Refreshing the Federal Accessibility Standards—2007
Date and time:
September 5, 2007 (Wednesday) Pre-registration is required to attend this event.
6:00-7:00 p.m. A light dinner will be provided at the event location.
7:00-9:00 p.m. Program (**If you do not attend dinner, please arrive promptly at 7 as we must sign everyone in and escort them up to the presentation room.)
Location:
SRA International, Inc.
3434 Washington Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
202.282.3080
Description: On December 21, 2000, the Access Board published the Electronic and Information Technology Standards,
known by most as Section 508. The standards, which became effective June 21, 2001, apply to federal agencies
when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology.
When the standards first came out, they seemed fairly extensive. Yet in the 6 years since, the technology
landscape has changed dramatically. Mobile phones now receive e-mail, robust applications are now delivered
via Web, and voice over IP has popped up. With devices and technologies continuing to converge, the Access
Board has called together 41 representatives from across federal agencies, advocacy groups, academia, and
industry to evaluate the original standards. This Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology
Advisory Committee (TEITAC, pronounced tie-tack!) convened in September 2006 and has been working diligently since
then to draft new standards that address both Section 508 as well as Section 255, the telecommunications standards.
Come learn more about what's happening with TEITAC, the Section 508 refresh, what lies ahead, and how you can get involved!
Biographies:
Jim Tobias has 30 years experience in accessible and usable technology in both the public and private sectors.
He began his career at Berkeley's Center for Independent Living, was a Member of Technical Staff at Bell Labs and
Bellcore, and their principal liaison with the Baby Bells on accessibility, aging, and education. He is now President
of Inclusive Technologies, a technology and marketing consulting firm for large information and communication technology
companies. Clients have included AOL, Cisco Systems, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Panasonic, Verizon, and Xerox.
Jim has served on several FCC and Access Board Advisory Committees, and co-Chaired the Alliance for Telecom Industry
Solutions's Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Accessibility Forum.
His favorite projects are an innovative deaf relay service with integrated speech technologies, network-based talking
PIMs, a database-driven customized interface for voice mail and IVR accessibility, a media-rich online training system
on accessibility, and "AT Boogie", an award-winning music video about assistive technology.
Michael Paciello is Founder and President of The Paciello Group, LLC., A software accessibility consultancy. For more than 20 years,
Mike has served as an international leader, technologist and lecturer in the areas of assistive technology, usability, and
accessible interface design.
In 1997, Mike received recognition from President William Clinton for his work in the creation of World Wide Web Consortium's
(W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Mike is author of the first book on web accessibility and usability, "Web Accessibility for
People with Disabilities" and is chiefly responsible for founding the International Committee for Accessible Document Design (ICADD)
and W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
In 2006, Mike and Jim were appointed co-chairs of the Federal Access Board's Telecommunications and Electronic and Information
Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC).
Whitney Quesenbery is a user researcher, user experience practitioner,
and usability expert with a passion for clear communication. She helps
companies from The Open University to the National Cancer Institute
develop usable web sites and applications. A past-president of UPA, she
represents UPA on TEITAC, and serves on an advisory committee to the
Election Assistance commission. Her most recent publication is a
Chapter on storytelling and narrative in a new book on personas, The
Personas Lifecycle. She's also proud that her chapter Dimensions of
Usability" in Content and Complexity turns up on so many course reading
lists. You can find her on line at www.wqusability.com.
Registration:
Registration has closed. No walk-ins can be accepted due to building security.
Directions to the Program: Driving
From Points West (Fairfax, Reston, Tyson's Corner):
Get on I-66 East towards Washington. Take exit 71
(Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive). Off the exit ramp, at
the second traffic light, take a left on to North
Glebe Road. At the second traffic light, take a right
on to Washington Boulevard. Stay on Washington
Boulevard for approximately .8 miles. The SRA
building is just past the Giant Food store on the
right (it is a white building marked “3434”). Just
past the building, turn right into the small alley for
the entrance to the parking garage. Once in the
garage, take the elevator to the "P" level and check
in with the receptionist in the lobby.
From Maryland:
Take I-495 South over the American Legion Bridge into
Virginia. Take exit 45B (I-66 East – Washington).
Stay on I-66 East for 6 miles, then take exit 71
(Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive). Off the exit ramp, at
the second traffic light, take a left on to North
Glebe Road. At the second traffic light, take a right
on to Washington Boulevard. Stay on Washington
Boulevard for approximately .8 miles. The SRA
building is just past the Giant Food store on the
right (it is a white building marked “3434”). Just
past the building, turn right into the small alley for
the entrance to the parking garage. Once in the
garage, take the elevator to the "P" level and check
in with the receptionist in the lobby.
From Points South:
Take I-395 North towards Washington. Merge on to
Washington Boulevard via exit 8A toward Virginia route
244 (Columbia Pike). Stay on Washington Boulevard for
2.8 miles, then take a slight left on to 13th Street.
Bear right on to Washington Boulevard. The SRA
building is located at 3434 Washington Boulevard.
Facing the building, the parking garage is accessible
via an alley on the left-hand side of the building.
Once in the garage, take the elevator to the "P" level
and check in with the receptionist in the lobby.
From Washington, D.C.:
Follow Constitution Avenue or the E Street Expressway
to I-66 West. Bear right on to I-66 West. Take US-50
West to Arlington Boulevard. Bear right on to VA-237
West for approximately 1.5 miles, and bear a slight
right on to Washington Boulevard. Travel for 0.2
miles. The SRA building is on the left, located at
3434 Washington Boulevard. Facing the building, the
parking garage is accessible via an alley on the
left-hand side of the building. Once in the garage,
take the elevator to the "P" level and check in with
the receptionist in the lobby.
*66 West inside I-495 (Capital Beltway) is restricted
to high occupancy vehicle 2 passengers Monday –
Friday, during evening rush hour, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30
p.m.
Taking the Metro
Take the Orange Line to the Virginia Square metro
stop. Exit the Virginia Square station by going up
the escalator. Make a 180-degree turn and walk down
Monroe Street for approximately two blocks. Turn
right onto Washington Boulevard, or walk through the
Giant Food parking lot. The SRA building is the white
building at 3434 Washington Boulevard; it appears to
be behind Giant Food when walking down Washington
Boulevard.
