| Subject: News from the Access Board - May/ June 2005 |
| From: news@access-board.gov |
| Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 17:31:45 -0400 (EDT) |
| To: |
Access Currents
Volume 11, No.3 May/ June 2005
- Board to Hold Forums During Week of ADA Anniversary Events
- Board Unveils New Website; Seeks Input on Future Enhancements
- Courthouse Access Advisory Group to Meet in Chicago in August
- Supreme Court Rules that ADA Covers Foreign Flag Vessels
- New Voting System Guidelines Released for Public Comment
- Research Completed on Access at Vessel Doors with Coamings
- Doug Wakefield, Board’s Section 508 Specialist, to Retire
- Access Board Training
Board to Hold Forums During Week of ADA Anniversary Events
Among a number of programs and receptions planned by various organizations to mark the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26th, the Access Board will hold several public forums on its work and goals under the ADA. These events will allow the public to provide input on shaping a new agenda and on specific Board initiatives. The meetings, which are free and open to the public, will be held at the Marriott at Metro Center in downtown D.C.
Public Hearing on Passenger Vessels (July 25th 10:00 – 12:00)
The Board will hold a public hearing on access to passenger vessels on the morning of July 25th. The public is invited to provide comment on materials the Board released in November on its rulemaking for access to passenger vessels, including draft guidelines for large vessels, such as cruise ships, and a notice outlining several different options on addressing access to smaller vessels, such as water taxis and excursion boats. This event follows similar hearings held in D.C. last January and in Los Angeles at the end of June. For further information, contact Paul Beatty at (202) 272-0012 (v), (202) 272-0082 (TTY), or pvag@access-board.gov (e-mail). The materials on passenger vessels available for comment are posted on the Board’s website at http://www.access-board.gov/news/pvag.htm.
Meeting on Promoting Education on Accessible Design (July 25th 1:30 – 4:30)
An information meeting will be held later on the same day on a new Board initiative to promote accessibility in the education of architects, planners, and engineers. The Board seeks recommendations on ways this goal can be advanced through education curricula, design competitions, outreach to colleges, universities, and accrediting organizations, and other means. For further information on this event, contact Jim Pecht at (202) 272-0021 (v), (202) 272-0082 (TTY), or pecht@access-board.gov (e-mail).
Forum on Board Agenda and Services (July 26th 9:30 – 11:00)
The Board will hold a public forum on its work developing and maintaining guidelines, sponsoring research, and providing information and services through its website. This forum will provide an opportunity for the public to provide input on the Board’s agenda for rulemaking, research, technical assistance, and training. Recommendations are sought on topics or issues that the Board should address through its work writing guidelines for accessible design, its research program, or other means, such as information meetings. The Board also seeks recommendations on new guidance and training materials and how this information and related services can be delivered most effectively to its various audiences, particularly through its website. For further information, contact Kathy Roy Johnson at (202) 272-0041 (v), (202) 272-0082 (TTY), or johnson@access-board.gov (e-mail).
This latter event is part of a program of seminars organized by the National Council on Disability (NCD) in cooperation with various Federal agencies. The full program, “The ADA: 15 Years of Making a Difference,” includes an opening plenary session, five other ADA-related workshops in addition to the Board’s session, and a closing session. For information on the full program, contact the NCD at (202) 272-2004 (v) or (202) 272-2074 (TTY).
Board Unveils New Website; Seeks Input on Future Enhancements
In June, the Board implemented a complete redesign and overhaul of its website at http://www.access-board.gov. The revised site features a new look and organization, improved navigational and search features, and additional on-line services. Visitors can now order Board publications through the site in addition to subscribing to the Board’s newsletter or filing a complaint under the Architectural Barriers Act. The new site’s design provides a portal page or “mini-homepage” for each of the Board’s guidelines and standards, including those under development, which contain links to all relevant materials and related resources for easier one-stop shopping.
The Board plans to develop new content and features for the website in coming months. This next phase will explore ways in which guidance and training on the Board’s design criteria and accessible design can be delivered most effectively through the site. A public forum to be held on July 26th (see page 1) will invite recommendations from the public on these and other website features and on-line services.
Courthouse Access Advisory Group to Meet in Chicago in August
The Courthouse Access Advisory Committee will hold its next quarterly meeting August 4th and 5th in Chicago. The committee, which the Board chartered last fall, is exploring ways to address and promote access to courthouses, including courtrooms, which pose unique challenges to accessibility. At this meeting, members will review and assess considered design solutions and best practices. In addition, the committee will continue work gathering resources and planning outreach and educational initiatives. Presentations on courtroom platform lifts and on emergency egress are also on the agenda, along with planning for next year’s meetings.
The committee’s members include designers and architects, disability groups, members of the judiciary, court administrators, representatives of the codes community and standard-setting entities, government agencies, and others with an interest in the issues to be explored. Committee meetings are open to the public. For further information, contact Elizabeth Stewart at (202) 272-0042 (voice), (202) 272-0082 (TTY), or stewart@access-board.gov (e-mail).
Courthouse Access Advisory Committee Meeting
Allegro Hotel - 171 West Randolph Chicago, IL
August 4th 9 – 5; August 5th 9 – 3
Supreme Court Rules that ADA Covers Foreign Flag Vessels
In June, the Supreme Court ruled in a split decision that cruise ships, including those of foreign registry, are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The case, Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line, involved claims concerning barrier removal and discriminatory policies by a foreign-flag cruise line. The Court ruled that cruise ships fall within the ADA’s definitions of “public accommodations” and “specified public transportation.” On the question on whether the ADA applies to foreign-flag cruise ships, the ruling opinion upheld coverage of the ADA to the extent that it does not interfere with the internal affairs of a foreign-flag cruise ship. For example, discriminatory practices such as charging passengers with disabilities higher fares and special surcharges would be barred under the ADA since they have no bearing on a ship’s internal affairs. Other requirements of the ADA, such as removal of barriers to access where readily achievable, would apply only to the extent that a ship’s internal affairs were not affected. The decision notes that barrier removal would not be considered “readily achievable” where it conflicted with international legal obligations or threatened shipboard safety.
The full text of the ruling and dissenting opinions are available on the Supreme Court’s website at http://www.supremecourtus.gov.
New Voting System Guidelines Released for Public Comment
In June, the Election Assistance Commission published new guidelines for voting systems that are available for public comment for 90 days. These guidelines, once finalized, will be available for states to use on a voluntary basis in complying with the Help America Vote Act of 2002. This law was enacted to prevent the types of ballot controversies that arose in the presidential election of 2000 and calls for methods to improve the usability and reliability of voting systems used in Federal elections. The law ensures that voting systems and polling places are accessible to people with disabilities and also covers ballot verification by voters, language barriers, and provisional voting.
The new guidelines contain specific provisions for accessibility, as well as voting system usability, security, and privacy. Specifications address access to voting equipment for all types of users, including those with vision impairments. The draft guidelines and instructions for submitting comments are posted on the Commission’s website at http://www.eac.gov. The Commission will hold public hearings on the guidelines during the comment period. The guidelines were drafted by a committee comprised of voting system specialists, election officials, persons with disabilities, and other stakeholders and interests, including the Access Board. This committee was set up under the law to prepare guidelines for the Commission’s review. Board members J.R. Harding, Ed.D. and James Elekes, M.Ed, MPA/CPM represent the Board on this committee and on the Commission’s Board of Advisors.
Research Completed on Access at Vessel Doors with Coamings
Results are in on a study the Board sponsored on providing access at doors on various types of passenger vessels. Conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, this project explored ways to provide access at vessels doors with coamings or sills, which are used to prevent water infiltration. The results provide information on solutions to this issue which will supplement the Board’s work in developing new guidelines for passenger vessels. The study results provide data that can be useful to vessel designers, operators, and inspectors in improving disability access without compromising the vessel safety provisions of the coamings at weathertight doors.
In Phase I of the project, researchers examined governing safety regulations and developed several case studies examining the design and regulatory review of weathertight doors on certain types of smaller sized classes of vessels. In Phase II, researchers explored technical guidance and design solutions for weathertight doors that meet both U.S. Coast Guard regulations and the Board’s accessibility guidelines. The project report, “ADA Access to Passenger Vessels: Finding Safety Equivalence for Weatherfight Doors with Coamings” is posted on the Board’s website at http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/index.htm.
Doug Wakefield, Board’s Section 508 Specialist, to Retire
Doug Wakefield, the Board’s expert on accessible information technology, retired from government service at the end of June. Wakefield joined the Board in 1998 to lead its work writing new standards for electronic and information technology under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. This law, as amended, assigned the Board the task of issuing new standards for covered technologies procured by Federal agencies. After these standards were issued in 2000, he provided technical assistance and training on them, conducting numerous sessions across the country. He also oversaw the development of related guidance material and represented the Board at various interagency and international forums on section 508 and accessible information technology. Prior to his work at the Board, he provided consultation on accessibility for employees with disabilities at the General Services Administration’s Center on Information Technology Accommodation and before that ran his own consulting firm which specialized in adaptive computer equipment.
Access Board Training
The Board regularly provides training and briefings on its guidelines and standards at various events across the country. Often, these sessions are part of larger programs organized by different groups and associations. Sessions can be tailored to focus on particular areas of interest, such as specific types of facilities or spaces.
Training is available on new guidelines the Board issued last July for facilities covered by the ADA and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). While it will take some time before these new requirements become mandatory as standards under the ADA, new ABA standards covering most of the Federal sector will take effect later in the year. Training is also available in areas to be addressed by future guidelines, such as outdoor environments and public rights-of-way. Besides programs on its facility guidelines, the Board offers training on design criteria for transportation vehicles, electronic and information technology, and telecommunication products. For further information or to arrange a Board training, contact Peggy Greenwell, the Board’s training coordinator, at training@access-board.gov (e-mail) or (202) 272-0017 (v) or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
Training Calendar
Some upcoming events where the Board will provide training:
"Access Currents" is a free newsletter issued by the Access Board every other month by mail and e-mail. Send questions or comments to news@access-board.gov or call (800) 872-2253 ext. 0026 (voice) or (800) 993-2822 (TTY). Mailing address: 1331 F Street, N.W., Suite 1000; Washington, D.C. 20004-1111.
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