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Accessibility Qs and As


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Accessibility in an on demand era
Number Headline Date
Q1:

What is the IBM Accessibility Center?
A1: Stemming from the IBM Special Needs Systems group, the IBM Accessibility Center was created in 2000 to apply research technologies to solve problems experienced by people with disabilities. In 2002, the Accessibility Center team expanded its focus to include access to information by virtually anyone under virtually any circumstances. IBM Accessibility Center locations are in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. Key initiatives include:
  • Driving accessibility as a worldwide IBM strategic initiative.
  • Driving accessibility as a worldwide IBM strategic initiative.
  • Driving accessibility as a worldwide IBM strategic initiative.
  • Driving accessibility as a worldwide IBM strategic initiative.
Q2:

What does accessibility mean to information technology (IT) providers?
A2: Accessibility means enabling IT hardware, software and services to be used by more people, either directly or in combination with assistive technology products.

IBM is taking the lead in making IT accessible to many people, including those with disabilities. Helping more people benefit from computing and information resources is part of IBM's larger vision of on demand computing. e-business on demand™ promises to make a wide range of affordable business services readily accessible and easy to use. Accessibility features will be embedded in on demand technology as a benefit that can easily be activated if needed to support employees with temporary or chronic disabilities or simply adjusting to characteristics associated with aging.

Technologies such as voice recognition, wireless communications and speech output improve the ability to access IT for those who have disabilities and are also increasingly in demand by today's society seeking convenience and ease of use. IBM is committed to creating accessible and easy-to-use technologies that will enhance the overall workplace environment and contribute to the productivity of all employees.
Q3:

What is assistive technology?
A3: Assistive technology is specialized hardware or software that is used to help increase, maintain or assist the functional capabilities of people with disabilities. It can be any device or technique that assists people in removing or reducing barriers to computing technology and information and enhances their everyday activities. An example of assistive technology is a screen reader, which uses a text-to-speech synthesizer to translate what is displayed on a screen into audible text.
Q4:

When did IBM become involved in accessibility?
A4: IBM has had a long history of commitment to accessibility since 1914, when IBM hired its first disabled employee, 76 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, as both an IT company and a developer of assistive technology, IBM can provide clients accessible solutions that align with their business initiatives.
Q5:

Why is IBM focusing on accessibility?
A5: According to the World Health Organization, of the world's more than six billion people, between 750 million and one billion have a disability. In the United States alone, there are over 54 million people with disabilities. The number is increasing, in part, because people are living longer and health programs are continually improving.

Disability refers to one or a combination of the following: blindness or visual impairment; deafness or being hard of hearing; motor or mobility impairment; and reading or cognitive impairment. Also significant is the aging population, because as people age they may begin to experience one or more disability characteristics. The accessibility of IT is essential because it can allow use by and facilitate the daily lives of many people with disabilities - both at home and at work. Accessibility affects many aspects of an IT business, and IBM recognizes the importance of enabling its products and services to help serve the various needs of the abled and the disabled.

Additionally, to continue to sell products and services to the federal government, IBM must provide accessible solutions. In 1998, the U.S. Congress amended the existing Rehabilitation Act with Section 508, requiring federal agencies to acquire electronic and IT products and services that are accessible to people with disabilities. Enforcement of this law began in June of 2001.
Q6:

To whom does U.S. Section 508 apply?
A6: U.S. Section 508 applies to federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.

Section 508 applies to all electronic and IT products procured by the federal government after June 21, 2001. It was enacted to eliminate barriers in IT, to make new opportunities available for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.
Q7:

Are there any products that are exempt from Section 508?
A7: No specific products are exempt from Section 508. However, Section 508 does not apply to:
  • U.S. federal micropurchases made prior to October 2004. However, even for micropurchases made prior to this date, U.S. federal contracting officers are strongly encouraged to make micropurchases that comply with the applicable accessibility standards to the maximum extent practicable.
  • Electronic IT that is used for a national security system.
  • Electronic IT acquired by a contractor incidental to a contract.
  • Electronic IT located in spaces frequented only by service personnel for maintenance, repair or occasional monitoring of equipment. Examples may include servers, disk storage devices, tape storage devices and the interconnection devices associated with these items.
  • Electronic IT that would impose an undue burden on the federal agency. Undue burden means there are circumstances that make it extremely expensive or difficult to comply.
Q8:

Was IBM involved with the introduction of Section 508?
A8: IBM was vice-chair of the committee that developed recommendations on which the final Section 508 standard was based.
Q9:

Will IBM publish a list of products that support U.S. Section 508 along with corresponding industry voluntary product assessment templates (VPATs)?
A9: Today IBM includes information about accessibility features and support for Section 508 standards in the product announcement materials. IBM continues to investigate the feasibility of publishing IBM product Section 508 VPATs.
Q10: 

Which clients will IBM's accessibility initiative target?
A10:  The relationship is particularly relevant to governments in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia, given Section 508 and similar accessibility-related regulation in other parts of the world, but the private sector can also benefit as it moves towards accessible IT.
Q11: 

How does IBM plan to work with clients to help them receive the biggest benefit from accessibility?
A11:  To help clients maximize the benefits of accessible technologies, IBM and the IBM Accessibility Center will focus on three key areas:
  • Aligning accessibility with client business initiatives - Through its consulting services, IBM can evaluate and understand clients' key business initiatives and help them incorporate accessibility into their solutions. Solutions consist of services, hardware, software, and in some cases, research to provide customized accessible solutions. To help reduce total cost of ownership, IBM will focus on interoperability and compatibility with existing infrastructure.
  • Providing more people with access to technology and information By providing consultation and hardware, software and solutions that are accessible, IBM helps give people of varied abilities access to information and technology. This will help IBM clients respond more quickly to the IT access needs of their clients, constituents and employees, and can result in lower support costs. For example, by offering an accessible Web site, agency staff can offload handling of repetitive tasks such as answering commonly asked constituent questions; this can help reduce operational costs for items such as call centers, printing and postage. The improved flexibility offered by accessible online tools can help improve an agency's ability to deliver services to a broader range of constituents as well, and may also improve satisfaction by allowing constituents to access information at their convenience via an accessible Web site, rather than obtaining information only during staffed office hours. Giving people of all abilities access to information and technology helps provide employers larger skill and hiring pools and helps reduce government support costs.
  • From a marketplace perspective, building accessibility features into products and services means reaching more clients - for more profit potential.
  • Enabling clients to use innovative technology By working with IBM, clients can have access to innovative technologies that can be incorporated into products and services and integrated into existing business initiatives, helping them reach new markets and provide differentiation. This can help increase customer satisfaction and employee retention. Examples include IBM custom accessibility services in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia.
Q12: 

How does the accessibility initiative integrate with IBM's overall initiatives?
A12:  The accessibility initiative will align with five key IBM initiatives to accelerate accessibility leadership:
  • e-business on demand - An e-business on demand organization can respond quickly to a changing business environment. In an on demand world, accessibility will be built into information technologies up front, so accessibility features can be enabled as needed. By applying research technologies that allow more people to access information, IBM's clients can be more responsive to their customers, citizens and employees.
  • Dynamic workplace - IBM's large Business Consulting Services practice applies e-business techniques and technologies to improve workforce effectiveness and productivity. The Accessibility Center can help clients meet the needs of employees with disabilities in dynamic workplace settings. Dynamic workplace solutions will align with governments' key business initiatives.
  • Wireless / pervasive - IBM has invested heavily in research, technology, products, services and solutions that help improve productivity and mobility. These products can help provide access to technology to the largest amount of people, abled and disabled alike. Wireless laptop computers, for example, provide a technology breakthrough for wheelchair users who find it difficult to use a regular desktop workstation with a hardwired connection. Other examples include accessing information in contexts that require multimodal input and output, or delivering information in the format a person needs to receive or interact with it.
  • e-government - To support IBM's e-business application for government entities, the Accessibility Center can help provide governments the latest Web-enabled technologies and services through IBM Research and IBM Global Services. Additionally, IBM participation in worldwide standards committees such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) shows that IBM is not only helping to develop accessibility standards but is integrating the latest Web accessibility guidelines and tools as well.
  • IBM Learning Solutions - e-Learning applies information technologies to education and training and provides a rapidly evolving application space for such things as rich media, collaborative technologies, structured documents and adaptive content. The Accessibility Center can help provide technologies to other companies working on solving the industry-wide problem of making educational media and information accessible to a greater number of people.
Q13: 

What key products and services with accessibility features are available from IBM today?
A13:  Accessible products and services available from IBM today include:
  • Dynamic workplace - IBM's large Business Consulting Services practice applies e-business techniques and technologies to improve workforce effectiveness and productivity. The Accessibility Center can help clients meet the needs of employees with disabilities in dynamic workplace settings. Dynamic workplace solutions will align with governments' key business initiatives.
  • IBM WebSphere® Studio products - Are the core Web development products from IBM. These products help optimize and simplify Web site development, application development, Java® 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and Web services development by offering best practices, templates, code generation, accessibility checker and fixer design components and the most comprehensive development environment in their class.
  • IBM ThinkPad® - Is IBM's brand of award-winning mobile computers with a smart design and intuitive functionality. Design features include smart latches and sticky keys to allow one-handed operation; hardware buttons to control volume; button and key layout that require minimal dexterity and little force to operate; and the ability to instantly enlarge objects and screen fonts by simultaneously pressing the Fn key and the space bar on new ThinkPad models.
  • IBM Lotus® Notes® 6 - Provides a messaging and collaboration platform with an intuitive environment. Lotus Notes includes features such as keyboard support for mobility-impaired users and setting configuration support for users with low vision.
  • IBM Europe Web accessibility services and IBM Home Page Reader Limited - Provide consulting, design and remediation of Web sites and offers customized versions of Home Page Reader as a service.
  • IBM Asia Pacific Web accessibility services - Provide consultation to help clients define internal guidelines and processes to maintain Web accessibility. The services can include easy Web browsing technology, an easy-to-use, on demand Web access tool. Easy Web browsing technology provides a user-friendly Web interface with character enlarging, reading of text aloud at the selected mouse location and optimization of Web pages by changing font sizes and background colors according to users' preferences. Easy Web browsing technology runs from the Web site using a secure method and automatically downloads and sets up the required software components.
  • IBM U.S. accessibility services - Deliver the planning, design, development, maintenance and educational services for accessibility solutions that integrate with clients' business initiatives. Experienced IBM Global Services consultants use state-of-the-art tools and methods to deliver customized solutions. See table below for services specific to Web accessibility.
Web mining for accessibility Consulting assessment Consulting design Consulting remediation
Capabilities: Capabilities: Capabilities: Capabilities:
Evaluate customer's Web sites. Design ongoing and future state of IT infrastructure, including technology, tools and environment. Design ongoing and future state of IT infrastructure, including technology, tools and environment. Fix, test and run (re-architect, redesign, redeploy) code on Web sites.
Identify non-compliant pages. Create a strategy that encompasses entire life-cycle approach. Create a strategy that encompasses entire life-cycle approach. Update code and presentation layer of Web pages and applications to meet compliance standards.
Generate results and reports.     Re-architect infrastructure environment and roll out.
Provide one time or ongoing assessment designed to maintain compliance.      
Table header results
Number Headline Date
Q14: 

Is IBM interested in developing customized accessible solutions for specific clients?
A14:  Yes. IBM Global Services can work with clients to evaluate and understand their key business initiatives and incorporate accessibility into their solutions.
Q15: 

Does IBM plan to join forces with external companies to provide accessible solutions?
A15:  Yes. The number of relationships IBM has with different companies to provide products and services that are accessible and meet the needs of IBM clients continues to grow. IBM continues relationships with software vendors of Web development and content management tools, for example.
Q16: 

Has IBM been recognized in the accessibility area?
A16:  Yes. IBM has won several prestigious awards for its accessibility focus and leadership in providing opportunities for people with disabilities. Some examples over the past five years include:
  • 2004 Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities
    IBM was honored with the Barbara Jordan Media Award for its advertising campaign featuring images of people with disabilities succeeding in the workplace. The series includes people with vision, hearing and mobility disabilities. Judges liked the attention-getting messages about information access and employment contributions of people with disabilities. In addition, using actors who have disabilities in the ads advanced the hiring of people with disabilities and awareness and understanding in the advertising industry.
  • 2004 National Business & Disability Council
    IBM received a 2004 Award of Honor for Advertising Campaign of the Year. The awards recognize corporations and individuals that exemplify the goal of promoting opportunities for people with disabilities as employees and consumers.
  • 2004 American Foundation for the Blind
    IBM was honored with a 2004 Access Award for its corporate philosophy of promoting accessibility throughout the company and its products and services.
  • 2003 Jim Mullen Foundation
    IBM was honored with three New Freedom Awards from the Jim Mullen Foundation including Accessibility, Employment and Organization in a Supporting Role. Jim Mullen awards acknowledge those individuals and organizations that create extraordinary new freedoms for people with disabilities.
  • 2002 National Business & Disability Council
    IBM was honored with the 2002 Product of the Year Award for its Web adaptation technology. IBM Web adaptation technology responds to the need for an easy-to-use application for users who have trouble using the Web because of issues with vision or motor skills. The project has the goal of developing software that will allow end users to access transformed Web page content without requiring specialized hardware or software. Users are able to customize Web content according to their individual preferences so that it will be accessible for them. Development was sponsored by the IBM Corporate Community Relations program for nonprofit organizations serving seniors and users with disabilities. IBM Web adaptation technology is currently used by nonprofit partner agencies including the American Society on Aging, the National Center on Disabilities and SeniorNet.
  • 1999 National Business & Disability Council
    IBM was honored with the Outstanding Advertising Campaign - Silver Category Award. The IBM advertising campaign raised public awareness of contributions and accomplishments of people with disabilities.
Q18: 

Are IBM's competitors active in accessibility?
A18:  Because of Section 508 standards and other laws that are in force and pending worldwide, most major vendors of IT systems and solutions are taking accessibility into account.
Q19: 

Is the IBM Web site accessible?
A19:  The vast majority of IBM Web sites are already accessible and IBM is working tirelessly to achieve a 100 percent accessible status.
Q20: 

Which IBM products are not accessible?
A20:  IBM has thousands of products worldwide, most of which were available before U.S. Section 508 went into effect. IBM desktop and laptop computers and most IBM servers already meet U.S. Section 508 hardware standards. IBM is working on making its diverse and extensive software portfolio and product documentation meet the appropriate Section 508 standards.
Q21: 

What will IBM do with products that are not accessible?
A21:  IBM has integrated accessibility requirements into its product development processes so that over time, new product releases will meet Section 508 standards. Understandably, IBM will not focus accessibility efforts on products that are being withdrawn from the market.
Q22: 

Is IBM able to make its clients' existing IBM technologies accessible?
A22:  While Section 508 does not require that IBM retrofit products that are already installed and in use to meet the Section 508 standard, IBM is committed to embedding accessibility into all of its technologies. It is much easier and less expensive to provide accessibility solutions at the outset of the product design rather than trying to retrofit existing technology.
Q23: 

When will all of IBM's products and services be accessible?
A23:  IBM has thousands of products worldwide and will continue its relentless focus on new product compliance. IBM has integrated accessibility requirements into the product development process so that over time new product releases will meet Section 508 standards.