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In Brief
News and Items of Interest for May
General Accessibility Resources
Section508.gov was created by the Center for Information and Technology Accommodation (CITA) to educate federal employees about accessibility and help them fulfill the requirements of Section 508, which requires federal agencies' electronic and information technology to accessible to people with disabilities. If you don't work for the federal government, the site still offers a variety of background information on Section 508 as well as practical tips on how to move from information to implementation.
Read more at www.section508.gov >>
Although we’ve listed Knowbility before as a great resource, we couldn’t not include them in this issue of The Sophist focused on accessibility. Knowbility connects people with disabilities with great opportunity by promoting barrier-free information technology through a variety of means—education, awareness building, an accessible Web page design curriculum, and AIR (Accessibility Internet Rally) events. And, if you haven’t already, please be sure to check out "Three Perspectives on Accessibility and the Nonprofit Sector" in this issue, where Sharron Rush, executive director of Knowbility, shares her thoughts on accessibility.
Find out more at www.knowbility.org >>
TechSoup offers articles on accessible technology and hosts a message board forum on the digital divide. From the practical how-to articles to the dynamic community active on the message boards, Tech Soup is a great resource.
Look over the accessible technology articles, or contribute to the digital divide message board forum at www.techsoup.org >>
Recommended Reading on Accessibility
The most recent (October 2000) "Falling through the Net" report from the Department of Commerce, which was responsible for coining the term digital divide, identified people with disabilities as being the single group most at risk for lacking adequate access to technology to keep pace with society's changing economic and educational opportunities. Below are two of the most startling facts from the executive summary of that report:
- Persons with a disability are only half as likely to have access to the Internet as those without a disability: 21.6 percent compared to 42.1 percent. And while slightly less than 25 percent of those without a disability have never used a personal computer, the figure for those with a disability is close to 60 percent.
- Among those with a disability, people who have impaired vision and problems with manual dexterity have even lower rates of Internet access and are less likely to use a computer regularly than people with hearing and mobility problems. This difference holds in the aggregate, as well as across age groups.
Read the full report at www.ntia.doc.gov >>
In early March of this year, accessibility consultant and Mac user Kynn Bartlett launched Maccessibility.com, a Web log focusing on accessibility, Macs, and Mac accessibility. If you like your information with a dose of opinion, then check it out.
Blog on at www.maccessibility.com >>
The Disability Digital Divide
The March 12, 2003, article "Technology Eroding the Wall between Disabled, Non-disabled" looks at both the promise of technology for people with disabilities and its shortcomings. As an example of the shortcomings, the reporter cites a PricewaterhouseCoopers study that found that only 15 percent of federal sites made their content sufficiently clear and easy to find despite the 1998, amendment to the Rehabilitation Act requiring federal agencies to make their Web sites accessible to people with disabilities.
Read the article at usatoday.com >>
In his BBC article "Digital Radio 'Shuns' the Blind," broadcast professional Ian Macrae points out digital radio's betrayal of some of radio's historically most loyal supporters: the visually impaired. The latest digital sound systems make it guess work for anyone who can't see the visual display on the unit to find or tune to a station. His conclusion is simple, "[I]f radio belongs to everyone, it belongs at least as much to those of us who need and prefer to listen to rather than look at it."
Read the full article at news.bbc.co.uk >>
The Economic Digital Divide
At the e-Philanthropy conference in Oakland this March, Dr. Randall Pinkett spoke about the Creating Community Connections Project--which is spanning the digital divide between low-income Americans and those with easy access to technology. The project has set up wireless Internet access for Camfield Estates, a 102-unit public housing development in the South End/Lower Roxbury section of Boston, MA. The community computer room provides classes on everything from how to plug in a mouse to setting up Web sites.
Get the details at cnn.com, or visit camfieldestates.net >>
Similar to the Creating Community Connections Project, the United Way is building a network of wireless high-speed Internet antennas in two low-income West Philadelphia neighborhoods so residents can have access to information about jobs, daycare, education, and government services that more affluent groups of society of enjoyed for years. The service will cost between $5 and $10 per month, less than what many people pay to dial up the Internet on a modem. The United Way plans to start giving away machines to area families this summer, starting with 100 in the city's West Powelton and Haddington sections.
Read more about the project at zwire.com >>
Whereas the efforts in Boston and West Philadelphia are directed at residential neighborhoods, an initiative in South Africa is installing computers in a school in one of the poorest areas of Johannesburg, providing students with hands-on access to information technology. Before the computer room was built, the only technology at the school was a single telephone line. Once complete, the project will have established a 40-machine training room.
The full article is at news.bbc.co.uk >>
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