IT Accessibility Review
Volume 1, Number 6
IT Accessibility Legal Briefs
NAD Files Disability Discrimination Complaint for Refusing TRS Calls
In March, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) filed a disability discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice alleging discrimination by WorldWide Direct/Buydig.com for refusing to accept the call of a deaf woman using the telecommunication relay service (TRS). NAD is concerned that there is a pattern of discrimination against individuals who use the TRS through the practice of hanging up rather than waiting for the service to relay the user´s typed message.
A further concern arises for users of VRS (video relay service), when government agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, are alleged to not accept these calls, "unless it is processed through the Federal Relay Service (FRS)" to ensure the protection of confidential information.
Source:
No Time for You, Deaf Law Blog, Mar. 24, 2005.
http://www.deaflawblog.com/trends-42-no-time-for-you.html
New Voting System Guidelines to Cover Accessibility
New guidelines have been prepared for voting systems that, once finalized, will be available for states to use on a voluntary basis in complying with the Help America Vote Act.This law, which Congress passed in 2002 to prevent the types of ballot controversies that arose in the presidential election of 2000, calls for methods to improve the usability and reliability of voting systems used in Federal elections.Provisions in the law ensure that voting systems and polling places are accessible to people with disabilities, and also address ballot verification by voters, language barriers, and provisional voting.
The draft guidelines, which were unveiled at a public hearing organized by the Election Assistance Commission in Boston on April 26th, contain specific provisions for accessibility, as well as voting system usability, security, and privacy.The specifications address access to voting equipment for all types of users, including those with vision impairments.The guidelines will be reviewed by the Commission, which was established to implement the voting reforms of the act.In addition to overseeing the development of these guidelines, the Commission serves as a national resource for information on the administration of Federal elections, conducts studies on voting system improvements, and administers various grant programs funded by the law.
The law established several advisory bodies to assist the Commission in fulfilling its mission. The Access Board is represented on some of these panels, including the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, which drafted the new guidelines, and the Commission´s Board of Advisors. Through their seats on these entities, Access Board members J.R. Harding, Ed.D. and James Elekes, M.Ed, MPA/CPM helped enhance the guidelines´ coverage of accessibility.They submitted recommendations concerning the scope of the guidelines, the testing of voting system accessibility, and the process for amending the guidelines so that people with disabilities can vote in a manner that is convenient and private using systems that are reliably barrier-free.The released draft incorporates their recommendations on these and other topics.
"The Board is proud to have played a role in drafting these important guidelines which will ensure that all Americans, including those with sensory impairments, can exercise their right to vote with dignity and in privacy," noted Elekes. "The best way to make sure that the guidelines live up to this goal," according to Harding, "is to collect as much public input as possible; we look forward to the process ahead, which will do just that by inviting all interested persons to review and weigh in on the guidelines before they are made final." The Board encourages members of the public, including those with disabilities, to participate in this process to ensure the best possible voting system guidelines.
The Commission will review the guidelines and make them available for public comment in May for a period of 90 days. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is providing staff support in developing the guidelines, has posted the current draft and related materials on its website at http://vote.nist.gov. Informal feedback can be submitted to NIST by e-mail at vote@nist.gov pending the Commission´s official release and public comment period.
For further information on the Commission and the guidelines, as well as the Help America Vote Act, visit the Commission´s website at:
http://www.eac.gov.
Source:
Why the Disabilities Act Exasperates Entrepreneurs
They support the law´s aims, but find it vaguely written and hard to comply with.
To read the complete article:
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/managing/
articles/0,15114,1048529,00.html
