U.S. Access Board Hearing on the Future of Accessibility

Posted by: Z Sarah McHattie, Online Marketing & Accessibility Analyst May 27, 2010 0 Comments

At Rock Creek, we consider accessibility and usability when we design websites and interactive media. Projects that we prepare for government agencies undergo extensive testing to ensure Section 508 compliance.

One challenge is that technology has outpaced the standards set into place by Section 508 of the amended Rehabilitation Act. This is particularly clear when developing interactive elements—whether for the web or for mobile devices like the iPhone or iPad—and has not been overlooked by the United States Access Board.

In March, the United States Access Board released proposed changes to the guidelines for public comment. Last week, the Board held a public hearing for comment on the Draft Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelines, and I attended to get a better sense of what changes are being made and what the reactions were.

More than 20 people provided testimony. Some were members of the public discussing the benefits of revision or offering points for the board to consider. Others were there from the travel and tourism industry to discuss the impact of the new guidelines on self-service kiosks. Still others were focused on the innovations within technology itself.

While some members of the audience voiced concerns, the majority of those who spoke were fully supportive of the changes. Most praised the fact that the proposed standards and guidelines were forward-thinking. Many asserted the importance of ensuring that both technical and functional standards apply—focusing on concerns that secondary technology vendors have not kept pace, citing YouTube’s streaming video issues for individuals with disabilities. Embedding videos from YouTube is common—even on government websites—and it will be interesting to see how these proposed changes may impact the use of video content as time goes on.

In general, however, the proposed changes are positive for the web development community. The comments that offered the most glowing praise for the proposed standards and guidelines all related to bringing standards in the U.S. into harmony with international standards. By developing standards that are in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, most commenters believed that the web development community would not only provide more accessible, usable websites but also authoring tools, templates, and standards for evaluating and updating websites.

Even though proposed changes to Section 508 and accessibility guidelines will not be taking effect for a while—commenting on the proposed changes will remain open through June 21st, 2010—if you are thinking about developing a new website or refreshing your current site, accessibility and usability are worth keeping in mind. Everyone can benefit from providing websites that are easy to navigate, easy to read and understand, compatible with current technologies (including mobile devices), and available to all potential audiences. If your focus is on creating an accessible, usable website, Rock Creek Strategic Marketing will be here to help.

Z Sarah McHattie

Online Marketing & Accessibility Analyst

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