AT FAQ's

What is Information Technology?
Information Technology (IT) is everyday technology used to acquire, store, manipulate or transmit information; such as telephones and telecommunications products, video equipment, websites, message systems, computer hardware, and more. Accessible IT (AIT) is information technology designed with special features and properties built-in that make it more useable for people with a variety of disabilities.

Examples of Accessible Information Technology include:

Computer software that works with text-to-speech software
Web pages with resizable fonts
Desktop computers with front-mounted audio and USB ports
Printers and copiers with simple layouts and easy-to-reach controls
Message systems with text captioning options
In schools AIT allows students with awide range of abilities and disabilities to participate in the same curriculumtogether, and reduces the time and money technology specialists and administrators spend on maintaining adapted and separate technology.

What is AIT?
Let's start with the definition of Information Technology. Electronic and information technology includes any product used to acquire, store, manipulate, or transmit information. This includes software applications and operating systems; web-based information and applications such as distance learning; telephones and other telecommunications products; video equipment and multimedia products that may be distributed on videotapes, CDs, DVDs, or the World Wide Web; office products such as photocopiers and fax machines, calculators, and computer hardware.

A more formal definition is provided within the Access Board's Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards, written in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998:

"Electronic and information technology [includes] information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information. The term electronic and information technology includes, but is not limited to, telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites, multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines. The term does not include any equipment that contains embedded information technology that is used as an integral part of the product, but the principal function of which is not the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information. For example, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment such as thermostats or temperature control devices, and medical equipment where information technology is integral to its operation, are not information technology.

Information technology [is] any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information. The term 'information technology' includes computers, ancillary equipment, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources."

What is the difference between Accessible Information Technology (AIT) and Assistive Technology (AT)?
Simply put, "accessible education-based information technology" is simply information technology that has inherent functions, properties, and the potential to be used by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Examples of "accessible information technology" can include computer towers with front-mounted headphone jacks and ports, electronic devices which allow the user to increase the screen resolution, operating systems which support screen enlargement and text-to speech capabilities, voice mail and messaging systems, and copier/fax machines which allow for users to interface and function with the device without the use of touch or sight.

On the other hand, "assistive technology" is technology (software, hardware) which helps people with specific disabilties maximize their abilties to access information or services. Examples of "assistive technology" include text-to-speech software, screen enlarging software, alternative-output hardware, large-print keyboards, as well as alternative tracking devices.

For example, JAWS, a popular screen-reading package, can be considered Assistive Technology (AT), but not necessarily Accessible Information Technology (AIT), because by itself, JAWS does not contain the functions necessary ot be a stand-alone information system. Only accessible information technology, such as accessilbe web browsers (like Internet Explorer)can work with JAWS. Assistive technology, like JAWS, cannot function for the user if software titles and systems are not programmed with accessibility in mind.

School districts are required (by law) to consider and provide appropriate AT to students with disabilities, when it’s needed for them to learn, participate, and interact in school. AT is anything that makes it easier for a student to read, write, see, use a computer, turn something on, get dressed, eat, communicate, travel, or play. Although the word 'technology' is used, AT is not limited to something electronic or computerized. Some examples of AT include pencil grips, special paper, calculators, books-on-tape, special keyboards, communication devices, and computer software.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) defines Assistive Technology (AT) as both a device and a service. An AT device is any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customize, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. An AT service is any service that directly assists a person with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.

Can AIT be used in the classroom to support learning?
Yes. Technology use in schools continues to increase, and using accessible computer and other media makes learning easier and more available to everyone. AIT in the classroom reduces the need for special modifications (AT) for students with disabilities, because computers are ready for everyone to use all the time.

Imagine Kay, a student with a reading disability, is working on an assignment at a computer. Kay has difficulty reading and understanding text, the assignment she is doing is a science project, but reading is involved. Kay uses a feature on the computer that will highlight words and read the text out loud (called Text-to-Speech) as she listens with earphones. This way Kay is able to learn the science information, and is not limited by her reading disability. Accessible computer software features, like text-to-speech, are ready for any student who needs them, and ignored by the students who do not need them. Using Accessible IT in classrooms helps to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

Guidelines and Standards

What is Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act?
The Reauthorized Rehabilitation Act of 1998 included amendments to Section 508 of the Act. In these amendments was a call that the federal government be barred from procuring, using or maintaining Electronic and Information Technology (E&IT) goods and services that were not fully accessible.

http://www.section508.gov/
This is the official Web site for Section 508 information and updates. Using this Web site, federal employees and the public can access resources for understanding and implementing the requirements of Section 508 with respect to Electronic and Information Technology.

http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm
United States Access Board site for Section 508 resources, including standards in alternative languages, technical assistance, FAQs, and more.

What is W3C Web Accessibility Initiative?
The W3C is an international, vendor-neutral group that determines the protocols and standards for the Web. The W3C realized that they needed to make provisions to ensure that people with disabilities were not excluded from accessing it. From this realization, the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) was born.

http://www.w3.org/wai/
The Official Website of the Web Accessibility Initiative

Are there laws related to Telecommunications?
Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires manufacturers to ensure that their telecommunications equipment is compatible with existing peripheral devices or specialized customer premises equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve access, if readily achievable.

http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm
United States Access Board site for Section 255 telecommunications accessibility.

Is BOBBY a Standard?
No. "Bobby" was an web markup accessibility checker developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), and later sold to the Watchfire group. Although not the first, Bobby was one of the most popular checkers for web accessibility, partly due to a campaign that involved having pages, which passed an evaluation against the Section 508 standards, a seal that stated "Bobby Approved".

However, Bobby checks for Section 508 compliance was only partial at best, and did not guarantee accessibility of web pages. Confusion led many people to beleive that 'Bobby' was an actual standard, when in fact 'Bobby Approved' usually meant that the pages passed only a subset of the Section 508 Standards tested by the Bobby software.