Accessible Technology in the Workplace
Roundtable Dialogue on the
Future of Accessible Workplace Technology
June 22, 2010
Marriott Renaissance Hotel
Washington, DC
This paper was funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, US Department of Labor under a
contract to Economic Systems Inc. The document was developed by Economic Systems Inc. and Bender
Consulting Services Inc. The opinions contained in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent those of the Department of Labor or any other agency or department of the federal government.
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Contents
About the Roundtable on the Future of Accessible Workplace Technology ................................................ 3
About the Collaborative on Accessible Workplace Technologies................................................................. 3
Purpose ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Welcoming Remarks ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary, Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy ...... 5
Cheryl Sensenbrenner, Immediate Past-chair, American Association of People with Disabilities ........... 5
Tony Coelho, Former Congressman, California. Author, Americans with Disabilities Act ....................... 6
Highlights of the Roundtable Dialogue ......................................................................................................... 7
Factors Affecting the Accessible Workplace ............................................................................................. 7
Introductory Speaker: Frances West, Worldwide Director, IBM .......................................................... 7
Participant Comments .......................................................................................................................... 8
Integration of Accessibility: The Workplace of the Future ....................................................................... 9
Introductory Speaker: Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer, Microsoft ........................................... 9
Participant Comment .......................................................................................................................... 10
Strategic Federal Disability and Technology Initiatives .......................................................................... 11
Introductory Speaker: David Capozzi, Executive Director, U.S. Access Board .................................... 11
Participant Comments ........................................................................................................................ 12
Agile and Portable Technology Access and Programs ............................................................................ 13
Introductory Speaker: Gregg Vanderheiden, Director, Trace R&D Center, University of Wisconsin at
Madison .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Participant Comments ........................................................................................................................ 14
Collaboration, Partnership, and Workplace Transformation: Next Steps .................................................. 15
Introductory Speaker: Dan Weirch, VP, GW Micro................................................................................. 15
Action Items ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Action Items for the Business Community.................................................................................................. 16
Action Items for the Federal Government .................................................................................................. 17
Action Items for Federally Funded Programs Related to Accessibility ....................................................... 18
Appendix A: Roundtable Participant List .................................................................................................... 19
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About the Roundtable on the Future of Accessible Workplace Technology
The Roundtable Dialogue on the Future of Accessible Workplace Technology was organized by the
Collaborative on Accessible Workplace Technologies to facilitate an information exchange among
thought leaders, identify challenges and barriers to providing accessible workplace technology, align
the Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) efforts with other national
and global initiatives, and provide ODEP with strategies and recommendations to impact the
accessibility of the future workplace.
ODEP provides national leadership on disability employment policy by developing and influencing
the use of evidence-based disability employment policies and practices, building collaborative
partnerships, and delivering authoritative and credible data on employment of people with
disabilities.
The Roundtable Dialogue on the Future of Accessible Workplace Technology provided a forum for
discussion of strategies and practices required to elevate the accessible workplace technology
agenda. Experts from businesses, academia, government agencies, and non-governmental
organizations that support people with disabilities discussed issues and suggested action items to
advance the accessible workplace technology agenda.
About the Collaborative on Accessible Workplace Technologies
The Collaborative on Accessible Workplace Technologies, an ODEP-funded project, is focused on
increasing employment of people with disabilities through technical assistance and the
development of policies to support the accessible workplace technology agenda. The Collaborative
is led by Economic Systems Inc., with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and IDEAL Group as
contributing members.
Over the last two years, the Collaborative has provided training to businesses in the area of
increasing employment of people with disabilities through the implementation of effective industry
practices. In addition, the Collaborative has developed a series of case studies, including topics such
as continuous improvement and accountability mechanisms, developing strategic partnerships, and
adopting accessible technology procurement policies.
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Purpose
Today’s technology brings unprecedented opportunity for businesses and workers with and without
disabilities. Powerful computers and communications networks have helped create flexible,
collaborative, fast-paced workplaces capable of adapting to new markets and labor dynamics.
Often, however, companies built these technologies without regard to the needs of workers with
disabilities. Adjusting to new technologies is a challenge that all workers face, and for workers with
disabilities, it is compounded by the numerous barriers to accessibility they encounter on a daily
basis. For example, the Internet is becoming an increasingly visual medium, creating difficulties for
those with sensory disabilities. Computer hardware, meanwhile, continues to require levels of fine
motor skills that individuals with limited mobility or dexterity may not have. The workplace is
becoming far more technologically complex, as new software, networks, and applications are
accessed from a growing variety of devices, such as computers and mobile devices, requiring
workers to constantly adapt to changing technological standards.
Fortunately, innovations in technology represent solutions to the workplace barriers encountered
by people with disabilities. E-mail has enabled people with disabilities related to speaking or
hearing to be able to communicate effectively and easily, and speech-recognition software has
addressed the needs of individuals who have difficulty typing on a keyboard. Frequently, even those
without disabilities use these solutions, as when those who are not deaf or hard of hearing use
closed captioning services to improve their comprehension of a video. Many businesses currently
implement these technologies in a piecemeal, ‘add-on’ fashion, adopting individual solutions or
accommodations for individual workers as needed. A more comprehensive solution requires a
broad view of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure at the enterprise
level, making accessibility requirements not an after-thought or add-on, but an integral design point
from the beginning of the process. For the past quarter-century, the accessibility community has
advocated for this sort of comprehensive, enterprise-level approach.
The purpose of the Roundtable Dialogue on the Future of Accessible Workplace Technology was to
invite thought leaders from government, private industry, academia, and non-governmental
organizations to participate in a dialogue to determine how government can leverage public/private
partnerships to ensure the accessibility, interoperability, and usability of workplace technologies for
people with disabilities. The Roundtable Dialogue focused on issue areas including: factors affecting
the accessible workplace, integration of accessibility for the future, strategic federal initiatives, agile
and portable technology access, and next steps supporting workplace transformation.
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Welcoming Remarks
Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary, Department of Labor, Office of Disability
Employment Policy
I want to extend a sincere thank you to all of you for taking time out of your busy week to
participate in this important roundtable discussion. Additionally, I would like to thank Tony Coelho
and Cheryl Sensenbrenner for chairing this event with me.
For those of you whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Kathy Martinez. I am the
Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the Department of
Labor.
Today’s dialogue brings together thought leaders from government, private industry, academia, and
non-governmental organizations to discuss the future of accessible workplace technology and how
government can leverage public/private partnerships to ensure the accessibility of workplace
technologies.
Our dialogue will focus on creating access, exploring federal initiatives, aligning supportive services,
and building partnerships.
We hope to facilitate an information exchange among the assembled group, identify challenges and
barriers to providing accessible workplace technology, align ODEP’s efforts with other national and
global initiatives, and come away with strategies and recommendations for ODEP to advance the
employment of people with disabilities.
Cheryl Sensenbrenner, Immediate Past-chair, American Association of People
with Disabilities
I'm the immediate past chair and still serve on the executive committee of the American
Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). We are the largest cross-disability organization and
take an active role in increasing employment and empowerment of people with disabilities. Many
people with disabilities do not have the ability to access some locations, see the right doctors or get
their “foot in the door” to land that first job. Being involved with the community of people with
disabilities has given me a whole new life and is going to keep me going for years down the road.
As I work with AAPD, my personal passion is working with the interns. They are the future, and
that's why we're here today: The future... what we can do to make a better future for people with
disabilities? I am committed to the issue of accessible workplace technology and supporting
increased employment of Americans with disabilities.
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Tony Coelho, Former Congressman, California. Author, Americans with
Disabilities Act
The issues we will be discussing today are precisely the sorts of issues about which ODEP should be
promoting: dialogue, particularly between the public and private sectors. I applaud the assistant
secretary’s efforts and wholeheartedly support the work she, Secretary Solis, and President Obama
are doing on behalf of American workers with disabilities.
I come to you today as someone who has had the honor of being involved in the writing and
sponsorship of the ADA in Congress and seeing the Act’s signing and regulatory implementation, its
weakening by various Supreme Court decisions, its strengthening by the ADA Amendments Act, and
its enforcement by the Obama Administration.
The Administration and the Department of Justice have clearly realized that access to the Internet
and emerging technologies is not simply a technical matter, but a fundamental issue of civil rights.
When Congress enacted the ADA, the Internet, as we know it today, did not exist. For that reason,
although the ADA guarantees the protection of the rights of individuals with disabilities in a broad
array of activities, it does not expressly mention the Internet or contain requirements regarding
emerging technologies.
But now things are different. We live in a technologically-advanced society, dominated by the
Internet, social media, smart phones, Second Life, and YouTube, just to name a few. And then, of
course, there are the millions of web sites where you can learn about a particular company, pay a
bill, get driving directions, get restaurant reviews, and last, but not least, apply for a job.
For people with disabilities looking for work in an already tough economy, having the ability to
apply for a job with the same ease and convenience as every other job seeker is absolutely
essential. For people with disabilities in the workforce, being able to use the technologies their jobs
require is critical to their ability to work successfully. Relevant here is something that Tom Perez,
Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, said
recently, “Companies that do not consider accessibility in their web site or product development
will come to regret that decision, because we intend to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that
people with disabilities have equal access to technology and the worlds that technology opens up.”
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Highlights of the Roundtable Dialogue
Factors Affecting the Accessible Workplace
People with disabilities require access to workplace technology to be successful on the job.
Accessibility of workplace technology is affected by multiple factors, including global, business, and
economic trends. Additionally, to ensure an accessible workplace, organizations need to make a
commitment to a holistic approach to transform workplace technology.
The purpose of this session was to set the stage for the Roundtable’s remaining sessions by
discussing accessible workplace environments, including information and communications
technology standards, governance, and collaboration to support the employment of people with
disabilities.
Introductory Speaker: Frances West, Worldwide Director, IBM
At IBM, we've been looking at the problem of accessibility of workplace technology with our
consultants for a few years, and we've narrowed it down to four trends that are happening now, all
of which are making this issue very challenging. First, the economy itself is moving very, very fast.
The nature of the economy has changed, and therefore, it creates different kinds of jobs. Second,
there is a tremendous globalization factor. Third, rapid digitization and the pace of change on the
Internet is a factor. Finally, there is a convergence of the physical environment and the virtual
environment.
We believe organizations should focus on four key areas in order to proactively transform
workplace information and communications technology (ICT). Those areas represent the following:
ICT accessibility standards, policy, governance, and tools; employee accommodation systems and
assistive technologies; human resources and employee development technologies; and core
workplace applications and collaboration technologies.
Focusing on these areas requires cross-functional coordination between organizational divisions
within private and public sector employers, from information technology to human resources to
supply management. Key will be to foster research collaboration between academic institutions and
the private sector to create innovative accessibility products and services for the market in order to
close the technology gap enabling an inclusive workplace.
The very nature of work is changing as businesses adapt to the “flat world” economy, with
workforces becoming more virtually connected through collaboration software and social media.
With such sweeping changes in the very nature of work being driven by business transformation
and global competition, it is likely that existing measures aimed at workplace inclusion and
accommodation will soon become outdated and be swept aside. It will require strong leadership
and cooperation to successfully adjust to the market forces created by these revolutionary global
trends.
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Participant Comments
After the remarks were delivered regarding creating an accessible workplace environment, participants
shared the following comments and offered perspectives ranging from the role of academic institutions
to suggestions regarding the promotion of cultural change.
“I think this is a critical area in which academia has an important role. The power of innovation, when
really working with industry, provides a lot of opportunity for us to help solve some of these accessibility
problems and to think together about ways in which we can harness that innovation and move forward
with research to solve these accessibility problems.” – Paul Parravano, MIT
“Academia needs to focus on both research and education. First, we must treat the symptoms of the
accessibility issues by enforcing the laws and regulations. Next, we must focus on education to make a
long-term impact to ensure the accessible workplace.” – Dan Hubbell, Microsoft
“It's really important to look at the continuity, or lack thereof, between personal space and workplace. If
what I have in my personal space doesn't smoothly transition to the workplace, I'm in real trouble. Many of
us have a very seamless transition from when we're at home to when we're at work. That is not the case
for a large percentage of the population of people with disabilities. So that discontinuity is the first thing
we have to look at.” – Michael Lightner, University of Colorado
“We need to focus not only on these new exciting technologies and the things you can do with your mobile
devices, but also make sure there are mobile devices that people with a wide range of disabilities, including
intellectual and developmental disabilities, can use. We need to focus on the education of all students
with disabilities, with special emphasis on mathematics and science, to ensure that students with a wide
range of disabilities acquire the skills they need to participate in the 21st century workforce.” – Robin
Shaffert, AAPD
“We need the tools to make sure that accessibility is built in when possible. But there is a bigger issue.
There needs to be a change in culture. A change in how we approach accessibility, beyond as an add-on, a
band-aid for “those people.” It has to start with the course work within the school system; this should be
the norm. You wouldn't create a building today without ramps. We have to get to that approach with
making technology accessible at the workplace.” – Susan Mazrui, AT&T
“Employers need to list accessibility in the required skill sets when seeking information technology talent
through trade journals and career fairs. What makes it “in demand” is when an individual completes their
academic program and lands a job, due to having this “in demand” skill. Employers should not wait to
address accessibility until they hire an individual with a disability.” – Terry Weaver, GSA
”It is the 20th anniversary of the signing the Americans with Disabilities Act, and here we are, still talking
about this. We've been talking too long. Justice for all means that all people with disabilities should be
allowed to work, able to access technology, and able to compete equally when using social media.” – Joyce
Bender, Bender Consulting Services
“Disability is no longer a special issue. We can't treat it as a special issue because then it doesn't get
integrated into societal activities. Whether it's developing technology or developing policy, disability must
be taken off the special shelf and become integrated into the fabric of all activity.” – Kathy Martinez, ODEP
“There must be a paradigm shift in how we educate people to understand the requirements for people with
disabilities, including accommodations in the workplace. We should start teaching young people about the
benefits of creating accessible websites and technologies at an early age.” – Jeffrey Pledger, Verizon
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Integration of Accessibility: The Workplace of the Future
Fundamentally, to realize the accessible workplace of the future, accessibility must be fully
integrated into all processes and policies, including product development, engineering, general
business, and research and development. In order for people with disabilities to gain or maintain
competitive employment, new technologies should be developed and introduced into the
workplace in an inclusive manner.
This session sought to gain perspective on the future accessible workplace in an effort to provide
the technology infrastructure to support people with disabilities.
Introductory Speaker: Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer, Microsoft
I want to emphasize and lend support to the perspective that, while there are many existing
technology issues that need to be addressed, this is not only a technology problem. When we
discuss this issue at Microsoft, we discuss the technology and the products, the business practices
and engineering practices, and the support and training considerations. We must ensure
accessibility is fully integrated through all these systems.
I'm here representing not only Microsoft, but also the Accessibility Interoperability Alliance (AIA),
the engineering division of the Assistive Technology Industry Association. The AIA offers an
engineering collaboration for AT developers, IT developers, academia, researchers and other invited
specialists to participate in the work we're doing. We believe technology should be driven by the
industry and by the companies that own the technology, but that doesn't mean we are the sole
owners of the expertise. In many cases, we need to balance technology built into mainstream
products and the appropriate specialized assistive technology features that supplement our
customer solutions. Through this collaboration we hope to improve compatibility between AT and
IT products.
One other consideration I would like to raise is whether the time has come for accessibility to join
the many other professions in existence today? There is no accessibility profession, so it is difficult
to know who has the training and skill set to be considered a true expert. How does an employer
know if a job candidate is qualified to perform accessibility functions?
We have begun to use term “inclusive innovation” to highlight the multi-faceted challenge facing
accessibility today. We must transform the way technologists, designers and companies design and
introduce new products and technologies. Innovators have a responsibility to create and introduce
their new creations in a way that fosters inclusion rather than contributing to the digital divide. This
responsibility applies to the workplace or home.
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Participant Comment
After the remarks were delivered regarding preparing for the workplace of the future, participants
shared the following comments and offered perspective ranging from creating a market for
accessibility to suggestions regarding leveraging existing accessibility features.
“Educational programs are industry driven. If companies show more interest in hiring people with
accessibility expertise, then academic institutions will create curricula that include accessibility. With that
as a starting point, schools and businesses could then create accessibility certification programs.”– Gregg
Vanderheiden, University of Wisconsin
“We could direct professional development grants to universities that give stipends to masters, doctoral,
and postdoctoral individuals, with a competitive priority to give extra points to universities with assistive
technology and accessible engineering curriculum components.” – Jennifer Sheehy, Department of
Education
“I think certification is a really good direction. We can build on the history that’s there in rehabilitation
engineering. I would encourage education to work towards certification in the accessibility area.” – Dan
Weirich, GW Micro
“Company-wide certification is something we can work on. At Canon, every year, our associates have to
go through an environmental certification and training. Because it's company-wide, every person you talk
to, whether it's a salesperson or a hiring manager, can speak to Canon's environmental issues. I think
something similar should be done where you have a company-wide certification regarding accessibility.
That will trickle down to end-users and customers as well.”
– Paul Albano, Canon USA
“Both large and small companies need to understand the business case for hiring people with disabilities
and providing an accessible workplace technology infrastructure. It should be all about talent and
performance.” – Leanne Thomas, CSC
“If all federal agencies would request proposal responses be submitted in an accessible format, otherwise
they would not be considered, it would serve as a teaching opportunity and make a difference.” – Julie
Carroll, National Council on Disability
“We have many free accessibility features that are built into our technology that are rarely or sometimes
never activated by our customers. It would be great if we could leverage everything that has been built.” –
Paul Michaelis, Avaya
“We have had positive experiences with several of the rehabilitation engineering research centers since
2000 when they started looking at the possibilities of how to use our devices. Since then, the relationship
has evolved and has led to our ability to incorporate certain features based on specific user requirements
and needs.” – Dave Dougall, Research in Motion
“In order to really move forward the accessible workplace technology agenda, we need to set a new tone
to look holistically at the problem, instead of looking at investing or creating a project at a time. Bringing
together multiple public and private sector parties will assist in progress to systematize, scale and sustain
efforts.” – Frances West, IBM
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Strategic Federal Disability and Technology Initiatives
The Obama administration is committed to increasing the employment and empowerment of
people with disabilities. Many strategic initiatives and programs support increasing access to
technology, such as the National Education Technology Plan and the National Broadband Plan.
The goal of this session was to provide an overview of the initiatives listed above and to gain insight
into how different organizations were working together with the government. Suggestions were
also taken on how to improve these plans to make sure that all stakeholder groups were being
properly included.
Introductory Speaker: David Capozzi, Executive Director, U.S. Access Board
Today, based on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, government agencies should not accept
technology if it is not accessible. Back in 1987, the assistant secretary of the Department of
Education had an opportunity to consider a software program that was largely inaccessible to the
department’s employees. The Department of Education decided not to accept this technology
because the employees could not use it. The software company decided not to fix the problem. As a
result, the Department of Education went to a different source to obtain the software. This decision
led to the updating and strengthening of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act; the government
wanted a more robust way to deal with such problems on a systemic basis. Government agencies
must now utilize tools such as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to ensure accessibility of the
federal workplace.
It's been 12 years now since passage of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, 14 years since the
passage of the Telecommunications Act that created Section 255, and it's been 20 years since the
passage of the ADA. I have a few questions for you: Are we closer to ensuring accessibility of
workplace technologies, with a federal work force that has high numbers of senior staff ready to
retire? Is the federal government ready to bring on a new workforce, some of whom will have
disabilities and need accommodations? Can we say that our federal workplaces are ready to
embrace employees with disabilities? Is our technology more accessible today than it was 12, 14,
or 20 years ago? If your answer is ”yes” or ”no,” how do you know that? What empirical evidence
do we have that things are better or worse today, and how can we get that data? We need to know
whether the policies that we have now are working and if not, why not? And if so, why? What are
the good points and the bad points?
How do we ensure that segments of our society are not left behind with these new technologies?
How does government policy keep up with the innovations that happen at a very rapid pace in the
private sector? And finally, much is happening as we speak, in terms of providing more attention to
accessible technology and improving the employment of people with disabilities. Is it enough and is
it in the right area and focused correctly? All of these questions underscore the point that we need
good data to make the right decisions and invest in the right policies and programs.
Bills have been introduced in Congress that address accessibility of consumer electronics, and the
Department of Treasury has plans to make our currency more accessible. These are all positive
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developments. The FCC is rolling out plans to make broadband Internet services and content more
accessible. But I ask again are these developments the right ones? Are they in the right areas? Are
they focused correctly?
Participant Comments
After the remarks were delivered regarding exploring federal disability and technology initiatives,
participants shared the following comments and offered perspectives ranging from the challenge of
defining accessibility to suggestions regarding the fundamental nature of this issue as a marketing
imperative.
“In regards to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, many of you from the business world that are federal
contractors are required to hire and promote people with disabilities. Traditionally, Section 503 has not
been enforced. This administration supports regulatory reform of Section 503 and is going to need
businesses to stand up and support enforcement to increase employment of Americans with disabilities.”
– Tony Coelho, Former Congressman, California; Author, Americans with Disabilities Act
“We need to educate others on what accessibility means to them. We need to do a better job of
connecting the dots for people and helping them understand what accessibility can do for them.” – Tim
Creagan, U.S. Access Board
“I believe many established systems are much more accessible than they used to be; however, the rate of
new technologies being introduced continues to accelerate – and this leads to new accessibility
challenges. It is difficult to precisely define what it means for a product to be “accessible”. There are
many aspects to being accessible which continue to make this a complicated problem space. Just as
there is not a single problem to be solved, there also is not a single solution to the problem.” – Rob
Sinclair, Microsoft
“At the end of the day, I really do believe that this is a marketing imperative, not only for those of us in
this room, but for those who are making the hiring decisions, the hiring managers, CEOs, CFOs and the
decision makers within companies to really get them to start to realize the benefits of including people
with disabilities within their workforce.” – Tom Wlodkowski, AOL
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Agile and Portable Technology Access and Programs
People with disabilities, like all workers, require consistent access to technology when they interact
with the workplace. Programs supporting the development and provisioning of technology that are
simple, portable, and able to be personalized enable optimal productivity for workers with
disabilities.
The purpose of this session was to discuss future technology trends that may affect current
business decisions. After the overview of new technologies, the discussion moved to which of these
technologies will play the most important role in the coming years and how agencies can plan for
new technologies.
Introductory Speaker: Gregg Vanderheiden, Director, Trace R&D Center, University of
Wisconsin at Madison
Technological innovation today is quite different than it was in the past, when most new technology
products were created by a few major IT vendors. Today, even the major corporations are creating
products with small teams of people, and much of the innovation is occurring in small companies.
As a result, instead of having a few large companies to educate, we have a myriad of small
organizations to educate, mostly companies that are small and do not have accessibility teams or
even accessibility awareness.
The types of technologies are also rapidly changing. We need to think of the world in an entirely
different way. The strategies we used yesterday aren't going to work tomorrow. We need to be
looking at the future.
Technology is increasingly creeping into all aspects of employment and daily living. Some
companies only accept job applications online, and computer use is required even for positions
working on a dock loading trucks. Quite simply, if you can't operate the computer you can't work
there.
We need to ensure that people with disabilities can walk in the door and be able to use employers’
systems. We need to be able to have what I would call “virtual assistive technology and access
solutions,” so that the solutions go where the user goes and work on whatever computers they
encounter.
One key challenge is that we need to figure out how to make accessibility simpler. We also need to
make it so that there is a simple way to “individualize” ICT to match the abilities of users in a natural
way. There are many people who have difficulty with technology and don't think of themselves as
requiring an accessibility solution; it's just too complicated or too difficult to use.
A second key challenge is making accessibility affordable. When we talk about affordable, I don't
just mean affordable for the person with the disability. Accessibility needs to also be affordable for
companies, public access points, and society as a whole.
One option being discussed by companies, disability groups, government agencies and others is a
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national public inclusive infrastructure. The concept is to combine cloud, web and platform
technologies to allow simple and automatic configuration of ICT, including invoking any assistive
technologies needed. User preferences would be stored securely in the cloud and could be invoked
at any time, in any location, to cause ICT the person encounters to automatically adapt to the
persons needs and abilities.
We need to be looking at ways that technology can help us to reach more users with more types of
disabilities – and to make the development, dissemination and support of accessibility easier.
We need to remember that technology is changing. Whether this will make it worse or better
depends on how we react and adapt. If we do nothing, I can guarantee it's going to get more
complicated.
We need to develop and implement a plan to make accessibility easier and less expensive, not only
for consumers, but for public access points, governments, and companies. The cost and complexity
of providing and supporting access should not be a deterrent to hiring or promoting people with
disabilities.
Participant Comments
After the remarks were delivered regarding future technology trends, participants shared the
following comments and offered perspectives ranging from awareness as the key to suggestions
regarding empowering people with disabilities to request technology.
“There is also no data in this world to say that the cost of technology is impeding access. Right now,
anecdotally, we know that even the built-in free technologies are not penetrating. Awareness is the
number one problem. How do you we increase awareness?” – David Dikter, ATIA
“It is vitally important for new initiatives to include interoperability with existing solutions. Small
companies in the assistive technology field have created solutions to accommodate individual needs.
These companies should be a part of the process to ensure new technologies also may be customized to
enable individual preferences.” – Neal Kuniasky, Duxbury Systems
“Companies need to embrace technological nondiscrimination including actions such as purchasing
technology that conforms to accessibility standards. Additionally, a company can go beyond that and
engage the accessibility features of a technology after it has been purchased.” – David Baquis, U.S.
Access Board
“Awareness is always the key. You need champions within companies – not just the IT people – who
know what to do. You need the employees and the public to know what options are available to be able
to gain access to do their jobs or complete their transactions. They need to ask for this technology.”–
Deborah Buck, Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs
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Collaboration, Partnership, and Workplace Transformation: Next Steps
Introductory Speaker: Dan Weirch, VP, GW Micro
We have all heard awareness mentioned many times already. Awareness is one of the top action
items that we should consider here today. The awareness efforts should target various segments,
including teachers, employers, families, and people with disabilities. It is important that people
understand what assistive technology is and understand what tools are available and how they can
be used. Another suggestion is to have teachers of the visually impaired, who traditionally teach
blind students Braille or mobility skills, teach students who are not blind. The teachers of the
visually impaired could teach others how to correctly ask a blind person if they need assistance or
how not to talk louder to a blind person. This can increase awareness with the general public. The
goal here during this session is to identify action items -- concrete initiatives that will improve the
employment of people with disabilities and increase the accessibility of workplace technologies.
Action Items
Participants recommended action items throughout the day’s dialogue. The action items associated
with the business community, federal government, and federally-funded programs supporting
accessibility were introduced to advance the accessible workplace technology agenda.
The facilitated dialogue identified the action items for advancing accessible workplace technology
through collaboration and partnerships. Action items and identified strategies were highlighted in
multiple general areas including: aligning initiatives with national and global strategies; building
stronger public/private partnerships; and identifying short- and long-term goals. The action items
below were identified for the business community, the federal government, and federally-funded
programs related to accessibility.
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Action Items for the Business Community
The action items proposed for business community participation and implementation
include the following:
 Participate in public/private partnerships with federal government agencies,
academic institutions, and non-profit organizations.
 Define the skill sets for an accessibility expert discipline. Develop a certification
process to mature the accessibility discipline. Host events to create awareness of
accessibility, and educate application developers.
 Include accessibility skills in job requirements. This will encourage academic
institutions to include accessibility in the established curriculum for information
technology, business, engineering, and other disciplines. Ask universities and
bodies, such as Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the
recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science,
computing, engineering, and technology to include disability access issues in the
curriculum.
 Develop software solutions and development frameworks that support
accessibility and can be shared by others.
 Business organizations and trade groups can educate their members through
programs and monthly periodicals.
16
Action Items for the Federal Government
The action items proposed for federal agency participation and implementation include
the following:
 Participate in public/private partnerships with the business community, academic
institutions, and non-profit organizations.
 Enforce Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and mandate that all requests for
proposal should include accessibility language.
 Sponsor contests to drive innovation in the area of accessibility.
 Educate other by providing accessibility curriculum to individuals, employers, and
organizations; and raise awareness of accessibility features in commonly used
technology.
 Launch a marketing and public relations campaign that targets business
professionals to communicate the accessibility agenda.
 Conduct studies to gather data that identifies gaps in the accessible workplace
technology infrastructure and to identify programs that are effective and
ineffective.
 ODEP, specifically, can unite all federal agencies that have projects and initiatives
that support efforts associated with accessible workplace technology.
 Define specific steps to make accessibility part of the culture at the elementary
and secondary school levels.
 Convene social media interest groups to discuss the accessibility agenda. These
groups provide collaborative computing platforms that are integral to connecting
all workers and provide the foundations for networking for career success.
17
Action Items for Federally Funded Programs Related to Accessibility
The action items proposed for federally-funded programs related to accessibility
participation and implementation include the following:
 Participate in public/private partnerships with the business community, academic
institutions, and non-profit organizations.
 Coordinate meetings with academic institutions to promote collaboration
amongst federally-funded research projects. For example, convene a group of
engineering deans from universities focused on advancing policy and practice in
the area of accessible workplace technology to encourage innovation and
collaboration.
 Encourage collaboration between academic institutions and the private sector to
launch innovative accessibility products to market.
 Support the development of infrastructures that can promote innovation and
systematically reduce the costs to develop, deploy, market and support
accessibility products and features.
 Ensure that all government grants in education have a portion devoted to
accessibility education and/or are tied to accessibility criteria. Encourage
academic institutions to add accessibility to curricula and/or create curricula
centered on accessibility.
18
Appendix A: Roundtable Participant List
Name
Organization
Title
Address
Phone
E-Mail
Katia Albanese
Concepts, Inc.
Vice President
202-302-7535
kalbanese@conceptspr.com
Paul Albano
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
516-328-5821
palbano@cusa.canon.com
David Baquis
U.S. Access Board
baquis@access-board.gov
Bender Consulting
Services, Inc.
412-787-8567
jbender@benderconsult.com
John Beverly
U.S. Department of
Labor
Acting Deputy
Assistant Secretary
202-693-7880
beverly.john@dol.gov
Dan Bishop
Accenture
Partner
703-623-5380
daniel.j.bishop@accenture.com
Mary Brougher
Bender Consulting
Services, Inc.
Vice President
412-787-8567
mbrougher@benderconsult.com
Deborah Buck
Assoc. of Assistive
Technology Act
Programs
Dep. of Education OSERS
U.S. Access Board
Executive Director
1331 F St., NW Ste. 1000
Washington, DC 20004
3 Penn Center West Suite
223
Pittsburgh, PA 15276
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Room S-1303
Washington, DC 20210
11951 Freedom Drive
Reston, VA 20190
3 Penn Center West Suite
223
Pittsburgh, PA 15276
PO Box 32
Delmar, NY 12054
202-272-0013
Joyce Bender
Senior Manager,
Solutions
Marketing
Accessibility
Specialist
CEO/President
10827 Littleford Lane
Kensington, MD 20895
One Canon Plaza, Bldg. B
Lake Success, NY 11042
518-439-1263
dvbuck@verizon.net
202-245-7319
jeremy.buzzell@ed.gov
202-272-0010
capozzi@access-board.gov
National Council
on Disability
AAPD
Senior Attorney
Advisor
Board Chair
202-272-2019
jcarroll@ncd.gov
703-371-8400
tony@onewharf.com
Randy Cooper
U.S. Department of
Labor
Senior Policy
Advisor
202-693-4928
cooper.randy@dol.gov
Timothy
Creagan
U.S. Access Board
Senior Accessibility
Specialist
202-272-0016
creagan@access-board.gov
Bill CurtisDavidson
IBM Human Ability
& Accessibility
Center
U.S. Department of
Labor
Business
Development &
Solutions Leader
Policy Advisor
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202
1331 F St., NW Ste. 1000
Washington, DC 20004
1331 F St NW Ste 850
Washington, DC 20004
51 Baltimore Avenue #2
Rehoboth Beach, DE
19971
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Room S-1303
Washington, DC 20210
1331 F Street, N.W. Suite
1000
Washington, DC 20004
2489 Old Orchard Court
Atlanta, GA 30338
404-307-4607
wacurtis@us.ibm.com
202-693-7863
damiani.mario@dol.gov
Jacob Denne
Economic Systems
Inc.
Research Analyst
703-333-2197
jdenne@econsys.com
David Dikter
Assistive
Technology
Industry Assoc.
Research in Motion
Limited
Executive Director
200 Constitution Avenue,
NW Room S-1303
Washington, DC 20210
3141 Fairview Park Dr.
Suite 700
Falls Church, VA 22042
413 Washington Street #3
Brookline, MA 02446
617-524-0035
executive_director@atia.org
185 Columbia St. West
Waterloo, Ontario N2L5Z5
519-888-7465
x75380
ddougall@rim.com
Jeremy Buzzell
David Capozzi
Julie Carroll
Tony Coelho
Mario Damiani
Dave Dougall
Program Specialist
Executive Director
Sr. Program
Manager,
Accessibility
19
Name
Organization
Title
Address
Phone
E-Mail
William
Erickson
Cornell University
Researcher
607-255-1540
wae1@cornell.edu
Anne Hirsh
Job
Accommodation
Network
U.S. Department of
Labor
Co-Director
303A Dolgen Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
224 Spruce Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
800-526-7234
x112
hirsh@jan.wvu.edu
202-693-4923
horne.richard@dol.gov
Daniel Hubbell
Microsoft
425-703-8342
dhubbell@microsoft.com
Steve Jacobs
IDEAL Group, Inc.
Technical
Evangelist
President
614-777-0660
steve.jacobs@ideal-group.org
John Kemp
Powers, Pyles,
Sutter, and Verville
Principal
202-466-6550
John.Kemp@ppsv.com
Kimberly
Kettner
Economic Systems
Inc.
Business Analyst
703-333-2183
kimberly@econsys.com
Neal Kuniasky
Duxbury Systems,
Inc
The Paciello Group
Director
978-692-3000
neal@duxsys.com
603-882-4122
x102
blandrigan@paciellogroup.com
Michael
Lightner
University of
Colorado, Boulder
Professor and
Chair
303-492-5180
lightner@colorado.edu
Kathy
Martinez
U.S. Department of
Labor
Assistant Secretary
202-693-7880
martinez.kathy@dol.gov
Susan Mazrui
AT&T Services, Inc.
202 457-2056
susan.mazrui@att.com
Paul Michaelis
Avaya
303-538-4101
prmichaelis@avaya.com
Colet Mitchell
U.S. Department of
Labor
U.S. Department of
Labor
Director, Public
Policy
Consulting
Member of the
Technical Staff
Policy Advisor
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Room S-1303
Washington, DC 20210
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052
2809 Bohlen Drive
Hilliard, OH 43026
1501 M St. NW, Seventh
Floor
Washington, DC 20005
3141 Fairview Park Dr
Suite 700
Falls Church, VA 22042
270 Littleton Rd. Unit #6
Westford, MA 01886
5 Pine St Extension Annex
6 Unit 2F
Nashua, NH 03060
Univ. of Colorado College
of Engineering Dept ECEE,
UCB 425
Boulder, CO 80309
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Room S-1303
Washington, DC 20210
1120 20th St. NW Ste. 400
Washington, DC 20036
Avaya Labs, Room B1-B20
1300 W 120th Ave.
Westminster, CO 80234
200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20210
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Room S-1303
Washington, DC 20210
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Room 11-245 Cambridge,
MA 02139
8201 Greensboro Drive,
Suite 1000
McLean, VA 22102
13101 Columbia Pike
FDC1 209C
Silver Spring, MD 10904
200 Constitution Avenue,
NW S1303 Washington,
DC 20210
601 E Street, NW S11-240
Washington, DC 20016
202-693-4940
Mitchell.Colet@dol.gov
202-693-7880
parker.susan@dol.gov
617-253-3873
paulp@mit.edu
703-883-2810
gpisocky@adobe.com
301-525-2686
jeffrey.d.pledger1@verizonbusiness.com
202-693-7853
reardon.michael@dol.gov
202-434-2471
eredfern@aarp.org
Richard Horne
Brian
Landrigan
Susan Parker
Paul Parravano
Greg Pisocky
Jeffrey Pledger
Michael
Reardon
Edwin
Redfern, Jr.
20
Division Director
Director of
Operations
Director of Policy
Massachusetts
Institute of
Technology
Adobe Systems
Co-Director, Govt
& Community
Relations
Accessibility
Specialist
Disabilities Issues
Awareness Leaders
(DIAL)
U.S. Department of
Labor
President
AARP
National Program
Consultant
Policy Team Lead
Name
Organization
Title
Address
Phone
E-Mail
Cheryl
Sensenbrenner
Robin Shaffert
AAPD
Board Member
703-625-5497
csensenbrenner@yahoo.com
AAPD
202-521-4309
rshaffert@aapd.com
Jennifer
Sheehy
Rob Sinclair
Dep. of Education OSERS
Microsoft
jennifer.sheehy@ed.gov
425-882-8080
robsi@microsoft.com
ATIA
727-785-1390
sspencer@atia.org
302-391-6811
lthoma24@csc.com
202-744-4962
jamthurs@microsoft.com
Marie Trottier
Harvard University
Disability
Compliance Officer
617-495-1859
marie_trottier@harvard.edu
Gregg
Vanderheiden
Trace R&D Center
Director
608-263-5788
gv@trace.wisc.edu
Karen Vaughn
Concepts, Inc.
President
301-807-4232
kvaughn@conceptspr.com
Terry Weaver
GSA
Director, IT
Accessibility
202-501-1136
terry.weaver@gsa.gov
Daniel Weirich
GW Micro, Inc.
260-489-3671
x201
dan@gwmicro.com
Frances West
IBM
617-693-1230
fwest@us.ibm.com
Thomas
Wlodkowski
AOL
Vice President
Sales and
Marketing
Worldwide
Director
Director of
Accessibility
550 12th Street #5103
Washington, DC 20202
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052
1871 Muirfield Way
Oldsmar, FL 34677
400 Commerce Drive
Newark, DE 19713
1400 Eye Street, NW Suite
500
Washington, DC 20005
1350 Massachusetts Ave
935 Holyoke Center
Cambridge, MA 02138
Univ. of Wisconsin
1550 Engineering Dr. 2107
ECB
Madison, WI 53706
4700 North Chelsea Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
1800 F Street, NW room
2222 MEC
Washington, DC 20405
725 Airport North Office
Park
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
One Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
22000 AOL Way
Dulles, VA 20166
202-245-7520
Sharon
Spencer
Leanne
Thomas
James
Thurston
Sr. Director of
Corporate Social
Responsibility
Director of Policy
and Planning
Chief Accessibility
Officer
Consultant
609 Ft. Williams Pkwy.
Alexandria, VA 22304
1629 K St, NW Suite 950
Washington, DC 20006
703-265-1999
thomas.wlodkowski@corp.aol.com
CSC
Microsoft
Sr. Mgr. Human
Resources
Senior Strategist
21