Assistive Technology Day - Oct

U.S. General Services Administration
Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA)
Assistive Technology Showcase

October 2004 Assistive Technology Day

The October Assistive Technology Day event will focus on Spectrum Industries, Inc new and first time introduced “ADApt Multi-Media Lectern”. This is your opportunity to get a first look at this lectern for persons who are wheelchair users, low vision, and deaf or hard of hearing. You will have an opportunity to try this new lectern and see how it may fit into your existing agency or company to meet the needs of persons with disabilities who provide presentations or training. Spectrum Industries, Inc. is interested in incorporating existing accessible solutions into their systems integration equipment and would like to meet with government and private sector employees to further enhance this product to ensure universal design for all. Below are further details regarding this product.

This event is free and no registration is required. The length of this demonstration is every hour, starting at 9 a.m. the next at 10:00 a.m. and will be continuous throughout the day at the beginning of each hour and ending at 3 p.m. This event is not an all day demonstration but was designed for you to come in and spend one hour to learn about this technology. If you come in during the demonstration you can stay till the next presentation begins then leave when the information is repeated.

SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS, etc: There will be sign language interpreters during the demonstration from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Assistive Listening Devices will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Please distribute this announcement to personnel within your agency so that everyone can benefit from this event.

DATE: Wednesday, October 20, 2004

TIME: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Presentation times: 9,10,11,12,1 and 2)

LOCATION:
U.S. General Services Administration (Central Office)
1800 F. Street, NW
Room 1216
Washington, DC 20405

Who can attend: Government employees, non-government persons and individuals interested in technology for persons with disabilities.

Security Information: All government employees and contractors with government ID’s can proceed through security checking station, non-government employees will have to sign in and have a CITA employee escort you to room 1216, the guard will call CITA for assistance.

Transportation: Take the Metro, Orange or Blue line to Farragut West, exit the Metro on the 18th street side and walk south on 18th street about 4 blocks. GSA is on the corner of 18th and F Street. Main entrance is at the middle of the building on F Street.

Parking: There are two parking garages on 18th street, one on the right and one on the left just as you pass F Street, between F and G streets.

Additional information on “ADApt Multi-Media Lectern”.

Within the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended in 1998 Section 508 calls for accessibility in many areas of Information Technology. Spectrum has chosen to address the Multi-Media section with a lectern specifically engineered for wheelchair users.

Spectrum Industries, Inc. has recently developed a "Universal Barrier Free" lectern engineered specifically for wheelchair users needs and requirements, in such a manner that their ADApt Lectern can also be used just as effectively by non-wheelchair users. Traditionally, lectern products have been engineered for non-wheelchair users, when the need arose modifications were made to meet bare minimum wheelchair user specifications. This practice almost always resulted in inadequate design, cumbersome in size, expensive and can only be used by wheelchair users.

Spectrum engineers have developed a patent pending lift mechanism which "BRINGS THE WORK SURFACE TO THE USER, NOT THE USER TO THE WORKSURFACE". Therefore, this concept will allow users to give presentations from wheelchairs, office chairs, drafting stools or simply stand. This design will also benefit shorter persons as it can lower to 31 inches in it's lowest horizontal and extended position. In order to do this Spectrum Industries, Inc. had to develop a surface that would move on all three axis, vertical, horizontal and tilt. In addition, all of the necessary IT equipment and interfaces are mounted on the work surface, i.e. DVD, VCR and computer. In addition a systems interface for audio, video, internet, ethernet, telephone, etc. is also located on the work surface.

We have also provided a location below the work surface to rack mount and secure all of the necessary multi-media equipment not located on the work surface, i.e. echo cancellers, microphone mixers, matrix, codec and the like.

This product will benefit persons with low vision from the touch control panel where the user can modify the panel to enlarge the text to operate the equipment. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing can simply read the control panel and then touch the proper location to control the VCR, DVD, computer function, focus the projector, dim the lights, etc. Spectrum Industries, Inc. is also looking into additional solutions to the system for persons who are blind and voice control activation of the equipment for mobility impaired users.

This product was developed in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin, Stout, Vocational Rehabilitation Department to insure Spectrum Industries meet Universal Barrier Free standards.

This product will also be included on Spectrum Industries, Inc. GSA Contract #GS-29F-0111G.

For further information please contact Marilyn Estep, 202-501-3322 (voice) 202-501-2010 (TDD), or email: marilyn.estep@gsa.gov.

DISCLAIMER: GSA, CITA does not endorse the products mentioned above or any other products displayed or demonstrated in their Assistive Technology Showcase. All references to products are solely for the purpose of educating the workforce on assistive technology products for persons with disabilities.