Agencies keep assistive tech at forefront
From: Federal Computer Week - 07/26/2004
By: Michael Hardy

Disabilities among workers are more prevalent than many people realize,
suggesting a greater need for assistive technologies than many agency
managers recognize, according to a study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. 

The study, conducted by Forrester Research Inc., is in its second phase. The
first phase showed that 57 percent of all federal computer users could
benefit from speech-recognition software, text readers and other
technologies, said Laura Ruby, manager of regulatory and legislative affairs
for the Accessible Technology Group at Microsoft. 

"We looked at computer users who were 18 to 64, so we were looking at the
employable population," she said. 

The research suggests that many people who do not call themselves disabled
struggle with an impairment, Ruby said. One in four have some vision
difficulty, one in four have dexterity impairments and one in five have
trouble hearing, according to the report. 

"We know now that there is a large pool of people who need to know" about
technologies that can help them overcome their handicaps, she said. "One of
the interesting things that we found was that the majority of people likely
to benefit from using assistive technology were not using it."  The second
phase of the study will dig deeper into the daily routines of people who have
impairments to find out if they use technological aids, Ruby said. "We should
have more information about that in a couple of months," she said. 

Agency managers have been driven to make workplaces more accessible, first by
the Americans with Disabilities Act and more recently by Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 focuses on making technology accessible to
users. For example, it calls for Web sites to include large written
descriptions of images for people who can't see small pictures.  

To ensure that employees are aware of available technologies, some agencies
maintain technology centers at their headquarters. At the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a small showcase at the help desk has special
keyboards, mouse devices and other aids available for users to try. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0726/mgt-assist-07-26-04.asp

Contributed by Jamie Prioli