News

Major electronics retailer RadioShack has agreed to bring its website into compliance with WCAG 1.0, priorities 1 and 2, by the end of 2007. By the end of September 2007, a new point-of-sale payment device with tactile keypads will be installed in every RadioShack store. The Trace Center contributed to making this possible through its […]

An updated working draft of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), addressing the accessibility of Web content for people with disabilities, was published on May 17, 2007. An overview of WCAG 2.0 provides links to a the WCAG Quick Reference document, as well as a high-level summary, WCAG 2 FAQ, the working draft, and […]

The Future of Disability in America concludes that immediate action is essential for the nation to avoid harm and to help people with disabilities lead independent and productive lives. The report, developed by a committee of 14 experts including Trace Center Director Gregg Vanderheiden, contains chapters on definition and disability monitoring, disability trends, health care […]

The 22nd Annual International Conference on Technology and Persons with Disabilities (link is external), was held in Los Angeles from March 21-24, 2007. Trace’s exhibit (booth #345 at the Marriott) featured a “test drive” of the first phase of our website redesign, as well as other demonstrations and information. Gregg Vanderheiden presented Thursday, March 22 […]

Eight of the accessibility features included in Windows Vista were originally developed by the Trace Center. MouseKeys, StickyKeys, FilterKeys (RepeatKeys, SlowKeys, BounceKeys), ToggleKeys, SoundSentry (renamed “Visual Notifications”), and ShowSounds (enhanced and renamed “Captions”) originated at the Trace Center, and have been included by Microsoft in all of its operating system releases since Windows 95. In […]

Graduate student Elizabeth Felton’s study exploring the control of a computer cursor using only brain signals was featured on a recent local news broadcast. These experiments are being conducted at the Trace Center, funded in part by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Felton is pursuing an MD-PhD under the direction of Biomedical […]

  This new resource provides a glimpse into the future of information and communications technologies (ICT). The images and references in this overview provide a sense of how future technology could impact disability access research, development, and policy. Instead of creating a compendium of the latest technology advances, Trace staff selected items for inclusion in […]

Trace Center Director Gregg Vanderheiden contributed to a lively panel discussion at last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show. Possible solutions were presented to the problem of consumer devices that are too difficult for consumers to understand and use. Some of the most promising strategies include those developed as part of Trace’s work on universal remote […]

Trace Center Director Gregg Vanderheiden was part of a panel on new interface and interoperability guidelines (link is external) on Jan. 8 at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (link is external). Gottfried Zimmermann demonstrated the user interface socket developed by Trace as part of its support of the URC Consortium (link is […]

The National Council on Disability released “Over the Horizon: Potential Impact of Emerging Trends in Information and Communication Technology on Disability Policy and Practice,”  a policy paper exploring key trends in information and communication technology, highlighting the potential opportunities and problems these trends present for people with disabilities, and suggesting strategies to maximize opportunities and […]

The National Council on Disability released a policy paper on “The Need for Federal Legislation and Regulation Prohibiting Telecommunications and Information Services Discrimination.”  This paper, drafted by Karen Peltz Strauss, incorporates many recommendations provided by the Telecommunication Access RERC to the FCC. Her new book on this topic is A New Civil Right: Telecommunications Equality […]

The FCC held a Summit to focus on E9-1-1 calling and access for persons with hearing and speech disabilities on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006. Judy Harkins, co-director of the RERC on Telecommunications Access, presented as one of the expert panelists.

The Trace Center has released new versions of two components of its open-source software suite on the Universal Remote Console (URC) framework, part of the Center’s continuing R&D on URC technology. The URC Software Development Kit (SDK 3.2) has several new features, including the ability to use non-Java targets, and also includes new tutorial sections. […]

Trace Center Director Gregg Vanderheiden presented the closing keynote at the IDEAS Conference in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14, 2006. This is the Federal government’s annual conference on Section 508, presented by the GSA. The presentation overviewed emerging information and communication technologies and how key technology trends will impact accessibility.

The U.S. Access Board has formed an Advisory Committee to review and suggest changes to the accessibility standards for electronic and information technologies purchased by the Federal government (pursuant to Section 508) and also the guidelines for accessibility of telecommunications (mandated by Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act). Trace Center Director Gregg Vanderheiden was selected […]