Applicable - capable of or suitable for being applied, appropriate. The applicability of A to B is a measure of how applicable A is to B. For example, the applicability of a specific Section 508 standard to particular eit product or service measures whether the standard is appropriate (applies) to the particular eit.
Note: all technical provisions do not apply to all eit or all acquisitions. Unfortunately it is often assumed that a product can only fall into one of the six subsections of the Access Board standards. The eit functions that are needed to accomplish the work to be performed determines which technical provisions from the standard apply.
Any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Sometimes referred to as Adaptive Technology. A device or software that substitutes for or enhances the function of some impaired ability.
defined as the ability of Assistive Technology (both soft and hard) and standard Electronic and Information Technologies (both soft and hard) from multiple vendors to exchange and use information meaningfully and without adverse system consequences, or, when possible, the need for special configuration or adaptation effort on the part of the user. All but one of the technologies identified in the six Technical Sections of the Section 508 standard include at interoperability considerations:
Self Contained, Closed Products (1194.25) describes standalone devices that by definition exclude interoperability with at . They are expected to provide all required accessibility as standalone units without the support of external assistive technology.
refers to the ability of computers to link or interface to other devices via standard ports or connectors, and provides significant capability and cost benefits. These interconnection points are standard for most desktop and portable computers. Some industry standard interfaces have remained a constant over the past several decades, while others have come and gone. Connection technologies used by assistive technology include: serial ports, parallel ports, ps 2 mouse and keyboard connectors, computer expansion slots, pcmcia interface, usb, and Wireless connections. Parallel ports, the standard for printer connection for many years, finally appear to be giving way to usb ports. Serial ports are going much the same way as parallel ports.
the result of rules that are established to allow software programs (applications) to interface with each other. These rules define how one software application requests information from another software application, and how the second software application will respond. These rules are referred to as an api, or simply an interface. If a software program writes to the interface, it should be able to communicate with other applications and the operating system using a conventional set of rules to ask for or provide information. Operating systems by their nature are intended both to provide services to applications, including assistive technology, and to keep one application from interfering with others. If applications need to share data, there is often a defined set of apis that allow the interaction. In general, the transfer of shared data is through the operating system. This keeps one application from reading and writing into areas that are reserved for others.
Until recently, assistive technology was developed without conventional apis provided by the operating systems. Assistive technology developers created ingenious ways to obtain the information required to provide users with disabilities access to computer-based information. Current operating systems and operating system environments offer a variety of conventional accessible apis and open sources to support application programs and assistive technology. These include:
Assistive technology that does not use these apis may work with some operating systems, but it is likely the result of contrived or accidental compatibility. On the other hand the existence of an accessibility api does not guarantee interoperability between assistive technology, software applications and operating systems. Problems in assistive technology and eit interoperability can exist even with current apis. There are many causes for these problems, including (but not limited to):
the result of how Web pages are designed. The Section 508 technical provisions are essentially design rules intended to produce pages that provide a usable interface with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, Braille readers, and alternate input devices. Assistive technology products interact with Web-based applications in a variety of manners. Typically, the method used to permit interaction between the assistive technology product and the web-based application depends on the operating system and language in which the Web-based application is written. These include:
the result of the successful delivery and availability of tty services. Domestic ttys are Baudot-based devices used to communicate by people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired over networks designed to carry voice. In other words if a device can transmit and receive voice over a telecommunications network, then it should be able to support the hookup and successful interoperation of tty assistive technology. In the longer term it is hoped that accessible digital cell phone handsets will be widely available, and that interference with hearing aids will continue to be reduced. The 508 standard was written broadly to ensure that it would apply to evolving technologies, including digital telephones and television, voice or video over ip, and videoconferencing systems. This also ensures that it will apply during the evolution of non-proprietary assistive technology, such as tty, audio description, and closed captions.
results from accessible alternative representations that are decoded and presented correctly in video and multimedia presentations. This applies to both legacy analog type systems and newer digital systems. For traditional analog systems audible content is translated in to text and converted into closed captioning that is encoded on scan line 21 of the video frame of ntsc broadcast signals. Audio description of important video content is provided through the sap channel within a standard analog video broadcast signal. Newer digital technology allows more delivery mechanisms. Digital technology can play video and multimedia content locally on a pc, but it can also be implemented across an intranet or the Internet.
Tones are those used by touch-tone phones for tone dialing.
a data terminal used for two-way text conversation over a telephone line that sends and receive tones converted to text using ansi/tia/eia 825 and Baudot.
A circuit board that enables a computer to receive television broadcasts.
An independent federal agency that develops and maintains accessibility requirements, provides technical assistance and training on the standards, and enforces accessibility standards for federally funded facilities. The official name is the "Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board."
Official document of policies and procedures for acquisition that is used by all executive agencies. The far was established to codify uniform policies for acquisition of supplies and services by executive agencies. Statutory authorities to issue and revise the far have been delegated to the Procurement Executives in dod, gsa, and Nnasa.
manages and oversees the maintenance of the far (established in 1990).
Significant difficulty or expense. A possible exception to the Section 508 requirements.
From the Final FAR Rule For Implementing Section 508 of the Rehab Act Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities:
The Access Board discussed undue burden in its final rule preamble (at 65 FR 80506 of the Federal Register). Substantial case law exists on this term, which comes from disability law. The Access Board chose not to disturb the existing understanding of the term by trying to define it. The FAR Council agrees with this approach. Agencies are required by statute to document the basis for an undue burden. Requiring officials should be aware that when there is an undue burden, the statute requires an alternative means of access to be provided to individuals with disabilities.
The concept or philosophy for designing and delivering products and services that are usable by people with the widest possible range of functional capabilities. This includes products and services that are directly usable (without requiring assistive technologies) and those that are made compatible with assistive technologies.
1990 civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in the private and public sectors.
An audible description of the visual content of a presentation, synchronized with the existing soundtrack. Same as video description.
Electronic sound necessary for the comprehension of the content of a video or multimedia production.
In the context of the requirement of 1194.25(e), auditory output is voice output.
il4y is the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together (inter-operate); often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or in a broad alternative sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to system performance.
il4y is a property of a product or system, whose interfaces are completely understood, to work with other products or systems, present or future, without any restricted access or implementation.
is the abillity of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged.
is being able to accomplish end-user applications using different types of computer systems, operating systems, and application software, interconnected by different types of local and wide area networks.