| Subscribe |
The Board Holds Town Meeting in the Denver Area
On July 24th the Board held a town meeting in the Denver area to discuss access issues and to provide updates on the work of the Board. This year’s event included panel presentations by invited guests on voting equipment and classroom acoustics, which were followed by an open forum where members of the public could advise the Board on issues of concern.
Tom Wilkey, Executive Director of the Election Assistance Commission, provided an update on efforts to improve access to voting equipment under the Help America Vote Act of 2002. This work includes a review and update of guidelines for voting systems adopted by the Commission in 2005. The review is being conducted by a designated interagency panel that drafted the current version of the guidelines which includes representation from the Board. An updated draft will be released for public comment, possibly in September. The Commission will hold hearings across the county on the updated guidelines during the comment period.
Wilkey also provided an overview of a new Commission program for certifying voting system equipment and accrediting testing laboratories. Representatives from two testing laboratories in Colorado, Carolyn Coggins of I Beta Quality Assurance and Jennifer Garcia of Systest Labs, outlined the procedures for verifying compliance of voting systems. Under this voluntary program, manufacturers can submit their products for testing against Federal standards and receive certification from the Commission, which most states require. The Board will provide training on access issues to the labs in late August.
The second panel addressed the importance of good acoustics in classrooms and other learning environments. Dr. Cheryl Johnson, an educational audiologist and deaf education consultant, described how background noise and reverberation compromise learning. While poor acoustics effect all children because their listening and comprehension skills are still developing, the impact is more pronounced on children with hearing loss, as well as those with learning disabilities or who learned English as a second language. She provided an overview of acoustic standards for classrooms developed by the Acoustical Society of America with support from the Board and other entities and outlined strategies to promote their adoption by states and model building code groups. Lisa Cannon, an audiologist for the Denver public schools, provided a briefing on the implementation of the standards by the Poudre School District in Colorado. A new junior high school that opened last year offers a case study on the positive effect of the standards. Two new elementary schools due to open this year and next year will also meet the acoustic standards.
During the open forum that followed the presentations, several members of the public, including parents of children with hearing loss, strongly endorsed the efforts to improve classroom acoustics. Participants also called attention to other access concerns, including ADA standards for residential facilities, voting systems and the legibility of paper ballots, and access to parking meters.
Public Hearing Held on Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas
As part of its Denver town meeting, the Board held a public hearing on newly proposed guidelines for Federal outdoor developed areas. The event provided an opportunity for members of the public and interested parties to provide feedback on the guidelines, which address access to new or altered trails, beach routes, and picnic and camping areas constructed by the Federal government.
Participants included representatives from area and national organizations devoted to outdoor recreation or accessibility, including the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department, Partners for Access to the Woods, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, the National Center on Accessibility, and the National Recreation and Park Association. Testimony was also received from the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Rocky Mountain Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, AXS Vail Valley, and the Colorado Governor’s Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities. Some speakers had served on the regulatory negotiation committee that drafted the guidelines for the Board.
Many commenters generally endorsed the approach taken in the guidelines and urged the Board to promptly follow up with similar guidelines for non-Federal sites. Some comments called attention to certain provisions that should be revised or clarified, including defined terms, technical criteria for trails, protruding objects, overlooks, and scoping for parking, and picnic and camping elements. A number of comments addressed questions on various topics posed to the public in the Board’s proposal, including exemptions, construction tolerances, trail signage, and beach access routes. These and other comments received are posted on the Board’s website at www.access-board.gov/outdoor/nprm/comments/.
Future hearings are scheduled for September 6th in Washington, D.C. and September 26th in Indianapolis at the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual congress. Comments can be submitted at the hearings or by email, fax, or mail. The deadline for comment is October 18th. For further information, contact Bill Botten at botten@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0014 (v), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
Upcoming Hearings
Sept. 6th 2:00 – 5:00
Madison Hotel
1177 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC
Sept. 26th 2:00 – 5:00
Indiana Convention Center, Room 102
Indianapolis, IN
Public Provides Input on Updated Guidelines for Buses and Vans
Last April the Board released for public comment a preliminary draft of revisions updating its accessibility guidelines for buses and vans covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Changes include the addition of provisions for new or variant forms of service, such as bus rapid transit. The Board is also revisiting various specifications, such as minimum space requirements for wheelchairs, due to the increasing diversity of mobility aids now on the market.
In response to the released draft, the Board received feedback from vehicle manufacturers, transit operators, trade associations, consumers, disability groups, and others. By the close of the comment period on June 11th, the Board received approximately 80 comments on the draft changes. The comments are posted on the Board’s website at www.access-board.gov/transit/comments/.
The Board will also issue draft updates of other sections of the vehicles guidelines which, in addition to buses and vans, cover rail cars, trams, and other modes of transportation. The input received on the recent and upcoming drafts will be used to prepare an official proposal which will also be made available for comment. For further information, contact Dennis Cannon at cannon@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0015 (v), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
New Guide Published on Rights-of-Way Alterations
A new design guide is now available on achieving accessibility in alterations projects involving public streets and sidewalks. Accessible Public Rights-of-Way: Planning and Designing for Alterations explains how to maximize accessibility in the course of alterations through careful planning, an understanding of current regulations and access criteria, and strategies for negotiating constraints. The guide outlines and illustrates design solutions and model sidewalks and includes case studies and other resources. This information was developed by a group of former members of the Board’s Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee which prepared recommendations for the Board’s use in developing new guidelines for public rights-of-ways. In the course of its work, the Committee determined that guidance specific to alterations was needed as a supplement to future guidelines. The guide was published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers with support from the Board and is available on the Board’s website at www.access-board.gov/prowac/alterations/guide.htm.
Advisory Committee Calendar
Several Board advisory committees assisting the Board in various rulemaking initiatives, including two new ones, are scheduled to hold meetings in September. All committee meetings are open to the public and time is reserved for comment.
Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC)
The TEITAC, which is developing recommendations to the Board on updating its 508 standards for electronic and information technology and its Telecommunications Act guidelines, will hold its next meeting September 4th – 6th. The meeting will take place at the National Science Foundation (NSF), Room II-555, 4201 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia. The agenda will include plenary sessions and meetings of the Committee’s eight subcommittees. Persons wishing to attend must pre-register and follow NSF procedures, including its computer security policy. For more information, contact Tim Creagan at creagan@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0016 (v), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
Advisory Committee on Emergency Transportable Housing
The Board has organized an advisory committee to provide recommendations on supplementing its guidelines to specifically cover emergency transportable housing. Access to such housing proved problematic in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and, after verifying and examining the issues involved, the Board has determined that supplementary guidelines are needed. The new committee, which includes representation from disability groups, industry and code groups, and government agencies, will hold its first meeting September 24th and 25th in Washington, D.C. For more information, contact Marsha Mazz at mazz@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0020 (v), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
Advisory Committee on Vessel Alarm Systems
As part of its effort to develop new guidelines for passenger vessels, the Board has named an advisory committee to examine issues concerning access to emergency alarm systems that are accessible to passengers with hearing impairments. The committee includes representatives from disability organizations, the vessel and cruise ship industry and trade groups, and the National Fire Protection Association, among others. The committee will hold its first meeting September 19th and 20th in Washington, D.C. For additional information, contact Paul Beatty at pvag@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0012 (v), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
Aromie Noe Joins the Board as a Policy Analyst
Aromie Noe has joined the Board as a policy analyst who will oversee preparation of regulatory assessments for various guidelines and standards under development or update by the Board. Such assessments, which estimate cost and other impacts of proposed and final rules, are a critical step in the rulemaking process. Noe comes to the Board from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which oversees most Federal rulemaking, where she was employed since 1994. At OMB, she served as a program examiner in personnel policy and as acting chief of the Personnel Policy Branch. Before joining OMB, she analyzed policy and developed programs for the Association of Asian/ Pacific Community Health Organizations in Oakland, California.
In Memoriam: Tom Deniston (1938 – 2007)
Tom Deniston, a longtime advocate for people with disabilities and former executive director of the Access Board died July 24th in a vehicle accident in Denver shortly after attending the Board’s town meeting and public hearing. Paralyzed by a spinal cord injury suffered in Vietnam as a major in the U.S. Air Force, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 12 Air Medals. He joined the Veterans Administration (VA) in 1983 and served as its liaison to the Board. In 1988, he was named acting executive director of the Board, a position he held for over a year. Before entering Federal service with the VA, he coordinated disability policy for the Governor of New Mexico and held positions at the Paralyzed Veterans of America. He was active in many organizations, including Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Easter Seal Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, and the Colorado Springs Independence Center, among others. Though retired, he had remained active in promoting accessibility and served as a consultant on disability issues. Contributions in his honor can be made to the Memorial Fund of First Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs.
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.
|
