70 -- ACCESSIBILITY FORUM

Notice Date

April 11, 2001

Contracting Office

General Services Administration, Federal Technology Service (FTS), IT Acquisition Service Center (TFL), 18th & F Streets, NW, Room 2024, Washington, DC, 20405

ZIP Code

20405

E-Mail Address

Curtis Glover, Sr. (curtis.glover@gsa.gov)

Description

ACCESSIBILITY FORUM CBD ANNOUNCEMENT The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA) is pleased to announce the inaugural meeting of the U.S. Federal government sponsored Accessibility Forum. The Accessibility Forum meeting will be held on May 11, 2001 from 9AM to 12PM at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center located at 800 Florida Ave N.E. in Washington, D.C. The Accessibility Forum is an industry, user, and government partnership aimed at developing effective and broadly accepted metrics and methods to assess Electronics and Information Technology (E&IT) product accessibility for people with disabilities, as defined by Public Law 105-220, Section 508. Section 508, an amendment to the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, gives the U.S. Access Board responsibility to publish E&IT Accessibility Standards. The Access Board issued final regulations for Section 508 (36 CFR Part 1194 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards; Final Rule) in December 2000. Section 508 also tasks GSA's Center for Information Technology Accommodation and the Access Board with assisting in Section 508 implementation. A key element in meeting that tasking is the GSA sponsored and industry-led Accessibility Forum. The mission of the Accessibility Forum is to provide government agencies and vendors of E&IT and Assistive Technology with effective and broadly accepted metrics and methods to assess whether E&IT products comply with Section 508 accessibility standards. The Accessibility Forum seeks industry leadership and user involvement in development of these accessibility assessment metrics and methods. The Accessibility Forum will also provide the infrastructure for continuing collaboration and dialogue between users and vendors. It should also provide a means for vendors to gain insight into accessibility needs that could be addressed in future products. The initial meeting of the Accessibility Forum will be held on May 11, 2001 from 9AM to 12PM at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center located at 800 Florida Ave N.E. in Washington, D.C. To assure that appropriate accommodations and accessibility are provided, advance registration is requested. Register on-line at http://adit.aticorp.org/accessibility-forum/reg-announcement.html or by calling 843-760-3792.

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/cgi-bin/WebObjects/EPS.woa/wa/SPF?A=S&P=Reference-Number-PR508&L=384)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010413/SPMSC010.HTM (D-101 SN50I9V7)