New access rules mean changes for government Web sites

WASHINGTON (June 18, 2001 12:12 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Like
thousands of blind computer users, Curtis Chong uses special software that
reads text aloud. But many government Web sites give him problems.

Forms often do not work properly with the software. Flashy animations mean
nothing to the reading software.

"I basically have to run my browser with pictures turned off, which
frustrates a lot of people, but I don't care," Chong said.

That situation is supposed to change Thursday, when rules for accessibility
become mandatory throughout the federal government.

New information kiosks at national parks must have an alternate method of
providing information - such as audio prompts - in addition to a touch
screen. Photocopiers in federal buildings will need indentations so people
in wheelchairs can get close enough to operate them.

Sites that use graphics for navigation will need to have text that
describes those graphics. While such text labels are a standard part of Web
language, they are frequently omitted by designers.

Some technology is exempt, including old Web pages or national security
devices.

The regulations, which apply to government purchases after Thursday, are
designed to help the disabled inside and outside government.

Chong, director of technology at the National Federation of the Blind in
Baltimore, said he hears many complaints from blind federal workers about
e-mails sent as images. Nonstandard customer service and programming tools
are also mentioned frequently. Such tools are frequently incompatible with
screen readers.

Chong said one disabled worker alone rarely is able to convince an agency
of the need for a change. "If you're the only blind person in a federal
agency, you get sort of squashed," he said.

The regulations, which will cost the government up to $590 million,
according to planners, have caused some confusion as the deadline nears,
demanding a huge time commitment from each agency.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is further ahead than other agencies,
and has sent its staff to advise them.

Ernesto Castro, the department's director of technology integration, said
there are about 15,500 disabled veterans working for the agency, and many
of those served by the agency are disabled. As a result, he said, the
agency has thought about accessibility for a long time.

"We've got our house pretty much in order," Castro said, "but our concern
is the vendor community's readiness. We are purchasers of these products
and services. We don't make them."

Larry Allen, executive director for the Coalition for Government
Procurement, a trade organization for vendors, said the regulations are too
vague.

"The agencies are rightly concerned that if they buy something that is
considered compliant today, they may be held up to some sort of litigation
tomorrow if the technology changes," Allen said.

"The contractors are scared to death about having to certify that they're
in compliance with a standard that no one can tell you exactly what it is."

One vendor, Adobe Systems, is busy changing how people make and access its
PDF files, which have become the government standard for online documents.
It is providing the extra programs and introducing new functions for free.

"We're certainly trying to protect those government customers who have made
a significant investment in PDF," Adobe's Greg Pisocki said. "It's never
been our attempt to put people over a barrel with this regulation."

Watchfire, a small technology company, is selling software to government
agencies that adds descriptive text to Web images. Software screen readers
for the blind cannot read images, so the text describes the picture. While
the text is, again, a Web standard, it is rarely used.

"We talk to both government agencies and private sector people who have
been building these Web pages for years and have no idea how big they are,"
said Watchfire's David Grant. "Most people I talk to really have no idea
what kind of project they have ahead of them."

Patrick Sheehan, a computer specialist at Veterans Affairs who has limited
vision, said he is excited by the regulations.

"This is an opportunity we've been looking for for 10 years. All of a
sudden, we have an opportunity to work with the vendor community to make it
happen," Sheehan said. "One thing I can say being from the disability
community, we are not shy."


By D. IAN HOPPER, Associated Press Copyright 2001 Nando Media
http://nandotimes.com/healthscience/v-text/story/28778p-496608c.html

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