State Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives: A NATIONAL AND STATE PERSPECTIVE

1. State Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives:A NATIONAL AND STATE PERSPECTIVE Second Annual Web Cast October 22, 2002

2. 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: Information Training Technical Assistance Industry Trainers State officials Consumers To… National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research #H133A000405

3. State Information Technology Initiatives:A National and State Perspective MODERATOR: Michael Morris Chair, ITTATC State IT Initiatives Workgroup Law, Health Policy & Disability Center University of Iowa College of Law mmorris@ncbdc.org  (202) 521-2930

4. Purpose of the Web Cast The purpose of the Web Cast is to provide information from selected state stakeholders on current experiences with electronic and information technology (E&IT) accessibility challenges related to Web Sites, Application Development, Procurement, and Places of Public Access.

5. Targeted Audience STATE-LEVEL • Policymakers • Assistive Technology Projects • Offices of the Chief Information Officer • Procurement Officials • Persons with Disabilities

6. Panelists 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.

7. Featuring 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

8. ITTATC State IT Initiatives Workgroup PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

9. The Overall Goal of the State IT Initiatives Workgroup is to: Improve electronic and information technology accessibility at a state level: • online • in places where employees of state government work • in places of public access

10. Objectives • 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

11. To Meet These Objectives The Workgroup, with collaborating state stakeholders: • develops information materials targeted to the knowledge utilization needs of targeted state stakeholder audiences

12. To Meet These Objectives The Workgroup, with collaborating state stakeholders: • develops and maintains an online database that provides current information on IT accessibility initiatives with links to state specific policies and guidelines

13. 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 .

14. National Assessment of State IT Access Initiatives • 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.

15. Barriers to Achieving IT Accessibility FINDINGS

16. FINDINGS • Growing interest and level of activity. • State E&IT accessibility policies and practices are changing.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. MAJOR BARRIERS TO PROGRESS • Both groups--AT Projects and CIO Offices--cited Lack of Training as amost significant barrier in the core areas: Application Development, Procurement, and Places of Public Access.

22. 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.

23. CONCLUSION

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. FOR MOREINFORMATION

28. Visit the ITTATC Web Sitehttp://www.ittatc.org

29. QUESTIONS 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: troy@tvworldwide.com