Information and Communication 

Technology (ICT) Standards and 

Guidelines

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

December 2011

U.S. Access Board
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

508 Chapter 1: Application and Administration .............................................................. 5

E101 General............................................................................................................. 5

E102 Referenced Standards...................................................................................... 5

E103 Definitions......................................................................................................... 7

508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements ........................................................................ 11

E201 Application...................................................................................................... 11

E202 General Exceptions ........................................................................................ 11

E203 Access to Functionality................................................................................... 13

E204 Functional Performance Criteria ..................................................................... 14

E205 Electronic Content .......................................................................................... 14

E206 Hardware........................................................................................................ 15

E207 Platforms and Applications ............................................................................. 15

E208 Documentation and Support Services ............................................................ 15

255 Chapter 1: Application and Administration ............................................................ 17

C101 General .......................................................................................................... 17

C102 Referenced Standards ................................................................................... 17

C103 Definitions....................................................................................................... 19

255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements ........................................................................ 23

C201 Application...................................................................................................... 23

C202 Functional Performance Criteria..................................................................... 23

C203 Electronic Content .......................................................................................... 23

C204 Hardware........................................................................................................ 24

C205 Platforms and Applications............................................................................. 24

C206 Documentation and Support Services ............................................................ 24

C207 Product Design, Development, and Evaluation .............................................. 24

Chapter 3: Functional Performance Criteria ................................................................. 27

301 General ............................................................................................................. 27

302 Functional Performance Criteria ....................................................................... 27
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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Chapter 4: Hardware.................................................................................................... 29

401 General ............................................................................................................. 29

402 Closed Functionality.......................................................................................... 29

403 Biometrics ......................................................................................................... 30

404 Preservation of Information Provided for Accessibility ...................................... 30

405 Flashing ............................................................................................................ 31

406 Standard Connections ...................................................................................... 31

407 Operable Parts.................................................................................................. 31

408 ICT with Two Way Voice Communication ......................................................... 33

409 Caption Processing Technology ....................................................................... 35

410 Video Description Processing Technology........................................................ 35

411 User Controls for Captions and Video Description............................................ 36

Chapter 5: Platforms and Applications ......................................................................... 37

501 General ............................................................................................................. 37

502 Interoperability with Assistive Technology ........................................................ 37

503 Applications....................................................................................................... 38

504 Authoring Tools................................................................................................. 39

Chapter 6: Documentation and Support Services ........................................................ 43

601 General ............................................................................................................. 43

602 Documentation.................................................................................................. 43

603 Support Services............................................................................................... 44
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508 CHAPTER 1: APPLICATION AND ADMINISTRATION

E101 General

E101.1 Purpose. This document contains scoping and technical requirements for 

information and communication technology (ICT) that is accessible to and usable by 

individuals with disabilities. Compliance with these standards is mandatory for federal 

agencies pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 

U.S.C. 794d).

E101.2 Equivalent Facilitation. The use of an alternative design or technology that 

results in substantially equivalent or greater access to and use of data and information 

by individuals with disabilities than would be provided by conformance to a requirement 

in Chapters 4 through 6 of this document is permitted. The functional performance 

criteria in Chapter 3 shall be used to determine whether substantially equivalent or 

greater access to and use of data and information is provided to individuals with 

disabilities.

E101.3 Conventional Industry Tolerances. Dimensions are subject to conventional 

industry tolerances except where dimensions are stated as a range.

E101.4 Units of Measurement. Measurements are stated in metric and U.S. 

customary units. The values stated in each system (metric and U.S. customary units) 

may not be exact equivalents, and each system shall be used independently of the 

other.

E102 Referenced Standards

E102.1 Incorporation by Reference. The specific editions of the standards and 

guidelines listed in E102 are incorporated by reference in this document and are part of 

the requirements to the prescribed extent of each such reference. The Director of the 

Federal Register has approved the standards for incorporation by reference in 

accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies of the referenced 

standards may be inspected at the Access Board, 1331 F Street NW, Suite 1000, 

Washington, DC 20004; or at the National Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA). For information on the availability of the referenced standards at NARA, call 

(202) 741-6030, or go to: 

http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html

E102.2 ATSC. Copies of the referenced standard may be obtained from the Advanced 

Television Systems Committee, 1776 K Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006-

2304 (http://www.atsc.org).

A/53 Digital Television Standard, Part 5: 2010 AC-3 Audio System Characteristics 

(see 410.1.1).
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E102.3 ANSI/IEEE. Copies of the referenced standard may be obtained from the 

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 10662 Los Vaqueros Circle, P.O. Box 

3014, Los Alamitos, CA 90720-1264 (http://www.ieee.org).

ANSI/IEEE C63.19-2011 American National Standard for Methods of Measurement 

of Compatibility between Wireless Communications Devices and Hearing Aids (see 

408.4.1).

Advisory E102.3 ANSI/IEEE. ANSI/IEEE C63.19-2011 provides a uniform method of 

measurement for compatibility between hearing aids and wireless communications 

devices.

E102.4 ITU-T. Copies of the referenced standards may be obtained from the 

International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunications Standardization Sector, 

Place des Nations CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland (http://www.itu.int/ITU-T).

ITU-T Recommendation G.722 (November, 1988): General Aspects of Digital 

Transmission Systems, Terminal Components, 7 kHz Audio-Coding within 64 

kbits/s, (see 408.5).

Advisory E102.4 ITU-T. G.722 is an ITU-T standard coder-decoder program that 

provides 7 kHz wideband audio at data rates from 48, 56, and 64 kbits/s. This standard 

provides a significant improvement in speech quality over earlier standards.

E102.5 IETF. Copies of the referenced standard may be obtained from the Internet 

Engineering Task Force (http://www.ietf.org).

RFC 4103 RTP Payload for Text Conversation (2005), (see 408.6.3.2).

Advisory E102.5 IETF. This standard describes how to carry real time text 

conversation session contents in RTP packets. Real time text conversation is used 

alone or in connection with other conversational modalities to form multimedia 

conversation services. Examples of other conversational modalities are video and 

voice. Real time text in multimedia conversation sessions is sent character-bycharacter as soon as it is available, or with a small delay for buffering.

E102.6 TIA. Copies of the referenced standards, published by the Telecommunications 

Industry Association, may be obtained from IHS, 15 Inverness Way East, Englewood, 

CO 80112 (http://global.ihs.com).

TIA 825-A (2003) A Frequency Shift Keyed Modem for Use on the Public Switched 

Telephone Network (see 408.6.3.1).

TIA 1083 (2007) Telephone Terminal Equipment Handset Magnetic Measurement 

Procedures and Performance Requirements (see 408.4.2).
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 508 Chapter 1: Application and Administration

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Advisory E102.6 TIA. TIA 825-A is the standard for TTY signals on the public switched 

telephone network interface. TIA 1083 defines measurement procedures and 

performance requirements for the handset generated audio band magnetic noise of wire 

line telephones, including digital cordless telephones.

E102.7 W3C. Copies of the referenced guidelines may be obtained from the W3C Web 

Accessibility Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar Street, Room 

32-G515, Cambridge, MA 02139 (http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20).

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, W3C Recommendation, 11 

December 2008 (see E205.1, E207.2, 405.1 Exception, 501.1 Exception, 504.2, 

504.3, 504.4, 602.3.1).

Advisory E102.7 W3C. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) offer a 

series of recommendations to make web content more accessible to all users, including 

persons with disabilities.

E103 Definitions

E103.1 Terms Defined in Referenced Standards. Terms defined in referenced 

standards and not defined in E103.4 shall have the meaning as defined in the 

referenced standards.

E103.2 Undefined Terms. The meaning of terms not defined in E103.4 or in 

referenced standards shall be as defined by collegiate dictionaries in the sense that the 

context implies.

E103.3 Interchangeability. Words, terms, and phrases used in the singular include the 

plural and those used in the plural include the singular.

E103.4 Defined Terms. For the purpose of this document, the terms defined in E103.4 

have the indicated meaning.

Agencies. Agencies and departments of the United States Government as defined in 

44 U.S.C. 3502 and the United States Postal Service.

Alternate Formats. Formats usable by individuals who are blind or have low vision.

Assistive Technology (AT). Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether 

acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or 

improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Authoring Tool. Any application that can be used by authors (alone or collaboratively) 

to create or modify content for use by other authors or end users.

Closed Functionality. Characteristics that prevent a user from attaching or installing 

assistive technology. Examples of ICT with closed functionality are self-service 
508 Chapter 1: Application and Administration ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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machines, information kiosks, set-top boxes, and devices like printers, copiers, fax 

machines, and calculators.

Content. Information or sensory experience communicated to the user by ICT. 

Content includes the encoding that defines its structure, presentation, and interactions.

Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). Equipment used on the premises of a person 

(other than a carrier) to originate, route, or terminate telecommunications or 

interconnected VoIP service. Examples of CPE are telephones, routers, switches, 

residential gateways, set-top boxes, fixed mobile convergence products, home 

networking adaptors and internet access gateways which enable consumers to access 

communications service providers’ services and distribute them around their house via 

a Local Access Network (LAN).

Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Any information technology, 

equipment, or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment for which the principal 

function is the creation, conversion, duplication, automatic acquisition, storage, analysis, 

evaluation, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, 

interchange, transmission, reception, or broadcast of data or information. Examples of 

ICT are electronic content, telecommunications products, computers and ancillary 

equipment, software, information kiosks and transaction machines, videos, IT services, 

and multifunction office machines which copy, scan, and fax documents.

Keyboard. A set of systematically arranged alphanumeric keys or a control that 

generates alphanumeric input by which a machine or device is operated. A keyboard 

includes tactilely discernible keys used in conjunction with the alphanumeric keys if their 

function maps to keys on the keyboard interfaces.

Label. Text or a component with a text alternative that is presented to a user to identify 

content. A label is presented to all users, whereas a name may be hidden and only 

exposed by assistive technology. In many cases, the name and the label are the same.

Menu. A set of selectable options.

Name. Text by which software can identify a component to the user. A name may be 

hidden and only exposed by assistive technology, whereas a label is presented to all 

users. In many cases, the label and the name are the same. Name is unrelated to the 

name attribute in HTML.

Operable Part. A component of ICT used to activate, deactivate, or adjust the ICT.

Platform Accessibility Services. Services provided by a platform enabling 

interoperability with assistive technology. Examples are Application Programming 

Interfaces (API) and the Document Object Model (DOM).

Platform Software. A collection of software components, that runs on an underlying 

software or hardware layer providing a set of software services to applications, that 

allows those applications to be isolated from the underlying software or hardware layer.
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Programmatically Determinable. Ability to be determined by software from authorsupplied data that is provided in a way that different user agents, including assistive 

technologies, can extract and present the information to users in different modalities.

Real Time Text. Communications using the transmission of text by which characters 

are transmitted by a terminal as they are typed. Real time text is used for 

conversational purposes. Real time text also may be used in voicemail, interactive 

voice response systems, and other similar applications.

Specialized Customer Premises Equipment. Assistive technology used by 

individuals with disabilities to originate, route, or terminate telecommunications or 

interconnected VoIP service. Examples are TTYs and amplified telephones.

Telecommunications. The signal transmission between or among points specified by 

the user of information and of the user’s choosing without change in the form or content 

of the information as sent and received.

Terminal. Device or software with which the end user directly interacts and that 

provides the user interface. For some systems, the software that provides the user 

interface may reside on more than one device such as a telephone and a server.

Text. A sequence of characters that can be programmatically determined and that 

expresses something in human language.

TTY. Equipment that enables interactive text based communications through the 

transmission of frequency-shift-keying audio tones across the public switched telephone 

network. TTY includes devices for real time text communications and voice and text 

intermixed communications. Examples of intermixed communications are voice carry 

over and hearing carry over. One example of a TTY is a computer with TTY emulating 

software and modem.

Video Description. A means to inform individuals who are blind or who have low vision 

about visual content essential for comprehension. Video description provides audible 

descriptions of on-screen visuals. Video description supplements the regular audio 

track of a program. Video description is usually inserted between dialogue to provide 

information about actions, characters, and on-screen text.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). A technology which provides real time voice 

communications. VoIP requires a broadband connection from the user’s location and 

customer premises equipment compatible with Internet protocol.
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ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements

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508 CHAPTER 2: SCOPING REQUIREMENTS

E201 Application

E201.1 Scope. ICT that is procured, developed, maintained, or used by agencies shall 

conform to these requirements.

Advisory E201.1 Scope. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d) 

applies to federal departments and agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service.

The term “agency” is defined in Section E103 to include the United States Postal 

Service and other federal agencies and departments as specified in 44 U.S.C. 3502. 

That section of the U.S.C. defines agency to mean any executive department, military 

department, Government corporation, Government controlled corporation, or other 

establishment in the executive branch of the Government (including the Executive 

Office of the President), or any independent regulatory agency, but does not include (a) 

the General Accounting Office; (b) Federal Election Commission; (c) the governments of 

the District of Columbia and of the territories and possessions of the United States, and 

their various subdivisions; or (d) Government-owned contractor-operated facilities, 

including laboratories engaged in national defense research and production activities.

E202 General Exceptions

E202.1 General. ICT shall be exempt from these requirements to the extent specified 

by E202.

E202.2 National Security Systems. This document does not apply to ICT operated by 

agencies as part of a national security system, as defined by 40 U.S.C. 11103(a).

Advisory E202.2 National Security Systems. The term National Security System 

means any telecommunication, or information system operated by the United States 

government, the function, operation, or use of which involves:

• Intelligence activities;

• Cryptologic activities related to national security;

• Command and control of military forces;

• Equipment that is an integral part of a weapon or weapons system; or

• Systems which are critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence missions.

Systems that are critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence missions do not 

include systems that are used for routine administrative and business applications. 

Examples of routine administrative and business applications are payroll, finance, 

logistics, and personnel management applications. Routine administrative and 

business applications are covered by this document.

E202.3 Federal Contracts. ICT acquired by a contractor incidental to a contract shall 

not be required to conform to this document.
508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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Advisory E202.3 Federal Contracts. ICT that is incidental to a contract includes 

materials which are, themselves, not deliverables under the contract. For example, if a 

contractor uses money from a contract to acquire a laptop which is used to help create 

the deliverable for the project, the laptop itself is considered incidental to the contract 

since it is not part of the deliverable.

E202.4 Functions Located in Maintenance or Monitoring Spaces. Where ICT 

functions are operable only from spaces occupied solely by service personnel for 

maintenance, repair, or occasional monitoring of equipment, such functions shall not be 

required to conform to the provisions of this document.

Advisory E202.4 Functions Located in Maintenance or Monitoring Spaces. Where 

a maintenance or monitoring space is occupied by persons other than service personnel 

whose job is to maintain, repair or occasionally monitor the ICT, the ICT functions 

located in that space must be accessible. A network operations center is an example of 

a space only for maintenance or monitoring and which is occupied by persons other 

than service personnel such as operations managers and programmers.

When controls or interfaces of ICT that is located in maintenance or monitoring spaces 

are operated remotely, they can be located almost anywhere. Consequently, the 

functions of ICT they control would not typically be eligible for the exception in E202.4.

E202.5 Undue Burden or Fundamental Alteration. Where an agency determines in 

accordance with E202.5 that conformance with the provisions of this document would 

impose an undue burden or would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the 

ICT, conformance shall be required only to the extent that it does not impose an undue 

burden or result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the ICT.

Advisory E202.5 Undue Burden or Fundamental Alteration. A determination by an 

agency that conformance to a particular provision would result in an undue burden or a 

fundamental alteration in the nature of the ICT does not exempt the ICT in its entirety 

from coverage under this document. The agency must conform to those provisions that 

do not result in an undue burden or a fundamental alteration in the nature of the ICT.

E202.5.1 Basis for a Determination of Undue Burden. In determining whether 

conformance to the provisions of this document would impose an undue burden on 

the agency, the agency shall consider the extent to which conformance would 

impose significant difficulty or expense considering the agency resources available 

to the program or component for which the ICT is to be procured, developed, 

maintained, or used.

E202.5.2 Required Documentation. The responsible agency official shall 

document in writing the basis for determining that conformance with provisions of 

this document constitute an undue burden on the agency or would result in a 

fundamental alteration in the nature of the ICT. The documentation shall include an 

explanation of why and to what extent compliance with applicable provisions would 

create an undue burden or a fundamental alteration in the nature of the ICT.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements

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E202.5.3 Alternative Means. Where conformance to the provisions of this 

document imposes an undue burden or a fundamental alteration in the nature of the 

ICT, the agency shall provide individuals with disabilities access to and use of 

information and data by an alternative means that meets identified needs.

E202.6 Best Meets. Where ICT conforming to one or more provisions of this document 

is not commercially available, the agency shall procure the product that best meets the 

provisions of this document consistent with the agency’s business needs.

Advisory E202.6 Best Meets. Examples of procurements that must conform to the 

provisions of this document unless they are not commercially available include 

commercial off the shelf products and products developed in response to federal 

government procurements. However, this document does not require agencies to 

procure ICT that does not meet their business needs.

E202.6.1 Required Documentation. The responsible agency official shall 

document in writing the basis for determining that ICT that fully conforms to the 

provisions of this document is not commercially available. The documentation shall 

include an explanation of why and to what extent a product conforming to applicable 

provisions of this document is not commercially available and why the product that 

was procured best meets the provisions of this document consistent with the 

agency’s business needs.

Advisory E202.6.1 Required Documentation. The Federal Acquisition Regulation 

(FAR) sets forth the documentation requirements for a determination of commercial 

non-availability by a federal agency.

E202.6.2 Alternative Means. Where ICT that fully conforms to the provisions of this 

document is not commercially available, the agency shall provide individuals with 

disabilities access to and use of information and data by an alternative means that 

meets identified needs.

Advisory E202.6.2 Alternative Means. Nothing in this document obviates or limits 

the requirements of Sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 

amended. Some individuals may require accommodations even for ICT that fully 

conforms to the provisions of this document.

E203 Access to Functionality

E203.1 General. Agencies shall provide individuals with disabilities access to all 

functionality of ICT, either directly or by supporting the use of assistive technology, and 

shall comply with E203. In providing access to all functionality of ICT, agencies shall 

ensure the following:

1. That federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information 

and data that is comparable to the access and use by federal employees who are 

not individuals with disabilities; and

2. That members of the public with disabilities who are seeking information or data 

from a federal agency have access to and use of information and data that is 
508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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comparable to that provided to the members of the public who are not individuals 

with disabilities.

E204 Functional Performance Criteria

E204.1 General. When agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use ICT, ICT shall 

conform to functional performance criteria specified in Chapter 3.

E205 Electronic Content

E205.1 Official Agency Communications. Regardless of the medium or the method 

of transmission and storage, electronic content that communicates official agency 

business, as determined by the agency mission, to a federal employee or a member of 

the public shall conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance 

Requirements specified for web pages in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in 

Chapter 1) when the content of the communication includes one or more of the 

following:

1. Content that is public facing;

2. Content that is broadly disseminated throughout an agency, including templates;

3. Letters adjudicating any cause which is within the jurisdiction of the agency;

4. Internal and external program and policy announcements;

5. Notices of benefits, program eligibility, and employment opportunities and 

decisions;

6. Forms, questionnaires and surveys;

7. Emergency notifications;

8. Formal acknowledgements and receipts; or

9. Educational and training materials.

Advisory E205.1 Official Agency Communications. WCAG is written to be 

technology neutral. While oriented towards web pages which are defined as being 

delivered using HTTP, it is straightforward to apply the WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria and 

Conformance Requirements to all electronic content.

EXCEPTIONS: 1. Electronic content of any of the above types of communications 

stored solely for archival purposes or retained solely to preserve the exact image of 

the original hard copy shall not be required to conform to the provisions of this 

document.

2. Works in progress and drafts that are not public facing and that are intended for 

limited internal distribution shall not be required to conform to the provisions of this 

document.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements

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Advisory E205.1 Official Agency Communications Exceptions. Nothing in this 

document, including the exceptions to E205.1, obviates or limits the requirements of 

Sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. In order to 

avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, an agency may be required to provide 

reasonable accommodations for federal employees who are individuals with 

disabilities, or to make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures

in order to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability.

E206 Hardware

E206.1 General. Where components of ICT are hardware and transmit information or 

have a user interface, those components shall conform to the applicable provisions of 

Chapter 4.

E207 Platforms and Applications

E207.1 General. Where components of ICT are platforms or applications and transmit 

information or have a user interface, those components shall conform to E207 and the 

applicable provisions of Chapter 5.

E207.2 WCAG Conformance. User interface components and content of platforms 

and applications shall conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and 

Conformance Requirements specified for web pages in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by 

reference in Chapter 1).

Advisory E207.2 WCAG Conformance. WCAG is written to be technology neutral. 

While oriented towards web pages which are defined as being delivered using HTTP, it 

is straightforward to apply the WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria and Conformance 

Requirements to user interface components and content of platforms and applications.

E208 Documentation and Support Services

E208.1 General. Where support services or documentation are provided, agencies 

shall provide support services and documentation in conformance with Chapter 6.
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ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 255 Chapter 1: Application and Administration

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255 CHAPTER 1: APPLICATION AND ADMINISTRATION

C101 General

C101.1 Purpose. This document contains scoping and technical requirements for 

telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment that are accessible 

to and usable by individuals with disabilities. Compliance with these standards is 

mandatory for telecommunications manufacturers pursuant to the Telecommunications 

Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 255).

C101.2 Equivalent Facilitation. The use of an alternative design or technology that 

results in substantially equivalent or greater access to and use of data and information 

by individuals with disabilities than would be provided by conformance to a requirement 

in Chapters 4 through 6 of this document is permitted. The functional performance 

criteria in Chapter 3 shall be used to determine whether substantially equivalent or 

greater access to and use of data and information is provided to individuals with 

disabilities.

C101.3 Conventional Industry Tolerances. Dimensions are subject to conventional 

industry tolerances except where dimensions are stated as a range.

C101.4 Units of Measurement. Measurements are stated in metric and U.S. 

customary units. The values stated in each system (metric and U.S. customary units) 

may not be exact equivalents, and each system shall be used independently of the 

other.

C102 Referenced Standards

C102.1 Incorporation by Reference. The specific editions of the standards and 

guidelines listed in C102 are incorporated by reference in this document and are part of 

the requirements to the prescribed extent of each such reference. The Director of the 

Federal Register has approved the standards for incorporation by reference in 

accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies of the referenced 

standards may be inspected at the Access Board, 1331 F Street NW, Suite 1000, 

Washington, DC 20004; or at the National Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA). For information on the availability of the referenced standards at NARA, call 

(202) 741-6030, or go to: 

http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html

C102.2 ATSC. Copies of the referenced standard may be obtained from the Advanced 

Television Systems Committee, 1776 K Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006-

2304 (http://www.atsc.org).
255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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A/53 Digital Television Standard, Part 5: 2010 AC-3 Audio System Characteristics 

(see 410.1.1).

C102.3 ANSI/IEEE. Copies of the referenced standard may be obtained from the 

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 10662 Los Vaqueros Circle, P.O. Box 

3014, Los Alamitos, CA 90720-1264 (http://www.ieee.org).

ANSI/IEEE C63.19-2011 American National Standard for Methods of Measurement 

of Compatibility between Wireless Communications Devices and Hearing Aids (see 

408.4.1).

Advisory C102.3 ANSI/IEEE. ANSI/IEEE C63.19-2011 provides a uniform method of 

measurement for compatibility between hearing aids and wireless communications 

devices.

C102.4 ITU-T. Copies of the referenced standards may be obtained from the 

International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunications Standardization Sector, 

Place des Nations CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland (http://www.itu.int/ITU-T).

ITU-T Recommendation G.722 (November, 1988): General Aspects of Digital 

Transmission Systems, Terminal Components, 7 kHz Audio-Coding within 64

kbits/s, (see 408.5).

Advisory C102.4 ITU-T. G.722 is an ITU-T standard coder-decoder program that 

provides 7 kHz wideband audio at data rates from 48, 56, and 64 kbits/s. This standard 

provides a significant improvement in speech quality over earlier standards.

C102.5 IETF. Copies of the referenced standard may be obtained from the Internet 

Engineering Task Force (http://www.ietf.org).

RFC 4103 RTP Payload for Text Conversation (2005), (see 408.6.3.2).

Advisory C102.5 IETF. This standard describes how to carry real time text 

conversation session contents in RTP packets. Real time text conversation is used 

alone or in connection with other conversational modalities to form multimedia 

conversation services. Examples of other conversational modalities are video and 

voice. Real time text in multimedia conversation sessions is sent character-bycharacter as soon as it is available, or with a small delay for buffering.

C102.6 TIA. Copies of the referenced standards, published by the Telecommunications 

Industry Association, may be obtained from IHS, 15 Inverness Way East, Englewood, 

CO 80112 (http://global.ihs.com).

TIA 825-A (2003) A Frequency Shift Keyed Modem for Use on the Public Switched 

Telephone Network (see 408.6.3.1).

TIA 1083 (2007) Telephone Terminal Equipment Handset Magnetic Measurement 

Procedures and Performance Requirements (see 408.4.2).
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 255 Chapter 1: Application and Administration

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Advisory C102.6 TIA. TIA 825-A is the standard for TTY signals on the publicly 

switched telephone network interface. TIA 1083 defines measurement procedures and 

performance requirements for the handset generated audio band magnetic noise of wire 

line telephones, including digital cordless telephones.

C102.7 W3C. Copies of the referenced guidelines may be obtained from the W3C Web 

Accessibility Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar Street, Room 

32-G515, Cambridge, MA 02139 (http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20).

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, W3C Recommendation, 11 

December 2008 (see C203.1, C205.2, 405.1 Exception, 501.1 Exception, 504.2, 

504.3, 504.4, 602.3.1).

Advisory C102.7 W3C. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) offer a 

series of recommendations to make web content more accessible to all users, including 

persons with disabilities.

C103 Definitions

C103.1 Terms Defined in Referenced Standards. Terms defined in referenced 

standards and not defined in C103.4 shall have the meaning as defined in the 

referenced standards.

C103.2 Undefined Terms. The meaning of terms not defined in C103.4 or in 

referenced standards shall be as defined by collegiate dictionaries in the sense that the 

context implies.

C103.3 Interchangeability. Words, terms, and phrases used in the singular include the 

plural and those used in the plural include the singular.

C103.4 Defined Terms. For the purpose of this document, the terms defined in C103.4 

have the indicated meaning.

Alternate Formats. Formats usable by individuals who are blind or have low vision.

Assistive Technology (AT). Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether 

acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or 

improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Authoring Tool. Any application that can be used by authors (alone or collaboratively) 

to create or modify content for use by other authors or end users.

Closed Functionality. Characteristics that prevent a user from attaching or installing

assistive technology. Examples of ICT with closed functionality are self-service 

machines, information kiosks, set-top boxes, and devices like printers, copiers, fax 

machines, and calculators.
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Content. Information or sensory experience communicated to the user by ICT. 

Content includes the encoding that defines its structure, presentation, and interactions.

Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). Equipment used on the premises of a person 

(other than a carrier) to originate, route, or terminate telecommunications or 

interconnected VoIP service. Examples of CPE are telephones, routers, switches, 

residential gateways, set-top boxes, fixed mobile convergence products, home 

networking adaptors and internet access gateways which enable consumers to access 

communications service providers’ services and distribute them around their house via 

a Local Access Network (LAN).

Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Any information technology, 

equipment, or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment for which the principal 

function is the creation, conversion, duplication, automatic acquisition, storage, analysis, 

evaluation, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, 

interchange, transmission, reception, or broadcast of data or information. Examples of 

ICT are electronic content, telecommunications products, computers and ancillary 

equipment, software, information kiosks and transaction machines, videos, IT services, 

and multifunction office machines which copy, scan, and fax documents.

Keyboard. A set of systematically arranged alphanumeric keys or a control that 

generates alphanumeric input by which a machine or device is operated. A keyboard 

includes tactilely discernible keys used in conjunction with the alphanumeric keys if their 

function maps to keys on the keyboard interfaces.

Label. Text or a component with a text alternative that is presented to a user to identify 

content. A label is presented to all users, whereas a name may be hidden and only 

exposed by assistive technology. In many cases, the name and the label are the same.

Menu. A set of selectable options.

Name. Text by which software can identify a component to the user. A name may be 

hidden and only exposed by assistive technology, whereas a label is presented to all 

users. In many cases, the label and the name are the same. Name is unrelated to the 

name attribute in HTML.

Operable Part. A component of ICT used to activate, deactivate, or adjust the ICT.

Platform Accessibility Services. Services provided by a platform enabling 

interoperability with assistive technology. Examples are Application Programming 

Interfaces (API) and the Document Object Model (DOM).

Platform Software. A collection of software components, that runs on an underlying 

software or hardware layer providing a set of software services to applications, that 

allows those applications to be isolated from the underlying software or hardware layer.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 255 Chapter 1: Application and Administration

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Programmatically Determinable. Ability to be determined by software from authorsupplied data that is provided in a way that different user agents, including assistive 

technologies, can extract and present the information to users in different modalities.

Readily Achievable. Easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much 

difficulty or expense.

Real Time Text. Communications using the transmission of text by which characters 

are transmitted by a terminal as they are typed. Real time text is used for 

conversational purposes. Real time text also may be used in voicemail, interactive 

voice response systems, and other similar applications.

Specialized Customer Premises Equipment. Assistive technology used by 

individuals with disabilities to originate, route, or terminate telecommunications or 

interconnected VoIP service. Examples are TTYs and amplified telephones.

Telecommunications. The signal transmission between or among points specified by 

the user of information and of the user’s choosing without change in the form or content 

of the information as sent and received.

Telecommunications Equipment. Equipment, other than customer premises 

equipment, used by a carrier to provide telecommunications services, including software 

and upgrades integral to such equipment.

Telecommunications Manufacturer. A fabricator or final assembler of

telecommunications equipment, VoIP or customer premises equipment that sells to the 

public or to vendors.

Terminal. Device or software with which the end user directly interacts and that 

provides the user interface. For some systems, the software that provides the user 

interface may reside on more than one device. Examples of such devices are a 

telephone and a server.

Text. A sequence of characters that can be programmatically determined and that 

expresses something in human language.

TTY. Equipment that enables interactive text based communications through the 

transmission of frequency-shift-keying audio tones across the public switched telephone 

network. TTY includes devices for real time text communications and voice and text 

intermixed communications. Examples of intermixed communications are voice carry 

over and hearing carry over. One example of a TTY is a computer with TTY emulating 

software and modem.

Video Description. A means to inform individuals who are blind or who have low vision 

about visual content essential for comprehension. Video description provides audible 

descriptions of on-screen visuals. Video description supplements the regular audio 

track of a program. Video description is usually inserted between dialogue to provide 

information about actions, characters, and on-screen text.
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Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). A technology which provides real time voice 

communications. VoIP requires a broadband connection from the user’s location and 

customer premises equipment compatible with Internet protocol.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements

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255 CHAPTER 2: SCOPING REQUIREMENTS

C201 Application

C201.1 Scope. Where readily achievable, telecommunications manufacturers of ICT 

that is telecommunications equipment or customer premises equipment shall apply 

these requirements in the design, development, and fabrication of ICT that it is newly 

released, upgraded or is substantially changed from an earlier version or model.

Advisory C201.1 Scope. Existing ICT which undergoes minor or insubstantial changes 

that do not affect functionality shall not be required to conform to the provisions of this 

document.

C201.2 Access to Functionality. Telecommunications manufacturers shall provide 

individuals with disabilities direct access to all functionality of ICT. Where 

telecommunications manufacturers can demonstrate that it is not readily achievable for 

ICT to provide direct access to all functionality, ICT shall support the use of assistive 

technology and specialized customer premises equipment where readily achievable.

Advisory C201.2 Access to Functionality. A determination by a telecommunications 

manufacturer that it is not readily achievable for ICT to conform to a certain provision 

does not exempt the ICT in its entirety from coverage under this document. ICT must 

conform to those provisions that are readily achievable.

In determining whether compliance with the provisions of this document is readily 

achievable, telecommunications manufacturers should consider the following list of 

factors:

1. The nature and cost of the action needed to provide accessibility or compatibility.

2. The overall resources of the telecommunications manufacturer, including financial 

resources, technical expertise, component supply sources, equipment, or personnel.

3. The overall financial resources of any parent corporation or entity; only to the extent 

such resources are available to the telecommunications manufacturer.

4. Whether the accessibility solution results in a fundamental alteration in the nature of 

the product.

C202 Functional Performance Criteria

C202.1 General. ICT covered by C201.1 shall conform to the functional performance 

criteria specified in Chapter 3.

C203 Electronic Content

C203.1 General. Regardless of the medium or the method of transmission and 

storage, electronic content integral to the use of ICT covered by C201.1 shall conform to 

Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements specified for 

web pages in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1).
255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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Advisory C203.1 General. WCAG is written to be technology neutral. While oriented 

towards web pages which are defined as being delivered using HTTP, it is 

straightforward to apply the WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria and Conformance 

Requirements to all electronic content.

C204 Hardware

C204.1 General. Where components of ICT covered by C201.1 are hardware and 

transmit information or have a user interface, those components shall conform to the 

applicable provisions of Chapter 4.

C205 Platforms and Applications

C205.1 General. Where components of ICT covered by C201.1 are platforms or 

applications and transmit information or have a user interface, those components shall 

conform to C206 and the applicable provisions of Chapter 5.

C205.2 WCAG Conformance. User interface components and content of platforms 

and applications shall conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and 

Conformance Requirements specified for web pages in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by 

reference in Chapter 1).

Advisory C205.2 WCAG Conformance. WCAG is written to be technology neutral. 

While oriented towards web pages which are defined as being delivered using HTTP, it 

is straightforward to apply the WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria and Conformance 

Requirements to user interface components and content of platforms and applications.

C206 Documentation and Support Services

C206.1 General. Where support services or documentation are provided, 

telecommunications manufacturers shall provide support services and documentation in 

conformance with Chapter 6, upon request and at no additional charge to those users.

C207 Product Design, Development, and Evaluation

C207.1 General. Telecommunications manufacturers shall include accessibility in 

product design, development, and fabrication.

C207.2 Inclusion of People with Disabilities. In developing an accessible product 

design and evaluation process, telecommunications manufacturers shall consider 

including individuals with disabilities and groups representing individuals with disabilities 

in all phases of product development, testing and marketing.

Advisory C207.2 Inclusion of People with Disabilities. When market research is 

undertaken, telecommunications manufacturers should include individuals with 

disabilities in target populations of such research.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines 255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements

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When product design, testing, pilot demonstrations, and product trials are conducted, 

telecommunications manufacturers should include individuals with disabilities in such 

activities.

In determining how and whom to enlist in assisting with design, training, demonstrating, 

or participation in product trials, telecommunications manufacturers may consider 

advertising in advocacy organizations’ periodic communication, with membership or 

demographically similar public or private groups, or other associated entities.
255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines Chapter 3: Functional Performance Criteria

27

CHAPTER 3: FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

301 General

301.1 Scope. The provisions of Chapter 3 shall apply where required by Chapter 2 or 

where referenced by a requirement in this document.

302 Functional Performance Criteria

302.1 Without Vision. Where a visual mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide 

at least one mode of operation that does not require user vision.

302.2 With Limited Vision. Where a visual mode of operation is provided, ICT shall 

provide at least one mode of operation that magnifies, one mode that reduces the field 

of vision required, and one mode that allows user control of contrast.

302.3 Without Perception of Color. Where a visual mode of operation is provided, 

ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that does not require user perception 

of color.

302.4 Without Hearing. Where an auditory mode of operation is provided, ICT shall 

provide at least one mode of operation that does not require user hearing.

302.5 With Limited Hearing. Where an auditory mode of operation is provided, ICT 

shall provide at least one mode of operation which improves clarity, one mode that 

reduces background noise, and one mode that allows user control of volume.

302.6 Without Speech. Where a spoken mode of operation is provided, ICT shall 

provide at least one mode of operation that does not require user speech.

302.7 With Limited Manipulation. Where a manual mode of operation is provided, 

ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that does not require fine motor control 

or operation of more than one control at the same time.

302.8 With Limited Reach and Strength. Where a manual mode of operation is 

provided, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that is operable with limited 

reach and limited strength.

302.9 Minimize Photosensitive Seizure Triggers. ICT shall provide at least one 

mode of operation that minimizes the potential for triggering photosensitive seizures.
Chapter 3: Functional Performance Criteria ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

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ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines Chapter 4: Hardware

29

CHAPTER 4: HARDWARE

401 General

401.1 Scope. The provisions of Chapter 4 shall apply where required by Chapter 2 or 

where referenced by a requirement in this document.

402 Closed Functionality

402.1 General. Except for personal headsets and audio loops, ICT with closed 

functionality shall be operable without requiring the user to attach assistive technology 

and shall conform to 402.

Advisory 402.1 General. Self-service machines, information kiosks, set-top boxes, 

and devices like printers, copiers, fax machines, and calculators have closed 

functionality because their functionality is self-contained. Their design precludes the 

user from adding peripherals or software to them.

ICT has closed functionality for many reasons. These reasons include design or policy. 

ICT may have closed functionality in practice even though the manufacturer did not 

design or develop ICT to be closed. Computers which are “locked down” to the extent 

that end users cannot adjust settings are functionally closed.

402.2 Speech Enabled. ICT shall be speech enabled. Operating instructions and 

orientation, visible transaction prompts, user input verification, error messages, and all 

displayed information for full use shall be accessible to and independently usable by 

individuals with vision impairments. Speech shall be delivered through a mechanism 

that is readily available to all users, including, but not limited to, an industry standard 

connector or a telephone handset. Speech shall be recorded or digitized human, or 

synthesized. Speech shall be coordinated with information displayed on the screen.

EXCEPTIONS: 1. Audible tones shall be permitted instead of speech for visible 

output that is not displayed for security purposes, including, but not limited to, 

asterisks representing personal identification numbers.

2. Advertisements and other similar information shall not be required to be audible 

unless they convey information that can be used in the transaction being conducted.

402.2.1 User Control. Speech for any single function shall be automatically 

interrupted when a transaction is selected. Speech shall be capable of being 

repeated and paused.

402.3 Volume Control. ICT shall provide volume control complying with 402.3.

402.3.1 Private Listening. Where speech required by 402.2 is delivered through a 

mechanism for private listening, ICT shall provide a mode of operation for controlling 

the volume.
Chapter 4: Hardware ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

30

402.3.2 Speaker Volume. Where sound is delivered through speakers on ICT, 

incremental volume control shall be provided with output amplification up to a level 

of at least 65 dB. Where the ambient noise level of the environment is above 45 dB, 

a volume gain of at least 20 dB above the ambient level shall be user selectable. A 

function shall be provided to automatically reset the volume to the default level after 

every use.

402.4 Characters. Characters displayed on the screen shall be in a sans serif font. 

Characters shall be 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) high minimum based on the uppercase letter “I”. 

Characters shall contrast with their background with either light characters on a dark 

background or dark characters on a light background.

403 Biometrics

403.1 General. Where provided, biometrics shall not be the only means for user 

identification or control.

EXCEPTION: Where at least two biometric options that use different biological 

characteristics are provided, ICT shall be permitted to use biometrics as the only 

means for user identification or control.

Advisory 403.1 General Exception. Biometrics use biological characteristics for 

user identification or control. Examples of biometrics used for identification or 

control are fingerprints, retinal scans, iris patterns, voice prints, facial recognition, 

and veins in a hand.

Biometrics that are restricted to a single biological characteristic pose a significant 

barrier to individuals with disabilities who do not possess that specific biological 

characteristic.

Biometric methods based on dissimilar biological characteristics increase the 

likelihood that individuals with disabilities possess at least one of the specified 

biological characteristics. Examples of dissimilar biological characteristics are 

fingerprints, eye retinal patterns, voice, and face.

Examples of biometrics that rely upon dissimilar biological characteristics are voice 

recognition and face recognition. Examples of biometrics that rely upon similar 

biological characteristics are finger printing and thumb scans.

This provision requires ICT that uses biometrics to provide for two (or more) 

dissimilar biological characteristics.

404 Preservation of Information Provided for Accessibility

404.1 General. ICT that transmits or converts information or communication, shall not 

remove non-proprietary information provided for accessibility or shall restore it upon 

delivery.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines Chapter 4: Hardware

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Advisory 404.1 General. This provision applies to conversion techniques, such as 

encoding, signal compression, and format transformation. Examples of ICT that 

encode, compress, or transform include firewalls, routers, and gateways.

One example of ICT preserving information provided for accessibility is a media player 

that displays embedded captions from a captioned video and does not strip out the 

captioning.

Another example of ICT preserving information provided for accessibility is converting a 

document into a new format while retaining information about the identity, operation, 

and state of the interface elements.

This provision does not require the addition or translation of information. For example, 

this is not a requirement to change voice mail to text or to vocalize captions.

405 Flashing

405.1 General. Where ICT emits lights in flashes, there shall be no more than three 

flashes in any one second period.

EXCEPTION: Flashes that do not exceed the general flash and red flash thresholds 

defined in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1) are not required to 

conform to 405.

406 Standard Connections

406.1 General. Where connection points are provided, at least one of each type of 

connection shall conform to industry standard non-proprietary formats.

Advisory 406.1 General. The intent of this provision is to ensure compatibility with 

assistive technologies by requiring the use of standard connections on ICT.

Examples of connection points include expansion slots, ports, and connectors for 

cables.

Industry standard non-proprietary formats include wireless connections to ICT, such as 

infrared (IR) and Bluetooth.

407 Operable Parts

407.1 General. Where provided, operable parts of ICT shall conform to 407.

EXCEPTION: Operable parts of ICT that is portable shall not be required to conform 

to 407.13 through 407.16

407.2 Contrast. Where provided, keys and controls shall contrast visually from 

background surfaces. Characters and symbols shall contrast visually from background 

surfaces. Visual contrast shall be either light-on-dark or dark-on-light.

407.3 Tactilely Discernible. At least one tactilely discernible input control shall be 

provided for each function. Where provided, key surfaces not on active areas of display 
Chapter 4: Hardware ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

32

screens shall be raised above surrounding surfaces. Where touch or membrane keys 

are the only method of input, each key shall be tactilely discernible from surrounding 

surfaces and adjacent keys.

407.3.1 Identification. Operable parts shall be tactilely discernible without 

activation.

407.4 Key Repeat. Where an alphabetic keyboard with key repeat is provided, the 

delay before the key repeat shall be adjustable to at least 2 seconds and the key repeat 

rate shall be adjustable to 2 seconds per character.

407.5 Numeric Keys. Where provided, numeric keys shall be arranged in a 12-key 

ascending or descending telephone keypad layout. The number five key shall be 

tactilely distinct from the other keys.

Advisory 407.5 Numeric Keys. A telephone keypad and a keypad on a computer 

keyboard differ in one significant feature, ascending versus descending numerical order 

of the layout. Both types of keypad layout conform to this provision.

407.6 Timed Response. Where a timed response is required, ICT shall alert the user 

by touch or sound and provide the user with the opportunity to indicate that more time is 

needed.

407.7 Status Indicators. Where provided, status indicators, including all locking or 

toggle controls or keys, shall be discernible either through touch or sound.

407.8 Color. ICT shall not use color coding as the only means of conveying 

information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual 

element.

Advisory 407.8 Color. This provision allows ICT to use color. One example is an 

electronic form with required and optional fields. Instructions at the beginning of this 

form state that required fields are labeled with an asterisk and appear in red text. In this 

example, the asterisk is the non-color dependent visual means of conveying 

information.

407.9 Operation. Operable parts shall be operable with one hand and shall not require 

tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate operable 

parts shall be 5 pounds (22.2 N) maximum.

407.10 Privacy. ICT shall provide the opportunity for the same degree of privacy of 

input and output to all individuals.

407.11 Receipts, Tickets, and Transactional Outputs. Where receipts, tickets, or 

other outputs are provided as a result of a transaction, speech output shall include all 

information necessary to complete or verify the transaction.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines Chapter 4: Hardware

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Advisory 407.11 Receipts, Tickets, and Transactional Outputs. The information 

necessary to complete or verify a transaction depends on the nature of the transaction 

and the type of machine.

Receipts, tickets, and similar transactional output usually are printed, but this is not 

always the case. For example, a theater ticket might be transferred to a smart phone or 

PDA. Regardless of the delivery method, the machine must convey audibly to the user 

the information provided in receipts, tickets and other similar transactional outputs that 

is necessary to complete and verify a transaction.

EXCEPTIONS: 1. Machine location, date and time of transaction, customer account 

number, and the machine identifier shall not be required to be audible.

2. Information that duplicates information available on-screen and already 

presented audibly shall not be required to be repeated.

3. For ticketing machines, printed copies of itineraries and maps shall not be 

required to be audible.

407.12 Keys, Tickets and Fare Cards. Where keys, tickets or fare cards are provided, 

keys, tickets and fare cards shall have an orientation that is tactilely discernible if 

orientation is important to further use of the key, ticket or fare card.

Advisory 407.12 Keys, Tickets and Fare Cards. Examples of keys include electronic 

pass cards and identification badges which are read by machines. Examples of ways to 

provide an orientation that is tactilely discernible include braille labels, off-center punch 

holes, and notching a corner.

407.13 Clear Floor Space. A clear floor or ground space conforming to 36 CFR Part 

1191 Appendix D, Section 305 shall be provided.

407.14 Height. Operable parts of ICT shall be placed within one or more of the reach 

ranges conforming to 36 CFR Part 1191 Appendix D, Section 308.

Advisory 407.14 Height. This provision applies to reach ranges for either a forward or 

a side approach.

407.15 Visibility. Where a display screen is provided, it shall be visible from a point 

located 40 inches (1015 mm) above the center of the clear floor space in front of the 

ICT.

407.16 Braille Instructions. Where speech is required by 402.2, braille instructions for 

initiating the speech mode of operation shall be provided. Braille shall conform to 36 

CFR Part 1191 Appendix D, Section 703.3.

408 ICT with Two Way Voice Communication

408.1 General. ICT that provides two way voice communication shall conform to 408.
Chapter 4: Hardware ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

34

408.2 Volume Gain. For transmitted voice signals, ICT shall provide a gain adjustable 

to a minimum of 18 dB. For incremental volume control, ICT shall provide at least one 

intermediate step of 12 dB gain.

408.3 Magnetic Coupling. Where ICT delivers output by an audio transducer which is 

typically held up to the ear, ICT shall provide a means for effective magnetic wireless 

coupling to hearing technologies.

408.4 Minimize Interference. Interference with hearing technologies (including hearing 

aids, cochlear implants, and assistive listening devices) shall be reduced to the lowest 

possible level and shall conform to 408.4.

408.4.1 Cellular and PCS Handsets. ICT in the form of cellular and Personal 

Communication Service (PCS) handsets shall conform to ANSI/IEEE C63.19-2011 

(incorporated by reference in Chapter 1).

408.4.2 Digital Wireline. ICT in the form of digital wireline devices shall conform to 

TIA 1083, Telephone Terminal Equipment Handset Magnetic Measurement 

Procedures and Performance Requirements (incorporated by reference in Chapter 

1).

408.5 ITU-T Recommendation G.722. ICT shall transmit and receive speech that is 

digitally encoded in the manner specified by ITU-T Recommendation G.722 for 

encoding and storing audio information (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1).

EXCEPTION: Where ICT is a closed system, conformance to standards other than 

ITU-T Recommendation G.722 shall be permitted where equivalent or better 

acoustic performance is provided and where conversion to ITU-T Recommendation 

G.722 at the borders of the closed system is supported.

Advisory 408.5 ITU-T Recommendation G.722 Exception. One example of a 

closed system is a telephone network in a federal multiple facility site which enables 

calls to be placed between buildings and departments within that site, but is not used 

to receive or make calls outside of that site.

408.6 Real Time Text Functionality. Where ICT provides real time voice 

communication, ICT shall provide real time text functionality and shall conform to 408.6.

408.6.1 Display of Real Time Text. Where provided, multi-line displays shall be 

compatible with real time text systems used on the network.

408.6.2 Text Generation. Where provided, features capable of text generation shall 

be compatible with real time text systems used on the network.

408.6.3 Interoperability. Where ICT interoperates outside of its closed system, or 

where ICT connects to other systems, ICT shall conform to 408.6.3.1 or 408.6.3.2.

408.6.3.1 PSTN. Where ICT interoperates with the PSTN (Public Switched 

Telephone Network), real time text shall conform to the TIA 825-A (incorporated 
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines Chapter 4: Hardware

35

by reference in Chapter 1) Baudot standard for TTY signals at the PSTN 

interface.

408.6.3.2 VoIP Using SIP. Where ICT interoperates with Voice over Internet 

Protocol (VoIP) products or systems using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), they 

shall support transmission of real time text that conforms to RFC 4103 

(incorporated by reference in Chapter 1).

408.6.4 Real Time Text Compatibility. Voice mail, auto-attendant, and interactive 

voice response telecommunications systems shall be compatible with real time text 

that conforms to 408.6.3.

408.7 Caller ID. Where provided, caller identification and similar telecommunications 

functions shall be available as text or in an audio form.

408.8 Video Communication. Where ICT that provides two way voice communication 

includes real time video functionality, the quality of the video shall be sufficient to 

support communication using sign language.

409 Caption Processing Technology

409.1 General. Where ICT displays or processes video with synchronized audio, ICT 

shall conform to 409.1.1 or 409.1.2.

409.1.1 Decoding of Closed Captions to Open Captions. Where audio-visual 

players and displays process video with synchronized audio information, players and 

displays shall decode closed caption data and pass on an open-captioned signal to 

the video display.

409.1.2 Pass Through of Closed Caption Data. Where audio-visual players and 

displays process video with synchronized audio information, players and displays 

shall pass through closed caption data to the video display for decoding as displayed 

text. Cabling and ancillary equipment shall not block the pass through of closed 

caption data.

410 Video Description Processing Technology

410.1 General. Where ICT displays or processes video with synchronized audio 

information, ICT shall provide a mode of operation that plays audio information 

associated with video description.

410.1.1 Digital Television Tuners. Where video description is played through 

digital television tuners, the tuners shall conform to ATSC A/53 Digital Television 

Standard, Part 5 (2010) (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1). Digital television 

tuners shall provide processing of video description when encoded as a Visually 

Impaired (VI) associated audio service that is provided as a complete program mix 

containing video description according to the A/53 standard developed by the 
Chapter 4: Hardware ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines

36

Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) (incorporated by reference in 

Chapter 1).

411 User Controls for Captions and Video Description

411.1 General. Where ICT displays video with synchronized audio content, ICT shall 

provide user controls for closed captions and video description conforming to 411.1.

411.1.1 Caption Controls. Where user controls are provided for the selection of 

volume, ICT shall provide user controls for the selection of captions in at least one 

location that is comparable in prominence to the location of the user controls for 

volume.

411.1.2 Video Description Controls. Where user controls are provided for the 

selection of channels, ICT shall provide user controls for the selection of video 

description in at least one location that is comparable in prominence to the location 

of the user controls for channels.
ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines Chapter 5: Platforms and Applications

37

CHAPTER 5: PLATFORMS AND APPLICATIONS

501 General

501.1 Scope. The provisions of Chapter 5 shall apply where required by Chapter 1 or 

where referenced by a requirement in this document.

Advisory 501.1 Scope. Examples of platforms are desktop, embedded operating 

systems (including mobile), web browsers, plug-ins to web browsers which render a 

particular media or format, and sets of components which allow other applications to 

execute.

Applications may be web-based or client-side software. Examples of applications are 

email clients, word processors, help desk systems, content management systems, elearning courseware, and terminal emulation.

EXCEPTION: Web applications that conform to all Level A and Level AA Success 

Criteria and all Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference 

in Chapter 1) shall not be required to conform to 502 and 503.

502 Interoperability with Assistive Technology

502.1 General. Platforms, platform software toolkits, and applications shall conform to 

502.

EXCEPTION: Platforms and applications that have closed functionality and that 

conform to 402 shall not be required to conform to 502.

502.2 Accessibility Services. Platforms and their software toolkits shall provide a 

documented set of accessibility services that support a mode of operation for 

applications running on the platform to interoperate with assistive technology and shall 

conform to 502.2. Applications that are also platforms shall expose the underlying 

platform accessibility services or implement other documented accessibility services.

502.2.1 Object Information. The object role, state(s), boundary, name, and 

description shall be programmatically determinable.

502.2.2 Row, Column, and Headers. The row and column an object is in, and the 

headers for the row and column for that component, if it is in a data table that has 

row or column headers, shall be programmatically determinable.

502.2.3 Values. The current value and any minimum or maximum values, if the 

component represents one of a range of values, shall be programmatically 

determinable.

502.2.4 Label Relationships. The relationship that a component has as a label for 

another component, or of being labeled by another component, shall be 

programmatically determinable.
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502.2.5 Parent Child Relationships. The name of the object’s parent or containing 

element and any children components shall be programmatically determinable.

502.2.6 Text. The text contents, text attributes, and the boundary of text rendered to 

the screen shall be programmatically determinable.

502.2.7 Actions. A list of actions that can be executed on an object shall be 

programmatically determinable. Applications shall allow assistive technology to 

programmatically execute available actions on objects.

502.2.8 Focus Cursor. Applications shall expose information and mechanisms 

necessary to track and modify focus, text insertion point, and selection attributes of 

user interface components.

502.2.9 Event Notification. Notification of events relevant to user interactions, 

including but not limited to changes in the component’s state(s), value, name, 

description, or boundary, shall be available to assistive technologies.

502.3 Documented Accessibility Usage. Where platform documentation is available 

to application developers, platforms and applications shall conform to 502.3.

502.3.1 User Control of Accessibility Features. Platforms shall provide a mode of 

operation for user control over platform features that are defined in the platform 

documentation as accessibility features.

502.3.2 No Disruption of Accessibility Features. Applications shall not disrupt 

platform features that are defined in the platform documentation as accessibility 

features.

503 Applications

503.1 General. Applications shall conform to 503.

EXCEPTION: Applications that are designed to be isolated from their underlying 

platforms, including web applications, shall not be required to conform to 503.2.

Advisory 503.1 General Exception. One example of an application that is 

designed to be isolated from its underlying platform is a media player which is 

restricted from having access to the desktop operating system.

503.2 User Preferences. Applications shall provide a mode of operation that allows 

user preferences for platform settings for color, contrast, font type, font size, and focus 

cursor.

Advisory 503.2 User Preferences. This provision also applies to applications that are 

platforms. One example of an application that is also a platform is a web browser.
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503.3 Alternative User Interfaces. Where an application provides an alternative user 

interface that functions as assistive technology, the application shall use platform and 

other industry standard accessibility services to provide the alternate user interface.

503.4 User Controls for Captions and Video Description. Where ICT displays video 

with synchronized audio content, ICT shall provide user controls for closed captions and 

video description conforming to 503.4.

503.4.1 Caption Controls. Where user controls are provided for the selection of 

volume, ICT shall provide user controls for the selection of captions in at least one 

location that is comparable in prominence to the location of the user controls for 

volume.

503.4.2 Video Description Controls. Where user controls are provided for the 

selection of channels, ICT shall provide user controls for the selection of video 

description in at least one location that is comparable in prominence to the location 

of the user controls for channels.

503.4.3 On-screen Menus. Where an on-screen menu is provided for the selection 

of volume or channels, ICT shall provide for the selection of captions and video 

description at the same menu level as that of volume and channel selection.

504 Authoring Tools

504.1 General. Where an application is an authoring tool, the application shall conform 

to 504 to the extent that information required for accessibility is supported by the 

destination format.

Advisory 504.1 General. Authoring tools are applications that are used to create and 

edit documents or electronic content.

One example of an authoring tool is a web application that allows users to create new 

web pages. Another example of an authoring tool is an application for editing video.

Authoring tools can also be used to create and publish content for use with 

telecommunications products or services. One example of a telecommunications 

authoring tool is an interactive voice response system (IVR) that includes software for 

the creation of content used to populate menu choices. These requirements for 

authoring tools enable this content to be accessible.

504.2 Content Creation or Editing. Authoring tools shall provide a mode of operation 

to create or edit content that conforms to all Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and 

all Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1) 

for all features and formats supported by the authoring tool. Authoring tools shall retain 

the option to override information required for accessibility.
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Advisory 504.2 Content Creation or Editing. Content includes information and 

sensory experience communicated to the user and encoding that defines the structure, 

presentation, and interactions associated with those elements. Examples of content are 

text, images, sounds, videos, controls, and animations.

Content includes materials derived from programmatic sources.

Examples of content formats are word processing files, presentation files, spreadsheet 

files, text files, PDFs, and HTML files.

Authoring tools which remove information required for accessibility do not conform to 

this provision. For example, if a video editing tool is used to edit a captioned movie, the 

tool must not remove the captioning.

Authoring tools which automatically provide information required for accessibility can 

make mistakes. As with automated spelling and grammar checking, it is important for 

authors to retain control of the process with authoring tools.

EXCEPTION: Authoring tools shall not be required to conform to 504.2 when used to 

directly edit plain text source code.

Advisory 504.2 Exception. Examples of authoring tools that are only plain text 

editors include Emacs and Windows Notepad.

504.2.1 Preservation of Accessibility Information in Format Conversion. When 

converting from one format to another or saving content in multiple formats, 

authoring tools shall preserve the information required for accessibility to the extent 

that the information is supported by the destination format.

Advisory 504.2.1 Preservation of Accessibility Information in Format 

Conversion. One example of preservation of accessibility information in format 

conversion is exporting HTML from a word processor where alternative text 

associated with embedded images follows the native word processing format to the 

HTML source code.

When converting from one format to another, a best practice is for authors to have 

control over how information required for accessibility is handled in the destination 

format. This best practice allows the author to ensure consistent use of the 

information required for accessibility in both formats.

504.3 Prompts. Authoring tools shall provide a mode of operation that prompts authors 

to create content that conforms to all Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and all 

Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1). 

Authoring tools shall provide prompts during initial content creation or shall activate 

prompts when the content is near completion.

Advisory 504.3 Prompts. Prompts do not need to be provided for every element in the 

content. Intrusive or overused prompts can decrease usability. Examples of prompts 

that are activated when the content is near completion are a check or a “wizard”.
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504.4 Templates. At least one template for each template type provided within the 

authoring tool shall conform to all Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and all 

Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1).

Advisory 504.4 Templates. Not all authoring tools provide templates. Where 

templates are provided, this provision requires that templates support accessibility.
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ANPRM Draft ICT Standards & Guidelines Chapter 6: Documentation and Support Services

43

CHAPTER 6: DOCUMENTATION AND SUPPORT 

SERVICES

601 General

601.1 Scope. The technical requirements in Chapter 6 shall apply where required by 

Chapter 2 or where referenced by a requirement in this document.

602 Documentation

602.1 General. Documentation that supports the use of ICT shall conform to 602.

Advisory 602.1 General. Examples of documentation that supports ICT are installation 

guides, user guides, and manuals that describe the features of a product and how it is 

used. Documentation may take the form of stand-alone documents or be integrated into 

products as on-line or context-sensitive help.

602.2 Accessibility and Compatibility Features. Documentation shall list and explain 

how to use the accessibility and compatibility features of the ICT that support the 

technical requirements of this document. Documentation shall include accessibility 

features that are built-in and accessibility features that provide compatibility with 

assistive technology.

Advisory 602.2 Accessibility and Compatibility Features. One example of an 

accessibility feature is the ability to access commands and navigate using the keyboard. 

Voice recognition, screen readers, and alternative keyboards rely upon keyboard control 

of features for accessible and efficient operation. Keyboard navigation includes support 

for the following: cursor keys (up, down, left and right arrows), tab and shift-tab (to 

cycle through fields), enter or spacebar (to select or activate), hot keys, macros, and 

other keyboard acceleration mechanisms.

Where ICT components are designed to be part of an integrated system, this provision 

requires that the documentation explains how to configure the system to support 

accessibility. For example, the documentation for a DVD player and multimedia 

projector is required to explain how to configure the DVD player and projector to support 

the display of closed captions.

602.3 Materials. When ICT support services provide documentation, documentation 

materials shall conform to 602.3.

602.3.1 WCAG Conformant. Documentation in electronic format shall conform to 

all Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and all Conformance Requirements in 

WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1).

602.3.2 Alternate Formats. Alternate formats shall be provided upon request.
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603 Support Services

603.1 General. ICT support services including, but not limited to, help desks, call 

centers, technical support, and training services shall conform to 603.

603.2 Information on Accessibility and Compatibility Features. ICT support 

services and training shall include information on the accessibility and compatibility 

features required by 602.2 to be listed and explained in ICT documentation.

Advisory 603.2 Information on Accessibility and Compatibility Features. A best 

practice is for ICT support services to provide training programs about the following 

topics: accessibility requirements for individuals with disabilities; methods of 

communication used by individuals with disabilities; assistive technology commonly 

used with ICT products; designing for accessibility; solutions for accessibility and 

compatibility of ICT with assistive technology; the use of people-first language; and 

sensitivity training concerning disability issues.

603.2.1 Method of Delivery. Support services shall be provided directly to the user 

or through a referral to a point of contact. Support services that are provided 

through a referral shall include a contact method conforming to 603.3.

Advisory 603.2.1 Method of Delivery. The Federal Communications Commission 

maintains a list of contact information for telecommunications service providers and 

manufacturers of telecommunications products that can be useful when support 

services are provided through a referral.

603.3 Effective Communication. ICT support services shall accommodate the 

communication needs of individuals with disabilities.

Advisory 603.3 Effective Communication. To be effective, communication with 

individuals with disabilities should include alternate methods of communication for both 

in-person and remote communication. Examples of alternative methods are sign 

language interpreters, assistive listening systems, TTYs, real time captioning, and 

telecommunications relay services. Examples of telecommunication relay services are 

TTY speech-to-speech and video relay.

A best practice is for help desk and other ICT support services to use a variety of 

communication technologies. Examples of such communication technologies include 

Internet posting (such as message boards and website blogs), cellular telephones, two

way radios, email, fax, postal mail, texting, and instant messaging.

603.3.1 Materials Provided. When support services provide documentation, the 

documentation materials shall conform to 602.
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