Wireless RERC - Wireless RERC News

App Factory Releases 2014-2015 Call for Proposals

blippincott4 — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Each year, the Wireless RERC’s App Factory invites experienced organizations or individual developers based in the U.S. to submit proposals for financial support to develop assistive and/or accessibility apps for mobile platforms (e.g., Android, Blackberry 10, iOS, Windows Phone).

Apps developed through this program include AccessNote by the American Foundation for the Blind, BrailleTouch by BrailleTech, LLC, and Sprint ID Accessibility Packs, Currency Identifier, and IDEAL Group Reader by Apps4Android.

Proposals for 2014-15 are due on June 30, 2014. Selection of proposals for funding will be on October 15. More information can be found in the PDF of the Call for Proposals below.

Related Files:

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App Factory_RFP_2014.pdf	242.61 KB

Wireless RERC launches new Survey of User Needs!

blippincott4 — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:07:03 +0000

The Wirelesss RERC’s Consumer Research team has just launched its updated Survey of User Needs (SUN), our cornerstone survey on wireless use and usability by people with disabilities. The SUN has been completed by over 5000 people with disabilities since it was first launched in 2001.

This latest version represents the 3rd update to this critical survey. As technology changes, so has the SUN. The data we gather through the SUN provides important information to the wireless industry, government regulators, and other researchers to help them make wireless technology more accessible and more useful to people with all types of disabilities.

If you have a disability please consider taking this survey. If you know someone who has a disability, please forward the survey to them. Thanks!

Go to the Survey of User Needs

Text-to-911 and NG911 Policy Study

mz22 — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 21:36:47 +0000

Text-to-911

Next Generation 911 (NG911)

Publication Type:

Reports

November 2016 – The Wireless RERC published a research brief summarizing the results of a study of 9-1-1 policies at the state and local levels in relation to text-to-911 and next generation 9-1-1 (NG911) deployments in the United States. The brief is a high-level summary of state emergency communications offices and public-safety answering point (PSAP) policies regarding text-to-911 and/or NG911 as it relates to people with disabilities’ access to emergency services. The purpose of the study was to identify the extent to which content regarding individuals with disabilities was included in state and local text-to-911 and NG-911 policies.

Related Files:

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Research Brief - NG911 Policy Study.docx	32.23 KB

Wireless RERC on the Record: FCC’s Section 504 Compliance

mz22 — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 16:08:51 +0000

Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

10.3.2016 – Comments of the Wireless RERC-Sec 504 Compliance

Publication Type:

Policy Filings

Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), in collaboration with the Wireless RERC, submitted comments to the Public Notice, Request for Comment on the Commission’s Policies and Practices to Ensure Compliance with Sections 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [CG Docket No. 10-162]. Section 504 requires that federal agencies make their programs and activities accessible to people with disabilities. The FCC sought public input on their programmatic access. Wireless RERC comments asserted that baseline accessibility is consistently impacted by access to customer service and print and electronic materials furnished by industry and policy makers alike. To improve access to programs and services, we recommend addressing fundamental issues of awareness and accessible formats. The FCC’s American Sign Language (ASL) Consumer Support Line, launched to provide programmatic access to consumers who are deaf and hard of hearing whose primary language is ASL, was commended as a great step forward in providing parity of access. The support line enables the caller to make inquiries about disability-specific communications issues, as well as, obtain information that could impact any consumer, using their primary language. However, work remains to expand access to the rulemaking process. One part of the FCC’s Section 504 Handbook stipulated that the Commission will not transcribe or translate comments submitted in alternative formats. The Wireless RERC urged the Commission to reconsider this position. As it stands, the requirement that comments be filed in written English excludes people who rely on ASL from participating in the rulemaking process. Other comments addressed:

Ensuring the Accessibility Clearinghouse is prominently displayed on the website and its contents are reflective of consumer expectations and the evolution of technologies.
Adding a statement about relating to the person-first and using person-first language in written and verbal communications to the Section 504 Handbook’s Basic Principles of Access section.
Providing more detailed guidance on accessible print and electronic documents to improve FCC personnel’s awareness about and capability to deliver, accessible formats.

Handout - WEA vs. EAS Survey Comparison

mz22 — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 19:29:59 +0000

Publication Type:

Reports

The research presented in the handout was conducted by the Wireless RERC and funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It provides the background and results of research activities that examined the effectiveness of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to provide messages to people with disabilities. Specifically, the handout includes comparative analyses of the awareness of EAS and WEA messages, the accessibility of the two systems, as well as the types of protective actions taken as a result of the emergency messages.

Related Files:

Attachment	Size
WEA vs. EAS One Page Handout.pdf	559.91 KB

Summary Report - Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop

mz22 — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 19:12:03 +0000

Publication Type:

Reports

The Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop Summary Report is available. The workshop, held in Spring 2016 at the Georgia Institute of Technology, hosted forty-four (44) individuals with active leadership roles in emergency communications at the invitation-only event. The event engaged representatives from academic, local, state, and Federal agencies to better understand the needs of individuals with disabilities during emergency situations, whether natural or manmade. The main purpose of this one-day event was to heighten awareness of strategies for communicating timely, accessible, lifesaving information over multiple wireless platforms. The intended objective of the event was to increase emergency communications between public safety officials and vulnerable populations, particularly people with disabilities. The report details the panelists' remarks and tabletop exercise outcomes.

Related Files:

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Emergency Lifelines Summary 0607.docx	2.86 MB

Wireless RERC Researchers Featured in Faces of Inclusive Excellence Video

mz22 — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 14:21:01 +0000

[VIDEO] 2016 Faces of Inclusive Excellence

September 16, 2016 - Wireless RERC Principal Investigator, Helena Mitchell, and, researcher, Young Mi Choi, were honored by Georgia Tech’s Office of Institute Diversity and featured in the Faces of Inclusive Excellence Video. Watch/Listen to the Video.

Wireless RERC on the Record: Advancing Access to Emergency Alerting

mz22 — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 18:52:35 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Wireless RERC Comments_June 8, 2016

Publication Type:

Policy Filings

Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), in collaboration with the Wireless RERC, submitted comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) In the Matter of Amendment of Part 11 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding the Emergency Alert System [15-94]; Wireless Emergency Alerts [PS Docket No. 15-91]. The proposed changes in the NPRM are intended to strengthen the emergency alerting systems and to increase their effectiveness at prompting the public to take the appropriate protective actions. The major areas of change included improving alerting organization at the state level, bringing alerting tools up to date with advancements in technology, and developing community-based accessible public safety exercises. Wireless RERC comments contended that all communications received on digital devices should be accessible and concur that the proposed advancements for both WEA and EAS are a promising avenue for ensuring timely response and recognition of messages to safeguard all citizens. The recommendations made are intended to facilitate the maturation and modernization of both systems, empowering all to make informed choices that result in maximizing message diffusion and ensuring the same timely and effective access to alerts and warnings for people with disabilities.

Following are a sample of recommendations included in the comments:

To ensure that all members of the population understand the messages, emergency managers and those writing the plans should also be very specific in their instructions concerning emergency actions to be taken, eliminating jargon and abbreviations. Further, protective action instructions should be part of any State EAS Plan template, and that said template contains information ensuring that the needs of people with disabilities are included.
Crowdsourcing is proving to be a valuable tool for emergency managers in gathering and dispersing information. Nonetheless, the challenge of authenticating and verifying submitted information is a growing one, and currently only solved by the manual moderation of incoming reports. Continued review of agencies that utilize crowdsourcing technologies and social media during disaster response is recommended.
To ensure the accessibility of actual and test messages, EAS accessibility rules should apply across the board. The live code test presents an opportunity to gather data and feedback from the populace on the extent to which the accessibility requirements improve readability and comprehension of the message.
User data regarding the most frequent methods by which people receive emergency alerts supports the addition of State/Local WEA Testing in state-level preparedness procedures.
Comments supported the use of EAS and WEA public service announcements (PSAs). It was recommended that the PSAs present the information about the systems in several formats including audio, text, American Sign Language (ASL), and other languages with high usage in a particular area, and the symbol set provided by the IPAWS Symbology Plan approved by DHS and the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation.
Comments supported extending WEA rules to include tablets and other mobile devices, including wearable and other nontraditional communications devices. Given that wearable technology is a growing market and both people with and without disabilities have adopted its use, wearable technology should be integrated into the WEA/IPAWS environment.

Wireless RERC on the Record: Role of Government in the Advancement of IoT

mz22 — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 19:50:31 +0000

Internet of Things

Publication Type:

Policy Filings

The Wireless RERC, in collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), and the Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT), Georgia Tech Research Institute, filed comments in response to The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) inquiry: “Notice, Request for Public Comment, The Benefits, Challenges, and Potential Roles for the Government in Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things [Docket No. 160331306–6306–01]. NTIA sought broad input from all interested stakeholders—including the private industry, researchers, academia, and civil society on the potential benefits and challenges of the Internet of Things (IoT) and what role, if any, the U.S. Government should play in this area. The comments submitted address, among other things, IoT’s potential to advance the social inclusion and independent living of people with disabilities; and improve the dissemination of emergency information. The submission encouraged (a) the consultation of people with disabilities throughout the design and development phases of the IoT, and (b) the accessibility implications of future technologies become a high‐level consideration when planning Federal level technology development strategies and policy.

Related Files:

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Comments to NTIA_IoT_June 2016.docx	135 KB

Wireless RERC and AT&T Connecting People with Disabilities to their World Through Technology

mz22 — Tue, 31 May 2016 17:16:51 +0000

Smartphones

Read the full article on Global Accessibility News

AT&T’s Corporate Accessibility Technology Office and the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center developed Wireless Independence Now (WIN) Workshops to teach people with disabilities how to use accessibility features installed on their phones and tablets.