally assisted programs) Telecommunications for the Disabled Act of 1982 (hearing aid compatibility, specialized customer premises equipment) Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (physical and communications access) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 (access to schools) Telecommunications Act of 1996 (access to telecommunications products and services, closed captioning and video description for television programming)

Access to Technology - Regardless of Age or Ability Jobs Information Education Entertainment Marketplace

Section 255 Telecommunications products and services must be made accessible to and usable by people with disabilities if readily achievable. If it is not readily achievable to make a product or service accessible, the product or service must be made compatible with existing peripheral devices and specialized customer premises equipment (SCPE), if readily achievable. Examples of SCPE: TTYs, artificial larynxes, augmentative communication devices.

M ust consider needs of people with disabilities in product and service design (product and service testing, market research, product trials and demonstrations) Consultation with people with disabilities is critical Review products for accessibility, usability, and compatibility at every “natural opportunity”  significant changes in product and service packages, re-designs, and upgrades  not cosmetic changes (color, model name) Section 255

Can be accomplished without much difficulty or expense Consider:  The company’s resources  The cost of the access needed  The nature of the access needed Balance the above with the resources needed to implement the needed change What is Readily Achievable?

What Services Are Affected? Telecommunications services such as local service, long distance service, wireless, and paging services “Adjunct to basic” services – caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting, etc. Interactive voice response services and voice mail when provided for a fee

What Products are Affected? Customer Premise Equipment – equipment that connects directly to the network to originate or receive a call. Includes specialized customer premises equipment that directly connects to the network. Voic and Interactive menu functions of a PBX or network equipment Voic and interactive menu service provided for a fee

What Does Accessible Mean? Can it be used by people with various disabilities? Can someone with no hearing use the product? Limited strength? Limited vision? Consider:  input, control, and mechanical functions  output, display, and control functions Example: Pager with visual and audio controls for inputting information, and a visual display and audio output for retrieving information would be accessible to individuals who are deaf and/or blind.

What Does Usable Mean? Access to product information Product instructions and user guide Functionally equivalent access to support services:  technical support hotlines and databases  call centers  service centers  access to repair services  billing services

Section 255 Notice of Inquiry Internet Protocol Telephony (IP Telephony ) Comments Sought On: Access issues – e.g., transmission of TTY tones in a packet-switched communications protocol Industry efforts to provide access Compatibility with assistive technology IP telephony usage; projected usage FCC role in guaranteeing access Computer Based Equipment (i.e., not connected to the network) Examples: Voic , phone-to-phone IP telephony, interactive menus for end users – Is this customer premises equipment (CPE) under Section 255?

Section 508 Federal Agencies must procure and use accessible electronic and information technology Computers – hardware and software Telecommunications equipment Web-based information and applications Multimedia applications: video, audio, animation, graphics, and text delivered via video and audiotape, CD- and DVD-ROM, Internet, broadcast, narrowcast, and satellite

Section 508 Access Board issued rules on Standards of accessibility of operation and information – ability to locate, identify and operate all input, control and mechanical functions Standards for compatibility with peripheral devices (adaptive technology) Standards for access to information, documentation, labeling and support

Access to the Virtual World Leveling the playing field: achieving independence and autonomy Federal policy: no access charges, taxes or fees on emerging Internet technologies Freedom from regulation brings responsibility: industry must make access part of their design practices Avoid expensive and burdensome retrofits Inclusion, not exclusion: upgrades should not remove accessible services (example: voice recognition technology – avoid a repeat of the “ talkies ” effect) Access benefits everyone – closed captioning, vibrating pagers, slower IVR recordings

How Can You Contact Us? (Disability Information) Federal Communications Commission th Street, SW Washington, D.C l Mail Address Disabilities Rights Office Website: list - DROInfo: To subscribe, send message to: Complaints, inquiries?

l To Obtain Information Via l To Obtain Information Via Telephone How Can You Contact Us? (General Information) (1-888-CALLFCC) Voice: toll-free (1-888-TELLFCC) TTY: toll-free (202) FAX (202) FAX on Demand