Better Practice Checklist - 22. Assistive Technology for Employees of the Australian Government
March 2005 (Contact details updated January 2008)
"The agency survey results indicate that some agencies clearly have a long way to go in the development and implementation of strategies to recruit and retain employees with a disability. The results of the employee survey add weight to the urgency of the issue, with employees with a disability emerging as a relatively dissatisfied group of employees...
Overall, the picture is not positive. Despite the strategies agencies report having in place, the representation of people with a disability is continuing to decline. Significant numbers of employees with a disability disagree their agency is providing support and they are more dissatisfied in their jobs. Further analysis is needed in this area to identify possible causes. Agencies also need to consider more carefully, including in consultation with their employees with a disability, the effectiveness of their strategies."
State of the Service Report 2002-03
Introduction
Australian Government agencies have obligations under the Commonwealth Disability Strategy and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 to provide an inclusive workplace to people with a disability. This responsibility covers reasonable adjustment and access in the workplace, which includes providing suitable assistive technology aids to enable staff with a disability to access technology in the workplace.
Assistive technology consists of products and technology-based services and devices targeted at meeting the specific needs of people with disabilities and elderly people to facilitate their ability to use and benefit from mainstream technology products.
Given the legislative drivers and the potential impact on agencies' ICT environment, agencies need to pursue a structured approach to the deployment and support of assistive technology. This checklist seeks to outline a broad approach to this deployment and reflects current better practice across selected Australian Government agencies.
The checklist is for staff with a role in making decisions or providing recommendations on the purchase or development of applications, particularly assistive technology. It focuses on issues related to the provision of assistive technology-not general ICT management principles or broader accessibility issues. It is suggested that this checklist be read mindful of individual agencies' overall ICT management and accessibility principles.
It should also be noted that this checklist is not necessarily comprehensive, but draws on a range of issues raised by agencies involved in the ICT Support for Flexible Work Practices Inter-departmental Committee. This IDC was convened by the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) in 2003 and concluded its work in 2004. This checklist is part of the outcomes of the IDC and has been published by the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO), Department of Finance and Administration as part of AGIMO's role of promoting better practice. Additional issues not covered by the checklist may be raised from time-to-time, and agencies will need to consider these as they arise.
This checklist was developed by the Assistive Technology Working Group. The Assistive Technology Working Group was convened by the Department of Family and Community Services. The Working Group comprised representatives from the following agencies:
- Attorney-General's Department
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Centrelink
- Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Department of Family and Community Services
- Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
- Department of Transport and Regional Services
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Health Insurance Commission
- National Office for the Information Economy / Australian Government Information Management Office, Department of Finance and Administration
Checkpoints Summary
Assessment of Requirements
Consider establishing a basic level of assistive technology capability regardless of the existing user base
Develop processes to allow employees to self-identify as assistive technology users
Make provision for individual users who may need specific rather than standard solutions
Product Selection
Compile a standard suite of the more commonly used products
Maintain awareness of the broader range of products available
Consider the application of Universal Design Principles when building or procuring new technology products.
Software and Hardware Integration
Consider a holistic approach to implementing assistive technology
Ensure telework solutions are compatible with assistive technology
Resourcing and Support
Consider establishing centralised funding for assistive technology
Address assistive technology requirements in ICT contracts or tender documents
Consider the use of a case manager to provide support to assistive technology users
Governance
If an ICT change advisory board or similar body exists, consider including an assistive technology user on the board
Consider establishing a user group and/or formal relationships between key areas involved in assistive technology
Assessment of Requirements
Consider establishing a basic level of assistive technology capability regardless of the existing user base
There is evidence to suggest that an increasing number of people of workforce age can benefit from the use of assistive technology (Study Commissioned by Microsoft, Conducted by Forrester Research, Inc., 2003. The Wide range of abilities and its impact on computer technology, 4 June 2004). By establishing a basic level of capability agencies can position themselves to offer a superior workplace environment for potential employees, and may find that they can enhance the productivity and satisfaction of existing employees who are not currently using the technology but could potentially benefit.
Develop processes to allow employees to self-identify as potential assistive technology users
Consider the development of processes to allow employees to self-identify as assistive technology users (ie. at the initial recruitment stage). Many potential employees may not be aware of the availability of assistive technology unless it is explicitly mentioned. This can lead to people self-selecting out of recruitment processes, or commencing work without technology that could provide a productivity or workplace quality improvement. In order to ensure the employee's needs are addressed or actioned, it may be useful to establish a formal relationship between the personnel/recruitment area and the workplace diversity/OH&S officer.
Make provision for individual users who may need specific rather than standard solutions
Some users may need specific rather than standard solutions. These solutions may need to take into account:
- The users' individual needs
- The nature of the work to be performed
- What can be supported within the environment, and
- The cost and support implications of maintaining non-standard products.
Medical practitioners, rehabilitation case managers and organisations such as the Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association are good resources for helping to find solutions to meet specific needs.
Product Selection
Compile a standard suite of the more commonly used products
Agency ICT areas, in conjunction with the workplace diversity/OH&S area, may compile standard suites of assistive technology products, which cover common products such as screen readers, voice activation software and screen magnifiers. To avoid integration problems, agencies may wish to maintain this suite of products as part of their standard operating environment.
Maintain awareness of the broader range of products available
Be aware of specialist resources that have databases of current products. Lists of specialised products become outdated quickly so existing resources can be used to advise on products as needs arise. It is important to carefully examine the specifications and capabilities of the technology in light of the users needs and it may be necessary to trial and review products to confirm whether or not they are suitable.
Consider the application of Universal Design Principles when building or procuring new technology products.
Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design. Developing or purchasing materials with universal design principles in mind may avoid some of the costs of providing assistive technology.
Software and Hardware Integration
Consider a holistic approach to implementing assistive technology
Agencies may wish to consider the following four key steps in the establishment and integration of assistive technology:
- Establishing a new user-determining the specific requirements regarding equipment (hardware, software, licences etc) and the level of training and ongoing support required. At this point agencies may wish to consider security issues, particularly where wireless and infra red links to computers from integrated systems in a wheelchair are used.
- Testing and re-development of current systems-ensuring compliance with the agencies' standard suite of assistive technology products.
- Testing of assistive technologies used in the agency-including ongoing additional testing of in-house built and purchased software to ensure that the technologies work as specified in the standard operating environment.
- Ongoing integration work-remedial work required to ensure integration of any new products with the existing standard operating environment.
Enure telework solutions are compatible with assistive technology
Telework solutions may include applications and hardware that support employees who do not work exclusively in an office. These workers may work from home, from fixed locations outside the office (e. g. Outposted workers) or may be fully mobile. As employees using telework solutions may also require assistive technologies, agencies may wish to ensure that any telework solutions (eg. laptops, palm pilots) are capable of supporting assistive technology.
Resourcing and Support
Consider establishing centralised funding for assistive technology
Centralised funding for assistive technology (hardware, software and support) may have a number of advantages compared to each area of an agency being responsible for funding assistive technologies for its staff. For example, it may help to facilitate a standard level of support for all users and allow better integration of software and hardware.
Address assistive technology requirements in ICT contracts or tender documents
In the absence of centralised procurement guidelines, agencies may wish to ensure that any tender documentation or contracts include specific requirements for assistive technology. Requirements may cover compatibility with other software and integration into the standard operating environment.
In negotiations with outsourced IT providers, agencies may also wish to ensure that negotiated service levels take into account support for assistive technology.
Consider the use of a case manager to provide support to assistive technology users
A 'case manager' may help to provide support for assistive technology users. Case managers may comprise an allocated staff member in the workplace diversity/OH&S area (preferably not the user's supervisor) who is the central point of contact for assistive technology users, in terms of providing support, training, liaison with the ICT area etc.
Governance
If an ICT change advisory board or similar body exists, consider including an assistive technology user.
Agencies may wish to include an assistive technology user on their ICT change advisory boards. This can help to empower users and may prevent decisions being made on the basis of incorrect assumptions about user requirements.
Consider establishing a user group and/or formal relationships between key areas involved in assistive technology
Agencies with a significant number of assistive technology users may wish to facilitate coordination with ICT and workplace diversity/OH&S representatives through a workplace forum. Such a forum could bring together assistive technology users and the heads of the human resources and ICT branches. The group's terms of reference include providing strategic advice and recommendations to maximise the participation, opportunity and contribution of employees with an injury, illness or disability at FaCS.
Where the number of users is relatively small, agencies may wish to facilitate effective working relationships between the ICT and OH&S areas and assistive technology users using a 'case manager' model.
Resources
Australian Rehabilitation & Assistive Technology Association [
]
Commonwealth Disability Strategy []
Disability Discrimination Act 1992 []
The Wide Range of Abilities and Its Impact On Computer Technology []
United States Accessibility Guidelines under Section 508 []
W3C Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines []
W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines []
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