Chief Architect of Section 508 Joins Industry Leader in Adaptive Technologies; ITG Hires Doug Wakefield to Lead the Delivery of Standardized Technology Access and Operability Solutions.WASHINGTON -- Integration Technologies Group (ITG ITG In the Groove ITG Investment Technology Group ITG Information Technology Group ITG International Trumpet Guild ITG Instituut Voor Tropische Geneeskunde (Dutch: Institute of Tropical Medicine; Antwerp, Belgium) ) announced today that Doug Wakefield, the Chief Architect of Section 508, has joined its Accessibility Solutions Group, which provides technology access and operability Operability is the ability to keep a system in a functioning and operating condition. In a computing systems environment with multiple systems this includes the ability of products, systems and business processes to work together to accomplish a common task such as finding and to disabled employees of government and private sector organizations. The collaboration brings together the Federal Government's largest provider of Section 508 standards-based solutions and assistive technology Hardware and software that help people who are physically impaired. Often called "accessibility options" when referring to enhancements for using the computer, the entire field of assistive technology is quite vast and even includes ramp and doorway construction in buildings to support equipment with the leader in the development of the law's functional and performance standards. Mr. Wakefield is a pioneer in the federal marketplace for Section 508. Section 508, an amendment to the Rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. Act of 1973, mandates that federal agencies ensure any information technology used in those agencies must be accessible to people with disabilities. Technology that is not accessible to employees with disabilities interferes with their ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 helps eliminate barriers in information technology and subsequently, enables new opportunities for people with disabilities. Recently retired, Wakefield was previously hired by the U.S. Access Board to spearhead the development of Section 508 requirements necessary to guide the federal procurement The fancy word for "purchasing." The procurement department within an organization manages all the major purchases. , use, maintenance, and development of information technology. After the Section 508 law and the Board's requirements went in to effect in June of 2001, Mr. Wakefield led the charge to provide technical assistance to agencies and the industry on how to comply with these standards. Prior to joining the U.S. Access Board, Mr. Wakefield spent a combined 13 years in the adaptive technology Adaptive technology is the name for products which help people who cannot use regular versions of products, primarily people with physical disabilities such as limitations to vision, hearing, and mobility. industry, including running his own company. Mr. Wakefield is happy to team with the Treasury Department's Small Business of the Year (1999) saying, "I have always had a strong interest in adaptive technology, and this is what drew me to ITG. ITG is the only company I know that is dedicated to providing and supporting adaptive technology, while focusing on integrating the policies of Section 508 access. The company provides a great place for me to be involved in the various areas that are most important to me." Patricia Zawasky, Business Development Manager of the Accessibility Solutions Group, adds, "We are honored hon·or n. 1. High respect, as that shown for special merit; esteem: the honor shown to a Nobel laureate. 2. a. Good name; reputation. b. to have Doug Wakefield on our team. Helping other federal agencies and corporations become compliant with Section 508 is critical to the ongoing success of people working with disabilities, and Doug is just the person to drive that effort." About ITG and Adaptive Technologies Since 1984, government agencies, commercial enterprises, and non-profit / educational organizations have relied on Integration Technologies Group, Inc., ITG, for high quality computer services Data processing (timesharing, batch processing), software development and consulting services. See service bureau, SaaS and ASP. , products, and support required to improve and maintain their information systems productivity. ITG's Accessibility Solutions group engage disability experts to assist with customer needs which include installation, configuration, training and maintenance on workstations that incorporate Adaptive Technologies. ITG currently services over 3,000 government end users. ITG's solutions for mobility impaired users include alternate input devices and speech recognition systems. Visually impaired users may receive Braille compatible devices, voice synthesizers or optical character recognition optical character recognition (OCR), method for the machine-reading of typeset, typed, and, in some cases, hand-printed letters, numbers, and symbols using optical sensing and a computer. systems. Deaf users benefit from solutions that enable computers to communicate to TDD/TTY devices and printers. Adaptive Technologies solutions are also available for computer users with learning disabilities, neurological disorders This is a list of major and frequently observed neurological disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's disease), symptoms (e.g.back pain), signs (e.g. aphasia) and syndromes (e.g. Aicardi syndrome). and other conditions. The company's comprehensive offerings include ITG developed software, systems integration and network services, presentation graphics software and systems, adaptive equipment Adaptive equipment are devices that are used to assist with completing activities of daily living. Bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and feeding are self-care activities that are including in the spectrum of activities of daily living (ADLs). for persons with disabilities, and computer systems maintenance. For more information about ITG and Adaptive Technologies, please call Patricia Zawasky at 703.698.8282, or visit us online at www.itgonline.com. |
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