Accessible E commerce Forum
4th Meeting: 24 July 2001
For background to the forum see HREOC's main ecommerce page
Attendance:
Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner Innes (Chair)
Nick Hossack ABA
Karen Smith CUSCAL
Bridgit Larsen AIIA
Kevin Byrne PDCA/Disability Council of NSW
Jill Baillie AG Dept
Tim Noonan BCA
Mark Bagshaw IBM
Benadette Levitt Telstra
Paul Waterhouse PCA
Gaynor Gravestock IIA (by phone)
Michael Small HREOC
Apologies: Bill Healey - Retailers Association; Shirley Douglas - FACS
1. Matters arising from previous meeting
Matters arising are covered by the agenda items listed.
2. IIA/AIMIA Action Plan
Ms Gravestock tabled the draft Action Plan developed by IIA and AIMIA and informed the meeting that the draft was being made available for a period of 6 weeks for public comment. Comments are to be forwarded to Ms Gravestock by the end of August. Ms Gravestock acknowledged the work on John McKenna and the original members of the IIA/AIMIA Taskforce in the development of the draft. Initial distribution was to include Forum members, IIA and AIMIA members, HREOC, AG Dept, peak community groups and interested industry groups. Ms Gravestock asked that Forum members invite their networks to comment. Links to the draft are to be provided on the HREOC and ABA websites. Ms Gravestock outlined the key features of the plan and explained that performance measures would be added once feedback had been received. Mr Hossack noted the need for liaison between the IIA and the ABA Internet Working Group and agreed to raise the issue of ABA encouraging their members to consider membership of IIA. Ms Gravestock, Ms Levitt, and Ms Larsen agreed to hold further discussions about the proposal in the plan to host Internet access awards.
3. ABA update on Action Plan and Industry Standards Working Groups
Mr Hossack provided an update on actions taken by ABA in relation to their Action Plan. Four Working Groups have been established covering ATM's, EFTPOS, Telephone banking and Internet banking. Tim Noonan has been contracted by ABA to provide technical expertise in the development of material for the Working Groups and the development of the industry standards. The approach to be taken by the ABA is to develop industry standards that provide a mixture of performance criteria and technical specification where appropriate. The industry standards will also include descriptive guidelines to assist service providers to apply them. The intention is to complete the industry standards as quickly as possible so that service providers have something they can begin to apply. Members of the Working Groups acknowledged that in some areas new design and technology needs to be developed to ensure there are no gaps, but that it would not be appropriate to wait for those gaps to be filled before implementing currently available best practice. The Working Groups will clearly identify gaps that exist as they develop the industry standards and develop plans to address those gaps. This may involve research, advocating change on the part of technology manufacturers or initiating management practices at the service provider level. Meetings are planned with manufacturers to ensure they are aware of the expectations there will be on them to supply technology that meets the performance criteria developed. Mr Hossack restated that, with the exception of the Internet industry standard where ABA members had already committed to implementation, the industry standards would be made available to individual banks and other financial service organisations to adopt through their own action plans. The ABA would be advocating a vigorous application of the industry standards. Several Forum members who participated in the first Working Group meetings commented on the positive tone of the meetings and the confidence they had in achieving the objectives set.
4. Attorney Generals Department report on Computer Donation
Ms Baillie reported on the Attorney-General's initiative of donating 50 superseded computers at a ceremony at HREOC on 8 June. The computers were donated to a number of community groups working with people with disabilities and older Australians in NSW, SA, Vic, NT and Tas. The Attorney-General will be encouraging other Ministerial colleagues to consider similar donations. The AG Department is looking at the feasibility of identifying an appropriate Department to act as a central point of contact and referral for donating Commonwealth Departments. Forum members endorsed the idea of a centralised point and canvassed the possibility of selection criteria being made available for donating organisations to utilise. During discussion several Forum members expressed an interest in a centralised mechanism being established which could also be utilised by their members. It was agreed that HREOC would draft a letter to the Attorney-General on behalf of the Forum congratulating him on the initiative and supporting the establishment of a more formalised mechanism to assist both government and private organisations wishing to donate computers.
5. Reports from Forum members
Mr Noonan reported that work on a number of projects administered by Blind Citizens Australia and funded by the Commonwealth Government's accessAbility Grants Program concerned with the accessibility of E-Commerce for people with a disability was coming to a close. A final report will be available later this year.
Ms Levitt reported on a recent Telstra sponsored assistive technology expo in Tasmania which included a presentation by W3C Web Accessibility member Charles McCarthieNevile. (A copy of this presentation slides is available at http://www.w3.org/2001/Talks/0700-tas1/slide1-0 ).
Ms Levitt also provided an update on the Telstra Centre for Accessibility and the need to ensure a focus on internal staff training on accessibility issues.
Mr Bagshaw reported on the ongoing discussions within IBM to establish a Disability Technology Innovation Centre and the IBM worldwide network on access initiatives. Mr Bagshaw hoped to be able to give more information on the proposed Centre at the next Forum meeting.
6. Role of Forum in implementation strategies
Mr Bagshaw referred back to earlier discussions at the Forum on the four components for change:
- Understanding the problem
- Gaining Executive commitment
- Creating a plan
- Implementing change
Mr Bagshaw recognised the valuable role the Forum was playing in facilitating the first three of these components on a wide range of issues, but questioned whether or not sufficient thought had been given to difficulties service providers would face implementing change and what role the Forum could take in ensuring implementation. Mr Small suggested that there were a number of factors that would affect the likelihood of implementation including the advocacy of community groups once industry standards were available, public commitments made by service providers, support from the Forum and ongoing encouragement from the Commission in its direct discussions with service providers. Whilst recognising that the Forum had no directing authority over its members it was agreed that we should be alert to the fact that all four components need to be present to ensure real outcomes. It was also agreed that it was appropriate for the Forum to ask itself what strategic role it could take to encourage implementation in each of the project areas under discussion. HREOC agreed to prepare a progress report on developments on the recommendations from the E commerce report.
Next meeting
27 November at HREOC
