Advances in Section 508
From: Government Computer News - 06/05/2006
By: Brad Grimes and Joab Jackson

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is due for an upgrade and Michael
Takemura, head of Hewlett-Packard’s Accessibility Program Office, sounds
excited about the potential changes. "When 508 started, there weren’t a lot
of these," he says, holding up an HP iPaq handheld. Takemura is intimately
involved with accessibility standards issues worldwide and currently sits on,
among other things, an accessibility working group of the International
Committee for Information Technology Standards. During a visit to GCN,
Takemura warned that an aging workforce could present serious accessibility
issues for the government. But he was optimistic. "Accessibility is not a
destination you arrive at. No one wants [508] standards that are so
restrictive they stifle innovation," he said.  

Last month, HP partnered with ViewPlus Technologies to develop Emprint, a
single-pass Braille embosser and HP color inkjet printer. Takemura was also
impressed with new technology from Peacock Communications Inc. of Marietta,
GA. Peacock is coming out with a product called COMMplement that combines
wireless communications, a personal digital assistant and a tiny wearable
display to offer personal closed captioning.  

The Access Board is currently putting together a steering committee for the
508 refresh, which should be announced in September, Takemura said. A
completely updated Section 508 is on target for 2008. 

Read the article at:
http://www.gcn.com/print/25_14/40881-1.html 

Links:
Hewlett-Packard’s Accessibility Program
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/accessibility/

Michael Takemura Interview
http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/csun/050314/default.cfm?id=5434&type=wmhigh

Emprint
http://www.viewplus.com/products/braille-embossers/ink-braille-printers/emprint/

ViewPlus Technologies
http://www.viewplus.com/

Wireless System Brings Captioning to Public Venues
http://www.electronicdesign.com/Articles/ArticleID/10456/10456.html