IT Accessibility Review

Volume 1, Number 7

TecAccess in the News

TecAccess President Wins Small Business Person of the Year and Region III Minority Small Business Person of the Year

TecAccess, a worldwide leader in Section 508 compliance, and electronic and information technology (E&IT) accessibility solutions, has seen a flurry of award nominations-- and WINS-- throughout the months of August and September 2005.

Debra Ruh, president and founder of TecAccess, was bestowed with the Small Business Person of the Year for 2005 distinction, as well as the Region III Minority Small Business Person of the Year.

In addition, the regional award makes Debra Ruh eligible for the Small Business Administration (SBA) National Minority Small Business Person of the Year Award, which will be announced later this month. This national award is selected from among 10 regional winners. This year, these regional winners are representing Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Texas, Missouri, Colorado, California, and Washington.

"TecAccess, whose mission is making the world more accessible for people with disabilities and employing people with disabilities, is a leading accessibility consulting firm. Ms. Ruh believes in the abilities of the firm´s associates and understands that millions of people with disabilities want and need access to today´s online technologies," announced Ronald E. Bew, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration´s Richmond District Office.

The regional award was presented to Debra Ruh during SBA´s National Minority Enterprise Development Week (MED Week), which was held September 11 through September 14, 2005.MED Week, by presidential proclamation since 1983, recognizes contributions minority businesses make to the nation´s economy. In a proclamation this year, President George W. Bush urged all Americans to join together in honoring minority entrepreneurs across the country in appropriate observances.Hosted by the Minority Business Department Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, MED Week offered TecAccess the opportunity to participate in a networking reception with George Frazer, a Business Leader Summit, and business workshops.

The highly prestigious award comes after two other honors that TecAccess has received thus far this year. In June, the booming Virginia-based company received the 2005 Lighthouse International Career Award for being a recognized leader in employing persons with disabilities. Additionally, TecAccess was nominated for Washington Technology´s "Fast 50" list, highlighting the fastest growing small businesses in the government IT market.

TecAccess Selected as a Presenter for IDEAS Conference

TecAccess, a world leader in Section 508 compliance and E&IT accessibility solutions, is honored to be selected as a presenter for the fourth consecutive year at the Interagency Disability Educational Awareness Showcase (IDEAS). The conference will be held September 28 - 29, 2005 , at the New Washington Convention Center. Debra Ruh, President and Founder of TecAccess, will present a workshop, titled "E&IT/Web Accessibility Testing Tools and Methodologies," on Wednesday, September 28 from 2:45 to 3:45.

The presentation will focus on different testing approaches to determine Section 508 compliance for websites and E&IT applications. During the session, Mrs. Ruh and expert panelists will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using automated accessibility testing tools. The presentation will also examine when skilled persons with disabilities should be employed to test E&IT products manually. Additionally, Mrs. Ruh will describe the pros and cons of employing human testers to determine compliance. She will further provide examples of Best Practices in compliance testing.

TecAccess Airs on Global Talk Radio

TecAccess was recently honored with an invitation to join prominent talk show host Monica Moshenko to discuss "Disability News & Views" before a live national audience.

The leading live radio talk show on disabilities aired Sunday, July 10, on WXRL Radio 1300AM. The Buffalo-based program reached thousands of listeners from around the nation and Canada. The radio show is also available online to an international audience at www.disabilitynewsradio.com and in syndication on the Global Talk Radio network at www.globaltalkradio.com, where the radio program can be accessed on-demand 24 hours a day.

Mrs. Debra Ruh, Founder and President of TecAccess, was the featured guest for the evening along with W. Roy Grizzard, Ed.D, the Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy at the U. S. Dept. of Labor. Ruh, honored to be a part of such a monumental radio production, discussed the rise to fame for her Section 508 compliance, and E&IT accessibility consulting company. She delivered an inspiring story to a national audience and shared the value in making technology accessible to all individuals.

The "Disability News and Views" radio show is a subsidiary of Power Advocates, and was founded by Monica Moshenko. If you did not hear the show "live," then you may contact your local talk radio stations and ask for the show to be syndicated, or access the show online at http://disabilitynewsradio.com

TecAccess Nominated For Yet another Prestigious Award

TecAccess is privileged to receive a record number of award nominations in 2005 for monumental strides made in Section 508 and web accessibility.

Recently being honored with the Lighthouse International Award and an impressive four nominations for the Secretary of Labor´s Freedom Initiative Award , the growing accessibility-consulting firm has received yet another distinction with a nomination to the Washington Technology´s "Fast 50" list.

Washington Technology honors the fifty fastest growing small businesses in the government IT market with its Fast 50 program. To qualify for the list, a company must be considered a small business and must have had a minimum of $100,000 in its first year of existence.

Known for featuring unique technologies and expertise, Fast 50 recipients represent only the best in forensics, consulting, information technology services, and engineers. The Fast 50 nomination places TecAccess among impressive ranks, once again demonstrating the growing necessity for accessible design of today´s cutting-edge technology.

Spicer & Associates, a disability awareness organization, nominated TecAccess for the award, citing not only the growth in revenue, but also the superior mission of TecAccess to hire persons with disabilities as expert consultants in the field of accessible design.

Traveling the globe in recent months, Debra Ruh, founder and president of TecAccess, views the recent flurry of nominations and international distinctions as a positive sign that government agencies and major private entities are recognizing the value of a more diverse customer base by designing technology that is accessible by individuals of all ability levels.

Now in its 18th year, the Washington Technology Fast 50 list will be part of a special issue on small business that will be published on September 26. It will include the Fast 50 and Top 25 8(a) companies of 2005.

TecAccess Sponsors Learning 2005

TecAccess, a worldwide leader in Section 508 compliance and electronic and information technology (E&IT) accessibility solutions, has announced that it will sponsorLearning 2005, an international technology springboard for leading experts in business, educational, and governmental arenas. Learning 2005 will begin on Sunday evening, October 30 th, and run through November 2nd at Disney´s Coronado Springs Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to TecAccess´ sponsorship of the conference, Debra Ruh, Founder and President of TecAccess, has been offered the prestigious honor of teaching a workshop pertaining to web accessibility. As an opportunity to further promote the topic of Section 508 compliance and E&IT accessibility solutions, Debra Ruh ´s workshop will focus on the benefits of compliance for all public and private entities. TecAccess´ participation in special sessions, action labs, and "events within an event," will serve to demonstrate the company´s commitment to improve web accessibility.

TecAccess will be counted among other proud sponsoring organizations and corporations participating in this year´s event including Microsoft, Macromedia, IBM, HP, Pfizer Inc., Xerox Corp., and Philip Morris USA.

To make this a very unique and effective event, Learning 2005 will utilize the talents of TecAccess and other impressive corporations to develop a highly interactive design model with over 50 "Learning Communities." Discussions with renowned leaders such as Malcolm Gladwell, John Abele, Wayne Hodgins, Frances Hesselbein, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Johnson, Marshall Goldsmith, Beth Thomas, and others will be another highlight of the conference.

A Sample of Learning 2005 Activities will include:

x-Learn LAB is a non-commercial lab filled with current and future learning technology and methodologies, from simulation to gaming to new talent tracking systems.

The New Classroom is a special interest group and space which explores how classroom training and learning can evolve.The class will also examine the powerful role that trainers in a classroom will play in the future of learning.

e-Learning World 2005 continues Elliott Masie´s leadership in the field of learning and technology through sessions, keynotes, and demonstrations.Learning Decisions is a series of meetings and dialogues on learning strategy aimed at key learning executives, business leaders, and chief learning officers.

IT & Systems Learning will focus on the large amount of training and education that is provided by organizations for IT Professionals, ERP applications, and end users.The class will look at both classroom and on-line learning.

Learning 2005 Social Networking Systems:So many people come to an event and never find the few new colleague "jewels" with similar problems, key solutions or the ability to add practical perspectives.At Learning 2005 , participants will have access to Social Networking systems to find colleagues for authentic conversations and formal or informal dialogues.

For more information on attending this event, please visit:
www.Learning2005.com

Earning Bragging Rights, TecAccess Snags some of the Industry´s Best as Part of Growing Team

TecAccess is privileged to once again announce the growth of its interdisciplinary team of professionals. Focusing on the continued creation of an accessibility firm that values each employee´s unique characteristics, TecAccess is committed to expanding the organization to include the most talented and creative employees dedicated to tackling Section 508 and accessible design on a daily basis.

Joining our growing pool of talent is Deborah D. Kochubka, appointed as the new Vice President of Client Relations, and P.J. Gardner, a senior information architect and web accessibility expert.

Deborah D. Kochubka, of Waldorf, Maryland , has over 25 years of professional experience providing program management, acquisition, and training support to the Federal Government. Prior to her TecAccess position, Ms. Kochubka served as the program manager on a contract providing support to the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI), as a corporate principal at SRA International, Kochubka is a proven leader who is known for her exceptional talents in business development, client relations, organizational staffing, and project execution. Ms. Kochubka also provided program management support to the District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency to develop and implement an emergency preparedness curriculum and training program for various city government agencies, community groups, business consortiums, schools, and area universities.

Kochubka´s expertise doesn´t stop there as shown by her success as an Assistant Executive Director of ManTech Solutions & Technologies Corporation. As an Assistant Executive Director, Ms. Kochubka was responsible for business development and program execution activities for the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) Umbrella Training contract, DoD Health Affairs, the U.S. Navy, and the Department of Defense. In addition, as Program Manager, she provided acquisition and program management support to the Naval Space and Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) submarine and satellite communications programs office.

P.J. Gardner, routinely touted for her user friendly and accessible websites, is also widely respected for her expertise with intranets and for her ability to evaluate websites for compliance with W3C content accessibility guidelines and Section 508 accessibility standards. She is the founder of Gardner Information Design, Inc. (www.GIDI.biz), in Arlington, MA . As the founder of Boston-IA (www.Boston-IA.org), a networking organization integrating information architecture and internet accessibility, Gardner is adept at training others in Internet technologies, software applications, and web accessibility methodologies.

Gardner has earned respect among her peers and professional organizations such as Society for Technical Communication (STC), International Webmasters Association, and STC AccessAbility SIG. In addition, Gardner boasts a Master of Arts in English with a permanent teaching certification from State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Graduate certificate in Accessible Web Design from the School of Professional and Continuing Studies at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

The additions of Deborah Kochubka, and P.J. Gardner to our highly talented team amplifies TecAccess´ commitment to hiring only the best representatives in the arena of Section 508 compliance, and electronic and information technology.

Search