This e-mail is primarily directed to the members of the
Documentation subcommittee:
(Seville Allen, David Bolnick, Debbie Cook, Jennifer
Dexter, Steve Mendelsohn, Arthur Murphy (Bill Curtis,
alternate), Mike Paciello, Roger Wellman).
It addresses the issue of training accommodation and should
be combined with other submissions on this subject to form
a draft document during the February meeting.
First part of this e-mail is from the TelComm Act, (the section
which seems relevant to the training issue). The second
part is my draft language for discussion.
PART 1193 - TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES
1193.33 Information, documentation, and training.
(a) Manufacturers shall ensure access to information and
documentation it provides to its customers. Such
information and documentation includes user guides,
installation guides for end- user installable devices, and
product support communications, regarding both the product
in general and the accessibility features of the product.
Manufacturers shall take such other steps as necessary
including:
(1) Providing a description of the accessibility and
compatibility features of the product upon request,
including, as needed, in alternate formats or alternate
modes at no additional charge;
(2) Providing end-user product documentation in
alternate formats or alternate modes upon request at no
additional charge; and
(3) Ensuring usable customer support and technical
support in the call centers and service centers which
support their products at no additional charge.
(b) Manufacturers shall include in general product
information the contact method for obtaining the
information required by paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) Where manufacturers provide employee training, they
shall ensure it is appropriate to an employee's function.
In developing, or incorporating existing training programs,
consideration shall be given to the following factors:
(1) Accessibility requirements of individuals with
disabilities;
(2) Means of communicating with individuals with
disabilities;
(3) Commonly used adaptive technology used with the
manufacturer's products;
(4) Designing for accessibility; and
(5) Solutions for accessibility and compatibility.
-- end TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT --
My suggestions:
General:
All on-line training materials will conform to the
standards for Support access:
(E.g. help subsystems will use navigation and rendering
identical to that of the application.). All printed
training materials will conform to the standards for
Documentation access.
Vendors will permit the Access Board to evaluate the
accessibility of training materials on an as-needed basis.
Specific:
For classes taught to government employees, vendors will be
prepared to offer training with the following
accommodations:
All training materials will be delivered to class
participants in accessible electronic format 1 week prior
to the start of class so that information can be printed in
alternate format or re-purposed for use in class by
individual students.
All training will include keyboard equivalents for mouse
activation.
All vendors will be familiar with the Access Board document
that gives guidance on general teaching accommodations for
students with disabilities. This will enable instructors
to provide accessibility for any interactive materials that
may be administered to gather student information or to
evaluate student performance.
Vendor labs will permit the installation of adaptive
software and hardware for in-class use by students.
Arthur
______________________________
Arthur R. Murphy, Research Scientist
Center for Rehabilitation Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology
490 10th Street, Atlanta, GA 30332-0156
Voice: 404.894.0562 Fax: 404.894.9320 arthur.murphy@arch.gatech.edu
http://murmur.arch.gatech.edu/crt/