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RE: Documentation, Labeling and Support Group Report and Writing Assignments



Thanx Mike...

Your leadership here has been very helpful...

Roger Wellman
Vice President,
Chief Information Officer
Easter Seals national headquarters

******As of September 1st my email address is changing to
rwellman@easter-seals.org . Please mark this down and make any appropriate
changes in your address book.******




		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Mike Paciello [mailto:paciello@ma.ultranet.com]
		Sent:	Wednesday, January 06, 1999 10:49 PM
		To:	eitaac@trace.wisc.edu
		Cc:	paciello@ma.ultranet.com
		Subject:	Documentation, Labeling and Support Group
Report and Writing Assignments

		Following is the report of the Documentation, Labeling and
Support Subgroup
		including writing assignments based on our meetings on
1/5-1/6:

		Date: Jan. 5 and 6, 1999

		Notes from Documentation Subgroup

		Members Present:

		Seville Allen
		Debbie Cook
		Jennifer Dexter 
		Steve Mendelsohn
		Arthur Murphy (chair)
		Mike Paciello (scribe)
		Roger Wellman

		Meeting Notices:

		1. Writing assignments appear at the end of each
accessibility issue and
		barrier. 

		2. Dr. Scadden requested that initial drafts should be
posted no later than
		Monday, January 25. This will ensure adequate time
		for review and comments by committee members.

		3. Drafts should be made available in text format.

		4. The template reflecting the committee's recommendation of
the TAAC
		format will be prepared and distributed to all members by
Jim Fruchterman.


		Documentation Subgroup Preamble: 

		Users with disabilities need the same information in the
same time frame,
		depth and with the same independent use as non-disabled
users.


		I. Identification of accessibility issues and barriers

			a) Documentation and Labeling (Steve Mendelsohn,
Dave Bolnick, Mike Paciello)
			
				i) Documentation is not available to all
users.(Steve)
				ii) There is no standardized methodology for
presenting diagrams, sound,
		pictures and no-textual information. (Mike and Dave)
				iii) There is no ability prior to and
sometimes after installation to
		determine and access the user registration number (Steve)
				iv) Insufficient information is available to
identify the software.(Steve)
			
			b) Support (Jennifer Dexter, Roger Wellman, Debbie
Cook, Seville Allen)
			
				i) The use of adaptive equipment confounds
support personnel.(Jennifer)
				ii) Support is not always available in a
timely,usable and multimodal
		manner. (Seville)
				iii) Support personnel frequently are not
aware of the accessibility
		features that are built into their own products.(Roger)

				iv) Integration of multi-vendor software and
hardware systems creates
		unique challenges. The addition of assistive devices
complicates
		support.(Debbie/Roger)
				v) Vendor web sites created for the purpose
of supporting product
		information, documentation or other product related services
are not
		accessible. (Debbie)
				
			c) Training (Arthur Murphy, Seville Allen, Debbie
Cook)

				i) Fifty percent of all assistive devices
purchased are abandoned due to
		the lack of appropriate assessment, training and support.
				ii) Integration of multi-vendor software and
hardware systems creates
		unique challenges. The addition of assistive devices
compounds training.
				
				
			
			
		II) Appropriate solutions to consider

		        a) Documentation and Labeling
		        
				i) All documentation needs to be available
in accessible electronic text
				ii) All multimedia documentation and
tutorials need to be available in
		closed caption, audio description and transcribed.
Transitions (e.g.,
		pauses and response times) need to be adjustable.
				iii) All software should identify itself
before installation.
				iv) After installation, the registration
number should be easily accessible
				v) With proof of ownership, it should be
possible to obtain a valid
		registration number by phone.
		        

			b) Support

				i) Any technical assistance, including the
directions on how to access
		technical assistance, needs to be provided in formats that
is accessible to
		all persons. 
				ii) Technical assistance includes (but is
not limited to):
				
					a) Embedded Help
					
						1. User assistance that is
built into the product or comes as an
		integral part of the product.
						2. Products should be
internally consisten (e.g. Display should follow
		the same rendering and navigation protocols as the rest of
the product)
						3.  Redundant modal
indicators must be available with all embedded help
		functions (e.g beeps available as lights, lights available
as beeps, etc.).
		All indicators must be adjustable.
						
					b) Web/E-mail Support
					
						1. Support provided by way
of e-mail, including attachments must be
		available in text format.
						2. All support provided by
way of the Web must be accessible.
						
					c) Phone Support
					
						1. TTY support must be
available. 
						2. Alternatives to tree
support must be available. Provide textual
		alternatives to prerecorded information.
						3. Transistions (e.g. pauses
and response times) should be adjustable. 
					
					d) Multimedia Support
					
						4. All multimedia support
must be available in video caption, audio
		description and text transcription. 
						5. Transitions (e.g., pauses
and response times) should be adjustable.
						
				

			c) Training

				i) Training is an integral part of product
support and, therefore, should
		be designed, provided and disseminated to accomodate all
persons.
				
			
				
		Respectfully submitted, 

		Mike Paciello

		Mike Paciello                     Email:
<paciello@ma.ultranet.com>
		WebABLE! Solutions          Tel: (603) 598-9544 
		131 D.W. Highway #618     Fax: (603) 598-2839 
		Nashua, NH 03060             WWW: <http:://www.webable.com>

		Please make a donation to the Yuri Rubinsky Insight
Foundation.
		(http://www.yuri.org)

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