Bibliography on Assistive Technology

AT Use | Barriers & Needs | Aging | Education | Employment | Health | Housing | Libraries | Telecommunications/Information Technologies | Universal Design

AT Use

• Assistive technology survey results: Continued benefits and needs reported by Americans with disabilities (Carlson, Ehrlich, Berland, and Bailey, September 27, 2001)
• Highlights from the NIDRR/RESNA/University of Michigan Survey of Assistive Technology and Information Technology Use and Need by Persons with Disabilities in the United States (April 12, 2002)
  This report gives a brief overview and summary of the survey’s objectives, methods, and findings.
• Using Peer Mentors to Facilitate the Match of Persons and Technology
  Research study from the RESNA '97 Annual Conference. Note: The AT peer network described in this document is no longer operating.
• Computer and Internet Use Among People with Disabilities (2002)
  This data is from Chapter 7 of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration), in collaboration with the Economics Statistics Administration, report, A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use Of The Internet
  PDF version
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  HTML version
• Disability and the Digital Divide (July 2000)
  A Disability Statistics Abstract from the Disability Statistics Center's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. Americans with disabilities are less than half as likely as their non-disabled counterparts to own a computer, and they are about one-quarter as likely to use the Internet. These are the conclusions of a report on computer ownership and Internet use among people with disabilities, based on December 1998 data from the Current Population Survey, a nationally representative sample of U.S. households.
• Computer and Internet Use Among People with Disabilities (March 2000)
  These new technologies hold great promise, but as this report makes clear, the computer revolution has left the vast majority of people with disabilities behind. This report is from a Disabilities Statistics Abstract, prepared by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
• Emerging Trends in Disability (January 2002)
  This article from the Population Reference Bureau discusses the demographic, socioeconomic, medical and legislative trends contributing to the rising rates of reported disability in America.
• How Do Americans Pay for Their Assistive Technology Devices?
  This information is part of an FAQs from the Disability Statistics Center, San Francisco, CA.
• Internet Use By People with Disabilities Grows at Twice the Rate of Non-Disabled, Yet Still Lags Significantly Behind (December 2001)
  A National Organization on Disability and Harris Survey report.
• Impact of the Internet on Community Participation (July 2001)
  A National Organization on Disability and Harris Survey report that is excerpted from their 2000 report on Community Participation. The Internet has had a significant impact on community participation and quality of life both for people with and without disabilities. However, perhaps due to their lower levels of participation to begin with, it has had a decidedly more dramatic impact on those with disabilities, especially those with less severe disabilities.
• Trends & Differential Use of Assistive Technology Devices: United States, 1994
  Advance Data, Number 292, November 13, 1997, from the Vital and Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics. This issue presents data on annual estimates of the prevalence of use of selected AT devices for vision, hearing, mobility, and orthopedic disabilities, including missing limbs. Also presented are statistics on trends in the prevalence of use of selected mobility AT devices for the years 1980, 1990, and 1994.
• National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D), Phases I & II
  Ordering a CD-ROM
  The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a household survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census annually since 1957. The NHIS focuses on the civilian, non-institutionalized population in the United States. Each year the NHIS randomly samples approximately 46,000 households with 116,000 members from 201 primary sampling units nationally. In 1994 and 1995, a special two-year Disability Supplement was added to the NHIS to gather nationally representative data on the characteristics, service use, needs, circumstances and experiences of non-institutionalized people with disabilities in the United States.

Barriers & Needs

• Assistive Technology Funding Search Tips
  This Job Accommodation Network’s guide’ was edited with permission from the Assistive Technology Project of United Cerebral Palsy of Chicago, IL. Infinitec, Inc.'s "Finding the Money."
• Assistive Technology Financial Loan Programs (2000)
  This RESNA Technical Assistance Project pilot study identifies the reasons that individuals with disabilities use the assistive technology loan programs offered by state assistive technology projects. The study identifies the types of devices that were purchased through the loan programs and the effects of these devices on the lives of the study respondents. Respondents from three states—Connecticut, Ohio, and Utah—were interviewed by telephone.
• Blueprint for the Millennium: An Analysis of Regional Hearings on Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities (1998)
  Written by Katherine D. Seelman, PhD, former director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and prepared for NIDRR by the Assistive Technology and Systems Change Project of United Cerebral Palsy Association, it showcases hearings held in Arlington, VA; Redmond, WA; Kansas City, MO; Boston, MA; and Tallahassee, FL. The testimony at each hearing had a strong local focus, and taken together the testimony paints a vivid picture of the power and promise of technology to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. The hearings addressed such issues as advocacy, employment, rural and cultural issues, education and lifelong learning, aging, housing and transportation, financing, research and development, and managed care.
• Federal Policy Barriers to Assistive Technology (May 2000)
  The National Council on Disability provides recommendations to address specific policy barriers in education, employment, health care, telecommunications and information technology, and alternative financing of assistive technology identified as a result of extensive research.
• General Funding Tips
  A joint guide from the Job Accommodation Network and United Cerebral Palsy.
• The Lack of a Disability Measure in Today's Current Population Survey (November 2001)
  This report from the National Organization on Disability uses data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Researchers have demonstrated a decline in employment rates for people with disabilities in the 1990s, attributing this decline to the Americans with Disabilities Act and its requirements for reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Hale refutes this claim by arguing that the CPS does not adequately measure the population of people with disabilities.
• People with Disabilities Still Lag on Internet Usage (2002)
  A Harris poll released in January 2002 noted that people with disabilities still lag behind other Americans in use of the Internet -- but they're catching up. "In 2001, about 38 percent of adults with disabilities used the Internet at home, more than five times the seven percent who were online in late 1998. Over the same period, use among the non-disabled doubled from 26 to 56 percent," says the National Organization on Disability, who commissioned the survey.
• Study on the Financing of Assistive Technology Devices and Services for Individuals with Disabilities, March 1993
  This National Council on Disability study documents both the benefits and the costs of different kinds of technology-related assistance.
  

Aging

• Falls Among Older Persons and the Role of the Home: An Analysis of Cost, Incidence, and Potential Savings from Home Modification (2002)
  An AARP study that documents the cost savings of home modifications over institutional care for older persons.
• ASA Study: Aging Agencies Must Do More on Assistive Tech (1996)
  This American Society on Aging study focused on state units on aging (SUAs), area agencies on aging (AAAs) and the 56 state programs funded under the federal Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988--generally called the "Tech Act." Tech Act Programs (TAPs) in each state are charged with promoting policy change in their states toward improving access to assistive technology for all people with disabilities.
• Aging in Place: Coordinating Housing and Health Care Provisions for America's Growing Elderly Population (2001)
  This Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation report examines the current landscape, trends, and barriers to coordinating housing and health services.
• Assistive Technology for Older Persons: A Handbook for Idaho’s Older Residents and Their Caregivers (ca. 1998)
  This handbook, prepared by the Idaho Assistive Technology Project , is designed for Idaho’s older citizens who, as they age, wish to preserve their independence, autonomy, productivity, and dignity. It provides information about AT, home modifications, and the many service options available to older people in the Idaho communities.
• Using Technology to Promote Independence for Older Adults. [Workshop Training Materials] (1997)
  Materials from the RERC-Aging two-day workshop, designed to serve as resources for "training trainers" about assistive technology for older persons. Includes trainer's manual, slide presentations, and videos. RERC on Technology for Successful Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; 352/392-2617; 800-628-2281 (V/TTY).
  Note: Many publications on aging and AT are available from this RERC as well as the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC).

Education

• Accessibility and Distance Learning Resource Guide (2002)
  Included in this RESNA Technical Assistance Project guide are links to accessibility and distance learning resources and guidelines; assistive technology courses; ADA, accessible IT, and employment courses; web accessibility courses; conferences; and a bibliography.
• Adaptations & Accommodations for Students with Disabilities(2001)
  Developed by the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities, this resource is intended to help teachers and others find information that can guide them in making appropriate changes in the classroom based on what their students need.
• Creating Accessible Schools (2000)
  A guide from the National Clearinghouse on Educational Facilities, part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC).
• Developing a School or District Technology Plan(1996)
  This critical issue from the Pathways to School Improvement website offers detailed information on technology planning, funding, and engaging the support of the community. This plan was prepared by the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium, Naperville. IL.
• Digital Equity (2002)
  This resource is from the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) website. It addresses inequitable access to learning technology resources for all learners. It offers some tools that teachers can use to conquer the lack of training, such as learning technology resources (hardware, software, wiring and connectivity, including those on accessibility for people with disabilities); educators skilled in using these resources effectively for teaching and learning high-quality digital content; high-quality, culturally relevant content; and opportunities for learners and educators to create their own content.
• Distance Education: Access Guidelines for Students with Disabilities (1999)
  These guidelines, published by the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges, are considered by many as a model for accessible distance education for higher education facilities.
• E-Learning: Putting a World-Class Education at the Fingertips of All Children (2000)
  (Note: this document is in pdf format)
  In mid-December 2000, the Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology released this update of the first national educational technology plan released in 1996.
• The New Divides: Looking Beneath the Numbers to Reveal Digital Inequities (2001)
  To help educators better understand the complexities of the digital divide and establish programs to help close the gaps that exist, Technology Counts 2001 examines the issue from several angles. It identifies poor children, minority students, girls, low achievers, students learning to speak English, children with disabilities, and youngsters who live in rural areas as those who are losing out on technology.
• Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (2000)
  Prepared by the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services at the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky, these materials provide indicators to assist professionals and advocates improve AT services in the educational setting.
• Plugging In: Choosing and Using Educational Technology (1995)
  This online document from the North Central Regional Education Laboratory discusses effective learning and effective technology use and puts them together in a planning framework for educators and policymakers. The document also proposes ways that policymakers can encourage the spread of effective technologies to more schools.
• The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice (2000)
  On December 19, 2000, the Web-Based Education Commission issued this report as an urgent call to action to harness the Internet's power for learning. Unveiling the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of education and the Internet, the Commission urged that President-elect Bush and the leaders of the new 107th Congress embrace 'e-learning' as a centerpiece of our national education goal.
• Technology Standards for School Administrators
  The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) NETS for Teachers Project, a U.S. Department of Education, Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology grant, facilitated a series of activities and events resulting in a national consensus on what teachers should know about and be able to do with technology. The project will also provide models for teacher preparation programs to use in incorporating technology in the teacher preparation process and disseminate these promising practices for preparing tomorrow's teachers to use technology effectively for improving learning.

Employment

• Assistive Technology, Accommodations, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (2001)
  This Cornell University’s Program on Employment and Disability brochure assists employers in making accommodations for all of their employees. A chair, desk, computer, lighting, and safety equipment could all be considered technology accommodations made for employees. Assistive technology is no different; it is simply any item that can assist an individual with a disability to succeed on the job. This brochure provides some definitions and a starting point for finding the right technology to meet the needs of employees.
• Disability in the Workplace—An Internet Primer (1999)
  This guide, developed in collaboration with ILR Research & Internet Guides the Program on Employment and Disability, Cornell University, contains information on the ADA, disability listservs, government sites, international job hunting, law and legislation, organizations, return to work, statistics, and workers’ compensation.
• Getting to Work with Assistive Technology - Implications for Assistive Technology Act Grantees: Increased Access to AT in the Work Incentives Legislation (2000)
  This RESNA Technical Assistance Project guide provides information on the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA) of 1999 Fact Sheet, Questions and Answers on the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, Implementation of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, Opportunities for AT Act Grantees Under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA), TWWIIA AT Act Project Self-Assessment Checklist, Questions and Answers about TWWIIA from the AT Act Grantees, and TWWIIA Resources.

Health

• "Healthy People 2010" Goals Include People with Disabilities
  This link is to Chapter 6, which addresses health issues for people with disabilities. Disability status has typically been equated with health status. "The health and well-being of people with disabilities has been addressed primarily in a medical care, rehabilitation, and long-term care financing context," says the National Centers for Disease Control, which is now making an effort to include people with disabilities in its entire public health agenda. Its "Healthy People 2010" program, a set of health objectives for the nation released in January, 2000, now includes objectives for people with disabilities. ("Healthy People 2000" did not have a chapter specifically establishing public health objectives for people with disabilities.)
• CPT Codes & Assistive Technology (January 2001)
  Medical and related service personnel to determine reimbursement use Current Procedural Technology (CPT) codes. It is important that assistive technology (AT) professionals understand CPT (Common Procedural Terminology) Codes and how they impact reimbursement for AT in both the public and private insurance systems. This document provides an overview of CPT codes to AT professionals, including AT service providers and those involved in policy related to AT. It is also designed to be helpful to the 56 AT Act Projects funded through the Assistive Technology Act.
• Complete Guide to MiCASSA and Medicaid Reform
  ICanonline provides information on Medicaid, Medicare, MiCASSA, a Medicaid/Medicare quiz, and more.
• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement’s Medicare AAC Device Coverage Guidance: Regional Medical Review Policy.
  On April 26, 2000, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) (now known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Medicare Policy Decision that would cover AAC devices as durable medical equipment (DME). This new policy was effective on January 1, 2001. This policy change reversed HCFA’s earlier policy that AAC devices were "convenience items" and thus did not fit a benefit category that had been made many years before.
• Optimizing Assistive Technology Service Delivery with Video Teleconferencing
  The Rehabilitation Technology Center, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University Medical Center, has a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to develop an interactive video teleconferencing (VTC) protocol to provide expert assistive technology (AT) evaluations to individuals with significant physical and speech disabilities and their local support teams living in rural or underserved areas.
• Private Insurance and Assistive Technology (2000)
  Prepared by the RESNA Technical Assistance Project, this document provides issues and strategies on accessing AT through private insurance and provides links to resources on private insurance.
• Telerehab Resources from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
  Distance assessment, diagnosis, monitoring available through the Health Tracking Services of the NCSL.
• Two-Year Olmstead Progress Report: Disability Advocates Assess State Implementation of Mandate to Provide Community-based Services to People with Disabilities (2002)
  This National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems report compiles data received from disability rights advocates across the country. Major trends among states regarding Olmstead compliance are identified, especially as related to state efforts to develop comprehensive, effectively working plans for supporting individuals with disabilities in the most integrated settings appropriate to their needs. Finally, the report highlights some seemingly effective strategies states are using to promote Olmstead compliance.
• The States’ Response to the Olmstead Decision: A Status Report (2001) (Click on Public User)
  The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) conducted a 50-state survey to determine initial state responses to the Olmstead decision. NCSL will continue to track activity involving the implementation of this decision and update this report regularly.
• Understanding Medicaid Home and Community Services: A Primer (2000)
  The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy (DALTCP) and George Washington University's Center for Health Policy Research developed a primer on existing long-term care options in Medicaid that promote choices in long-term care for consumers.

Housing

• Community Technology Options Project (CTOP) Report (2000)
  This report was implemented as a response to the belief that there continue to be nursing home placements that could be avoided and/or substantially delayed through the use of assistive technology devices and services. This report was researched and prepared by the South Dakota assistive technology project, DakotaLink.
• Making Homes Accessible: Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (1999)
  This RESNA Technical Assistance Project guide provides information about assistive technology and home modifications. The guide covers definitions; laws and guidelines; initiatives from the Assistive Technology Act grantees; advocacy, financing, modification, and research resources; accreditations; online courses; and an extensive bibliography.

Libraries

• Libraries and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (2000)
  From Library HI-TECH News (Volume 17, No. 5, 2000), EASI Access Column. Reposted with permission from MCB University Press. (Written by Carol Boyer, Project Associate, RESNA Technical Assistance Project.)
• Web Access for the Disabled (2002)
  From National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region, Dragonfly, Winter 2002, Vol. 33, No. 1.
  Many libraries have successfully responded to the increased demand for computer and Internet access for the majority of their users. People with disabilities, however, have seen their information access actually diminish. This article provides helpful tools to make web pages accessible.
• Enabling Scientists: Serving Sci-Tech Library Users with Disabilities (2001)
  From Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship. No. 32, Fall 2001.
  In the United States, there is an acknowledged and established need for scientists, but the pool of scientific interest and talent among individuals with disabilities has been long overlooked. Sci-tech librarians can play a significant role in the encouragement of scientific talent among library users with disabilities by making the library environment accessible and ensuring as much as possible the independent access to information that is so critical to scientific endeavor.

• A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use Of The Internet (2002) National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Economics Statistics Administration.
  PDF version
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  HTML version
  Few technologies have spread as quickly, or become so widely used, as computers and the Internet. These information technologies are rapidly becoming common fixtures of modern social and economic life, opening opportunities and new avenues for many Americans. This latest report shows the rapidly growing use of new information technologies across all demographic groups and geographic regions. Not only are many more Americans using the Internet and computers at home, they are also using them at work, school, and other locations for an expanding variety of purposes. In the last few years, Americans' use of the Internet and computers has grown substantially.
  Note: Chapter 7: Computer and Internet Use Among People with Disabilities expands on the most recent NTIA report, Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion (October 2000).
• The Accessible Future
  NCD looks at federal enforcement of key laws—the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act or 1996, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended—and how such enforcement relates to electronic and information technology (E&IT). As referenced in this report, E&IT particularly involves the Internet, the World Wide Web, and select information/transaction machines.
• Accessibility & Usability for e-Government: The Frontend.com Accessibility White Paper: A Primer for Public Sector Officials
  This paper is intended as a primer for public sector officials who are responsible for or otherwise involved in the creation of websites. It contains information on why public sector officials should be concerned about accessibility, what accessibility is and which disabilities it concerns, some common accessibility problems and their causes, and what officials need to develop an accessible website.
• Applying the ADA to the Internet: A Web Accessibility Standard
  Although it may seem that the World Wide Web has been like the Wild, Wild, West-where there are no laws and each frontier web site is on its own, there are significant legal and practical reasons for ensuring web accessibility.
• Broadband and People with Disabilities (2001) (pdf format)
  This article by Frank Bowe, Hofstra University, states that "Broadband communications are digital (in 0's and 1's). This means that, regardless of the form in which they are sent, they can be retrieved in the way we choose. A deaf person could read the messages, even those that were originally transmitted as voice. Someone who is blind or has dyslexia could listen to them; all incoming communications, whether by voice, fax, or email, could be spoken aloud."
• Digital Talking Book (DTB) National Standard Approved, March 15, 2002
  NISO (National Information Standards Organization), announced that the national standard for the Digital Talking Book (ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2002) has been approved. The NISO DTB standard, whose development was coordinated by the Library of Congress's National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), will make electronic resources presented in DTB format more accessible to print-disabled readers worldwide. "
• "Electronic Curbcuts" The ADA in Cyberspace (2000)
  This article, published in the American Bar Association Winter 2000 online newsletter, by Cynthia D. Waddell, one of the foremost writers and authorities on website accessibility, who states: "Access to electronic and information technology for people with disabilities is emerging as a significant law and policy issue. Unless attention is paid to accessible Web design, this period of rapid technological development will create a digital divide locking out people from participation on the Web on the basis of disability."
• Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion (2000)
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  The fourth in the "Falling Through the Net" series. In this report, the Department of Commerce measures the extent of digital inclusion by looking at households and individuals that have a computer and an Internet connection. The Department measures the digital divide, as they have before, by looking at the differences in the shares of each group that is digitally connected. For the first time, the Department also provides data on high-speed access to the Internet, as well as access to the Internet and computers by people with disabilities.
• How Civil Rights for People with Disabilities Impact the Private Sector (1999)
  This document, written by Jenifer Simpson, former Employment Advisor, President’s Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities (now known as the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor), discusses Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the need for universal design to accommodate employees and the public. The paper was presented at the Assistive Technology on the Threshold of the New Millennium, Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe, Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Conference.
• How People Who Use Electronic Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices Utilize Telephony
  This report, from the Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center (RERC) on Universal Telecommunications Access, covers a great number of interesting issues about telecommunications and disabilities. It is available on the International Center on Disability Resources on the Internet website.
• Inclusion in the Information Age: Reframing the Debate (2001)
  The Athena Alliance hosted a conference in 2001 ("New IT - New Equity - New Economy") to explore the issues involving those left behind in the new information age. Disability issues are addressed throughout this report.
• Is Digital Divide Growing by Design? (2001)
  Article by Bob Sullivan, MSNBC, April 4, 2001.There is a growing digital divide, but it's not exactly between rich and poor--it's really between the computer enabled and the computer disabled. And the ranks of the disabled are much wider than you might think. That was the message hovering in the room this week as thousands of computer software designers descended on Seattle--in part to deliver the message personally to Microsoft's Bill Gates.
• Is Your Site ADA-Compliant . . . or a Lawsuit-in-Waiting? (1998)
  This article, by Cynthia Waddell and Kevin Lee Thomason, is from the November 1998 issue of The Internet Lawyer newsletter, and reprinted on the International Center on Disability Resources on the Internet website.
• No Disability in Digitalized Community (2001)
  This article, by Dr. Zhangxu and Dr. John Aldis, emphasizes the need for universal accessibility of the Internet and how it can help people who might not normally be able to communicate with each other for any number of reasons, to work and communicate easily using the Internet and technology. In Dr. Zhangxu's case and in the case of many people with disabilities making the Internet accessible by the use of various types of assistive technology now available has brought about universal accessibility.
• Q&A: The Internet and People with Disabilities, Part I (2002)
  This Q&A document by Mary Lester, Russ Holland and Sue Brown, Alliance for Technology Access, covers basic attributes of the digital divide for individuals with disabilities, significant barriers, what is assistive technology and how it helps people with disabilities access computers and the Internet, and technologies available to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, who are blind or have visual limitations, with spinal cord injuries, and those with ALS.
• Q&A: The Internet and People with Disabilities, Part II (2002)
  This Q&A document by Mary Lester, Russ Holland and Sue Brown, Alliance for Technology Access, covers such topics as how assistive technology is funded in schools, training available for schools and employers, creating accessible computer labs and classrooms, what makes a website accessible, successful initiatives in extending digital opportunities for people with disabilities, how is the digital divide changing for people with disabilities, where people can get help in choosing assistive technologies, recommended Internet resources about the digital divide and people with disabilities.
• Section 255 Telecommunications Access for People with Disabilities
  This Federal Communications Commission (FCC) publication provides basic information about Section 255. The FCC has rules requiring telecommunications manufacturers and service providers to make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities, if readily achievable. These rules implement Section 255 of the Communications Act. Where it is not readily achievable to provide access, Section 255 requires manufacturers and providers to make their devices and services compatible with peripheral devices and specialized customer premises equipment that are commonly used by people with disabilities, if such compatibility is readily achievable.
• Tech Opens Stephen Hawking's Universe (2001)
  Business Week Online, June 20, 2001, discusses the great astrophysicist uses computer wizardry to share the fruits of his boundless genius. This article, by John Williams, illustrates why accessible web design is necessary.
• Telecommunication Breakdown: An Overview of Challenges Facing Persons with Disabilities
  A resource from United Cerebral Palsy's Advocacy and Policy page.
• Telecommunications: What You Should Be Getting
  This American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) publication addresses Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 for people who are blind or visually impaired. This brochure may be freely distributed in any format, but only in its entirety. You may download the document or contact the AFB at afbinfo@afb.net for additional print copies.
• Using Partnerships to Bridge the Digital Divide within the Disability Community (2001)
  This article by Taylor Kearns addresses the "Digital Divide" as an obstacle that looks to segregate many groups of people from these technological developments simply due to their socio-economic status (SES), their geographic location, their education level, or because they have a disabling condition that is physical, sensory, or cognitive/psychological in nature. Not having the ability to effectively use these technologies can affect people's ability to learn, compete in the labor market, communicate with others, and/or function within their living environment. These are serious issues that need a serious and sustained joint effort by our institutional leaders.
• Web Accessibility Guidelines in Spanish
  The International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet presents an outstanding paper and Guidelines on Accessible Web Design by Jorge Plano of Argentina. The paper and Guidelines are in Spanish.
• Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities (2001)
  This site links to the Amazon.com site for ordering the book by Michael G. Paciello. The book explains the law, the requirements of people with disabilities, and the processes of site evaluation and implementation for web site developers and administrators. Authoritative and comprehensive, the book provides development tools and utilities and numerous examples illustrating techniques for adjusting HTML tags, scripts and other code to improve accessibility. The book outlines how to deliver highly graphic and visual content to users who are blind, provides access to Internet kiosks for the physically challenged, and allows nonverbal users to communicate to devices with voice recognition interfaces. An interview with the author.
• When a Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures: Improved Television Access for Blind Viewers in the Digital Era (1999)
  This document was prepared on behalf of Blind Citizens Australia and the Vision Australia Foundation, by John A. Simpson.

Universal Design

• Universal Design Handbook
  McGraw-Hill will release the Universal Design Handbook on June 2, 2001. Wolf Preiser and Elaine Ostroff are the editors of this unique compilation that brings together the rich international experience of what is known as universal design. Universal design is not a trend but an enduring design approach that assumes that the range of human ability is ordinary, not special. This 1200-page book, with 600 illustrations, describes and documents the extraordinary growth in the international movement to create environments and products for all people. During the past 15 years, the approach to design that accommodates people with functional limitations has been changing from narrow code compliance to meet the specialized needs of a few to a more inclusive design process for everybody.
• Universal Design Strategies and Resources (2001)
  This RESNA Technical Assistance Project resource guide includes the definition of Universal Design, resources, and a bibliography.
• Universal Design Bibliography
  A RESNA Technical Assistance Project resource.

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