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Assistive Technology Centers: Making the Center Useful to Your Customers

Dinah F. B. Cohen, Director
Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program
Department of Defense
5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite 810
Falls Church, VA 22041
703-681-3976 (Voice/TTY) 703-681-9075 (Fax) 
Dinah.Cohen@tma.osd.mil 
http://www.tricare.osd.mil/cap

Ophelia Y. Falls, Director
Accessible Technology Program/TARGET Center
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. 1006-S
Washington, DC 20250
202-720-2600 (Voice/TTY) 202-720-2681 (Fax) 
Ophelia.Falls@usda.gov 
http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm

Derek S. Shields, Program Manager
Conwal Incorporated
5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite 702
Falls Church, VA 22041
703-575-0670 (Voice) 703-845-1658 (TTY) 703-575-0686 (Fax)
Derek.Shields@tma.osd.mil 
http://www.conwal.com

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Accessible Technology Program (ATP) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) were developed to ensure accessible work environments for people with disabilities. The ATP Technology Accessible Resources Gives Employment Today (TARGET) Center and the CAP Technology Evaluation Center (CAPTEC) both serve as links that bring valuable resources closer to people who require accessible technologies and improved access to the electronic and information environment.

The concept behind the centers is to provide assistive technology services to managers, supervisors, employees and educators throughout the country. These services include how to obtain assistive technology information, demonstrations, and evaluations regarding the use of technologies that enhance the accessibility of our information infrastructure. The centers range in size depending on the customer base being served, facilities and equipment available, and funding. In order to understand the development of the USDA and DoD centers, a short review of the ATP and CAP missions and services is required.

The ATP mission is to support USDA's workforce diversity and the Federal workforce 2000 policies. The USDA TARGET Centers provide technology and information services to assure equal access to electronic technology and automated systems essential to today's jobs. The centers assist in making electronic and information technology accessible to persons with disabilities for career enhancements. The Centers serve as focal points in USDA for conducting needs assessments, demonstrations, evaluations, training, and acquisitions support for accommodations and technologies. The ATP staff is available to service employees and the public using agricultural information with sight, hearing, speech, or mobility disabilities

The CAP mission is to provide assistive technology to DoD employees with disabilities. The mission also includes making DoD programs and activities accessible for employees and beneficiaries with disabilities, including military retirees, family members, and hospital patients. For example, CAP purchases equipment that helps blind people access computers and printed materials, allows deaf people to use the telephone, and lets people with dexterity impairments access the information environment with voice recognition systems. The CAP services make the DoD work environments more accessible to DoD employees with visual, hearing, dexterity, and cognitive impairments. 

DoD also manages one of the largest school systems in the world. CAP provides the assistive technology for children with disabilities to ensure compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). CAP provides the assistive technology to students in the DoD Education Activity, which includes over 300 schools in the United States and overseas. When a disabled student is enrolled in the educational activity, CAP provides assistance in obtaining the appropriate auxiliary aids. CAP conducts annual training for the special education instructors, administrators, and resource specialists to ensure utilization of services. The CAP staff is available to assist the DoD, Federal, and general communities. 

Since managers and educators need to be familiar with the various types of assistive technologies available for people with disabilities, the centers play a crucial role in meeting larger program objectives. The growth of computers and technology in today's environment has provided opportunities for people with disabilities. Developing accessible resource centers is the next step in the information age that is required to make information easily available for all people. Assistive technology demonstration and evaluation centers provide the information to link individuals with needed accommodations and resource information. As with any initiative, the success of a center depends upon the work completed up-front to identify your customer base, determine requirements, solicit management support, and obtain sufficient funding.

The TARGET and CAPTEC Centers display accommodations and technologies in the office work environment that can aid people with disabling conditions. The services provided by the centers facilitate the evaluation and assessment of various accommodations and technologies. The staff assist in identifying solutions that will best meet the needs of an individual. The centers' hands-on techniques are a benefit to employees and managers by ensuring the best and most cost effective accommodations are evaluated. Technologies in the centers have been tested and proven to meet the needs of the documented requirements of the solution. Senior and mid-level managers are enlightened of the capabilities technology can provide to people with disabilities. The benefits include a decrease in resources (time and dollars) for a manager to accommodate an employee, improved productivity, and assistance in career enhancements and promotions. The managers of the centers are working to incorporate techniques in their Departments for information system designs to include accessibility that will provide the environment for universal design of information systems. Universal design ensures information systems' design include features to provide solutions for a variety of limitations for people with disabilities and those who will become disabled in the future.

This document provides guidance for managers, supervisors, employees, and educators participating in the assistive technology center establishment process. The following guidelines outline a process to utilize during the review, planning, and creation stages of developing an assistive technology center:

• Identifying a Customer Base: Determine the number of the potential technology center users population. What is this populations background and interests? What are the missions of the specific programs?
• Determining Site Requirements: Based on customer demographics and facilities available, potential center configurations are identified. Outline specifics, including the size requirements, number of workstations, server(s), platform(s), application(s), and assistive technologies that will be included in the new facility. 
• Gaining Management Commitment: Upper management support throughout the development and promotion of the center is critical to the success of an assistive technology center. Educating management on the benefits of an accessible information environment and a more diversified population will offer them new tools to use in the larger organization’s management programs.
• Securing Appropriate Funding: Once a customer base, site requirements, and management commitment have been established, appropriate funds are obtained from all participants/users. In order to ensure proper funding, review potential sources, including technical and personnel funding channels, to engage as many stakeholders as possible.
• Providing Services to Other Organizations: External agencies can provide an additional source of users and funding for center development and on-going operations. Developing partnerships with outside sources helps to increase available resources while providing additionally avenues for information dissemination. Federal agencies and school districts often create centers that are shared via fee-for-services arrangements.
• Preparing Center Staff: Center staff may require training in the use of assistive technology and the management of a demonstration and evaluation facility. Assistance is available through various information sources such as ATP training at the TARGET Center and through CAPTEC. Furthermore, as you acquire assistive technologies, most vendors offer reasonable and effective training. It is highly recommended that center staff are fully educated and trained on the capabilities of all organizational applications and how the center’s assistive technologies interact with those applications.

• Conducting Needs Assessments for Programs and Individuals: Technology has leveled the playing field for many disabled people in the information age. To successfully hire, place, and accommodate people with disabilities, managers and educators must become familiar with the needs assessment process. This includes the various types of accommodations and the current technology available in today’s environment. Centers provide a valuable service for allowing individuals to test and evaluate assistive technology. In order to successfully accommodate people with disabilities, a thorough needs assessment must be completed for successful placement purposes. The steps to a needs assessment process include: needs analysis, identifying barriers to performance, identifying potential accommodations, and assessing the reasonableness of potential accommodations. Since assistive technology centers provide support to managers, supervisors, and employees regarding accessibility requirements for programs to ensure equal access to program information and services, as well as identifying specific solutions for individual employees with disabilities, needs assessment training for all center staff is a crucial step to ensure success.
• Providing Information (Library Services): Through reference libraries or outside partnering agencies, assistive technology centers provide information on relevant laws, policy and guidance, various technologies, community based organizations, and contractors/vendors that support the creation and maintenance of an accessible environment. This information may be obtained in writing as well as accessed via accessible World Wide Web (WWW) sites. A good resource library should be the backbone of all assistive technology demonstration and evaluation centers.
• Identifying Alternative Solutions to Accessibility Requirements: Centers provide direct customer assistance or provide referrals to external sources that may identify viable alternatives to meeting defined accessibility requirements for either a program or individual employee. External resources, such as access associations, centers for independent living, and the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs), may offer alternative ideas to create a more accessible and productive information environment for people with disabilities.
• Acquiring and Implementing Solutions: Contract vehicles are available to acquire and implement center solutions. By creating assistive technology devices and training services contracts, a center will be able to decrease costs while establishing a partnership with a trusted vendor.
• Reporting Successes/Requirements: Assistive technology centers should report their successes to supporting management. The center incorporates successes and requirements in periodic reports to assist in achieving goals by increasing management attention to benefits, funding, and other requirements. By establishing a baseline, centers are able to measure their progress in creating more accessible information environments for their organizations.
• Spreading the Word – Information Dissemination: Successful assistive technology center operations require awareness throughout the center’s offerings and how they benefit each agency. Information dissemination is the key to increasing awareness and participation. Providing information can be done in a variety of ways including nationwide presentations, developing a large mailing list of interested parties to receive written news bulletins and other written information, utilizing the latest forms of multimedia and distance learning, and designing an interactive and accessible WWW site.
• Designing an Accessible World Wide Web Site: Through the WWW, individuals can access information via new and faster methods. Assistive technology demonstration and evaluation centers provide opportunities for people to visit the centers on the WWW, including viewing and listening to demonstrations, reviewing product details, and downloading shareware for trial evaluations. The power to access information via the WWW is strengthening the role of assistive technology centers for employers and educators. By creating accessible information environments, centers have harnessed the information age to empower people with disabilities. 

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