Technological+and+Medical+Advances

= = DIRECTIONS for students: = =


 * 1) ==Scroll to the bottom of this page.==
 * 2) ==Copy and paste your research summary in the proper place in the section entitled "Research Summaries."==
 * 3) ==Be sure the source citation (in MLA format) is at the top of your entry.==
 * 4) ==Add your own name in brackets [first and last] to the end of your entry.==
 * 5) ==Add a horizontal rule after your entry.==


 * =Access to web and other information technologies=


 * =National Institute for Disability Research and Rehabilitation (NIDRR)=

=Research summaries:=

Gundersen, Diego ISS Ms. Morford February 23, 2010

"Disabled Assistive Technology". Integrated Wave Technology. February 16, 2010 .

During the interview, Jenna Lungaro talked about Voice Recognition technology and how it can help disabled people do things that they wouldn’t normally be able to do by themselves. The U.S. Government is placing high priorities on making technology accessible to people with disabilities. An advancement that could be effective is Voice Recognition (VR). This can help people who can’t type on a computer by translating speech into computer text. VR helps a lot in making disabled people more self-sufficient. The current VR software cannot recognize all voices of people using it. If the person has impaired speech it is almost impossible for the software to recognize the voice. Also, if it makes an error, it is very hard for people with limited mobility to correct that error. Integrated Assistive Wave Inc. (IWT) is a company that focuses on sound analysis-related technology. IWT has developed a different approach to VR technology that recognizes all speech, even impaired or commonly un-recognizable speech. IWT Voice Recognition makes almost no errors in recognizing speech. IWR VR will make it much easier for disabled people to live an independent life.

[Diego Gundersen]

Ananth Nandakishore Research Summary Ms. Morford ISS

2/24/10
 * WAI**

"Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)." //W3C//. W3C, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. . WAI is an acronym for Web Accessibility Initiative. This includes the Web Content Accessibility Group, the Authoring Tool Guidelines, User Agent Guidelines, Evaluation ARL, and WAI-ARIA**.** ** WAI-ARIA, the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite, defines a way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies. ** The WAI works with groups around the world to make the web accessible to people with disabilities. They develop guidelines and techniques as mentioned above. WAI, in partnership with organizations around the world, tries to ensure the accessibility of the Web through five primary activities:

WAI [Ananth Nandakishore]
 * ensuring that core technologies of the Web support accessibility
 * developing guidelines for Web content, user agents, and authoring tools
 * facilitating development of evaluation and repair tools for accessibility
 * conducting education and outreach
 * coordinating with research and development that can affect future accessibility of the Web.

Ananth Nandakishore Research Summary Ms. Morford ISS

2/24/10 WCAG ** Chrisholm, W, G Vanderheiden, and I Jacobs. "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0." //W3C//. W3C, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. . WCAG is an acronym for Web Content Accessible Guidelines. These guidelines are designed to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. They were meant for all web content developers like site designers and page authors. There are 14 guidelines that they want these developers to use: [|WCAG]
 * 1) Provide alternatives to auditory and visual content.
 * 2) Not rely on only color.
 * 3) Use markup and style sheets properly.
 * 4) Clarify natural language usage.
 * 5) Create tables that transform gracefully.
 * 6) Make sure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully.
 * 7) Make sure user control of time-sensitive content changes.
 * 8) Make sure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces.
 * 9) Design for device-independence.
 * 10) Use interim solutions.
 * 11) Use W3C technologies and guidelines.
 * 12) Provide context and orientation information.
 * 13) Provide clear navigation mechanisms.
 * 14) Ensure documents are clear and simple.

[Ananth Nandakishore]

Ananth Nandakishore Research Summary Ms. Morford ISS

2/24/10

"Protocols and Formats Working Group (PFWG) Public Page." //W3C//. W3C, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. [].
 * W3C Protocols and Format Working Group**

The PFWG looks at the formal web technologies like protocols and formats from an accessibility point of view. The practices themselves are outlined in the guideline developed by other groups. The principal of this working group is feedback to other W3C working groups developing specifications on how to ensure that their work can allow for accessibility. The PFWG also works on the XML Accessibility Guidelines (XAG). The charter of the working group (extended to 30 June 2009) outlines the goals, work methods, and requirements for participation. Another document explains how to join the group. It also explains why the working drafts and email archives of this group are in the members-only area. This activity is conducted by the W3C as part of its Web Accessibility Initiative On the growing edge of the Web we find Protocols and Formats such as:

* The Document Object Model (DOM) offers a neutral API for accessing the document tree. PFWG
 * The Extensible Markup Language (XML) provides for continuous enhancement of the hypertext medium.
 * The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) which introduces symbolic representation of graphics.
 * The Resource Description Framework (RDF) introduces knowledge about resources to the Web.
 * The Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) offers a means to exchange multimedia content across the breadth of the Web.

[Ananth Nandakishore]

Jonathan Yockey Research Summary Ms. Morford ISS 2/25/10

Department of Justice. “Americans with Disabilities Act: Title II Highlights.” //Findlaw for Legal Professionals.// Findlaw, 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. [|__http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Mar/2/128504.html__] Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to all “public entities,” which are defined as any state or local government and any of its departments. About technology for people with disabilities, Title II states that: Public entities cannot charge money for their auxiliary aids. Legal Decisions Concerning Physical Disabilities [Jonathan Yockey
 * Governments must ensure effective communication with people with disabilities.
 * When it is necessary, public entities must supply auxiliary aids to ensure effective communication. Examples of auxiliary aids are assistive listening headsets, television captioning and decoders, telecommunications for the deaf, video text, and brailed materials.

Jonathan Yockey Research Summary Ms. Morford ISS 2/25/10

Department of Justice. “Americans with Disabilities Act: Title III Highlights.” //Findlaw for Legal Professionals.// Findlaw, 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. [|__http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Mar/2/128738.html__] Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to all private entities and public accommodations. About technology for people with disabilities Title III states that: Legal Decisions Concerning Physical Disabilities [Jonathan Yockey]
 * Private entities and public accommodations must ensure effective communication with people with disabilities.
 * When it is necessary, private entities and public accommodations must supply auxiliary aids to ensure effective communication, but are allowed to charge for them.

Jonathan Yockey Research Summary Ms. Morford ISS 2/25/10

Gunderson, Jon and Mike Scott. //Illinois// //Information Technology Accessibility Act.// N. p., 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. [|__http://presentations.cita.uiuc.edu/2009-03-17-iitaa/iitaa.html__] The Illinois Information Technology Accessibility (IITAA), which is an Illinois state law, has specific requirements about accessibility of technology, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The IITAA was passed by the Illinois state legislature in 2007. It applies to state agencies and public universities, but not to local agencies or community colleges in Illinois. The IITAA has technical requirements designed to ensure accessibility to people with disabilities in these categories: Legal Decisions Concerning Physical Disabilities [Jonathan Yockey]
 * Software applications and operating systems
 * Web-based applications and information
 * Self-contained, closed products
 * Telecommunications products
 * Information, Documentation and Support
 * Multimedia and video products
 * Portable and desktop computers

Hornbaker ISS 6 Ms. Morford January 25, 2010 Research Summary

= Tools for Evaluating and Ensuring Web Accessibility = Disability Resources and Educational Services. "Firefox Accessibility Extension Documentation: Overview and Installation." // Illinois // // Center //// for Information // //Technology and Web Accessibility//. The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois, 2008. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. .

The Firefox Accessibility Extension makes it easier for people with disabilities to view the web including content such as videos and music files. Developers can use the extension to see make their websites more accessible. This can happen, because the extension tells developers what needs to be changed, as well as actually fixing the changes for people with disabilities.

Hornbaker ISS 6 Ms. Morford January 25, 2010 Research Summary

"FAE: Summary Report." //Functional Accessibility Evaluator 1.0.3//. University of Illinois, 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. .

This is a tool that evaluates web pages based on the HTML Standards (on how easily someone with a disability could access it). The 4 categories used in evaluation are -Navigation & Orientation -Text Equivalents -Scripting -Styling A website can either pass, receive a warning, or fail.

Hornbaker ISS 6 Ms. Morford January 25, 2010 Research Summary

Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act Access Board. "Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility ." //Access// //Board//. U.S. Government, 21 Dec. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. . Section 508 of the ammended Rehabilition Act of 1973 says that when Federal agencies create new electronic or information technology, as of 2001, when the 1998 ammendment becomes affective, they have to make it accessible to people with disabilities. The access that they get must be similar to the access of a person without a disablilty