IT/00-0304

Project Proposal to Develop the
Alternative Interface Access Protocol (AIAP)

Foreward

This document is a proposal provided as partial fulfillment of item 1 of the Progam of Work of the NCITS Information Technology Accommodation Study Group:

Program of Work of
The NCITS IT Accommodation Study Group
(as approved by NCITS, November, 1998)

The Study Group will look at the feasibility of standardization in the following areas related to the use of IT to support people with disabilities:

1. The development of protocols and related specifications to support the implementation of intelligent, self adjusting, interfaces between accommodation devices (accessors) and the human-computer interfaces (i.e, the keyboard, mouse, and display ports).

2. Criteria and methods for the development of "best practice" guidelines in the field.

3. Criteria and methods for the determination of adequate performance in the field.

4. Determine the methods for developing NCITS positions on proposals put forth by external activities (e.g., IEEE SCC and the Access Board's Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee).

Proposal

1. Source of the Proposed Project

1.1 Title
Alternative Interface Access Protocol (AIAP)

1.2 Date Submitted
May 8, 2000

1.3 Proposer(s)
The NCITS Information Technology Accommodation Study Group (ITA SG).

Three organizations (NIST, IBM, & Compaq) are members of both the ITA SG and NCITS.

If a new Technical Committee is established to perform the work, the current chair of the NCITS ITA SG will serve as convenor until the post of TC Chair has been filled.

2. Process Description for the Proposed Project
2.1 Project Type (Development or Revision)
Development ("D")

2.2 Type of Document
Standard

2.3 Definitions of Concepts and Special Terms
See attached: Terms of Reference
NOTE: Many of the terms in the above document are under discussion.  The attached document is one of our working documents and is subject to continuing revision.

2.4 Expected Relationship with Approved Reference Models, Frameworks, Architectures, etc.
There are a number of existing protocol and API activities being undertaken by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and other contortia and specification development activities that we are coordinating with.  We will work with NCITS L8 to ensure that necessary data definitions, metadata, as well as shared data registry and registration authority definitions are specified correctly.

2.5 Recommended NCITS Development Technical Committee (Existing or New)
We recommend the establishment of a New Technical Committee for the development of standards in the area of IT Accommodation for people with disabilities and, more generically, in the area of Universal Access of Data and Information using IT.

It is expected that the current active membership of the ITA SG will form the initial membership of the proposed TC.

2.6 Anticipated Frequency and Duration of Meetings
About once every 2 months.  Meetings will be held by telephone conference, video conference, and other means when feasible to save time and resources and to allow maximum participation by the broadest spectrum of interested parties.

2.7 Target Date for Initial Public Review (Milestone 4)
Date initial Plenary meeting + 18 Months.

2.8 Estimated Useful Life of Standard or Technical Report
At least 5 years.

3. Business Case for Developing the Proposed Standard or Technical Report
3.1 Description
The protocol will, in different realizations, provide for access to a local system (intelligent device) or to one (or more) systems (intelligent devices) located on a network. It will, with suitable intermediaries, if necessary, permit interaction with embedded devices (environmental controls, intelligent appliances, and consumer electronics) or with applications via home networking, or on the Internet either singly, or in collaboration. The protocol will be used, optionaly, to convey information about user interface system functionality and user preferences and capabilities between a user interface system and another system the user intends to interact with, so that alternative interfaces can be accommodated or constructed, in real-time if necessary to provide fundamental access to computing services and information regardless of any limitation of the user.  (Note, more detail on this and following points is available in various publicly accessible documents stored at: www.uniac.com).

3.2. Existing Practice and the Need for a Standard
Current practice in providing IT accommodation support for people with disabilities involves tailoring or configuring assistive technology to meet each individual's needs, abilities, and preferences, and integrating the result with existing workstations.  Frequently, these workstations must be greatly enhanced in order to meet minimum performance requirements of the assistive technology operating within the network environment. The resulting workstations are almost invariably unique within the workplace they are installed.  As a result, those using these workstations experience difficulties getting technical help, are frequently ignored or experience inordinate delays when all other systems are upgraded, and are not as mobile as others in accepting new job assignments and promotions.  There is a need for a standard that simplifies or eliminates the need for tailoring and configuration when assistive technology is connected to workstations.

3.3. Implementation Impacts of the Proposed Standard

3.3.1 Development Costs
This Standard will be developed through the voluntary and cooperative efforts of IT Accommodation Study Group members. No significant development costs are anticipated.

3.3.2 Impact on Existing or Potential Markets
There is a burgeoning market already for personalization of content and appearance on the World Wide Web, with regard to small handheld devices and for commercial sales purposes.  Companies such as IBM, ATG and Vignette, among many others, have products and services for this explicit purpose.  This market is expected to grow considerably in the next 3 years.  There is also a movement  in the Web to provide sites of interest to people with disabilities (e.g., HalfthePlanet, WeMedia, CanDo) and the aging population (e.g., SeniorNet), and attempts to bring the W3C WAI recommendations into these.  Alternative interfaces to meet these needs, whether pre-constructed, adapted or constructed on the fly, are a form of personalization.

Another rapidly emerging segment of technology is that of pervasive computing, whereby intelligent devices of all sorts are distributed into the living environments of home, shopping, and other activities involving mobile systems. Of particular note are the numerous offerings in:

This follows the burgeoning of wireless technology from companies such as Qualcomm, Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola, to mention but a few, as well as activities such as the Wireless Application Protocol Forum (WAPForum) and the Salutation Consortium in promoting applications for wireless devices.  Handheld devices such as the 3Com Palm and the Pocket PC are targeted at the mobile computing environment.  Another important factor in the wireless environment is the Bluetooth RF infrastructure for which a very substantial number of manufacturers are building compatible devices.

Whereas these services look towards increasing access for user's critical information, they rely on end-users to configure, change, or maintain configurations for their access.    In addition, the burden of incorporating multiples of these offerings into a daily regimen is taxing on the user, and certainly highly error-prone.  The key shortfall, however, rests in the personalization of the user's interaction with each of these separate systems, and the changes and dynamics that individual users' will need to effectively coordinate and use these services effectively.  This can be made especially difficult for a user with a disability or who is aging.

To make these systems truly usable, service providers must bridge the user's networks (office, mobile, home); the user's devices (phone, web-pad, computer); and the user's information spaces (email, documents, news/information).

Key to interaction across devices and information spaces is the ability to provide the solution in a ubiquitous form factor.  Two related initiatives are needed:

The AIAP is seen as the integrating factor for these initiatives.  Moreover, the AIAP will be a major factor in providing preference and capability transfer in non-networked, non-mobile uses as well.  The Composite Capabilities and Preferences Profiles (CC/PP) effort in W3C is aimed at standard representation of  the capabilities and preferences for users and devices.  The WAPForum has been using the CC/PP to describe the features and capabilities of some wireless devices such as smartphones.

There is at least one company, edapta, Inc., that is already building a system based around only the requirements document that the NCITS ITA SG has produced so far. They expect to have public demonstration of their beta product in the summer of 2000.  Some of the market information here comes from their analyses.  The liaison between the NCITS ITA SG and the CC/PP group is an employee of edapta, and is in the W3C WAI.

Moreover, there is an abundant market for third-party developers to build products that will carry out interface transformations for content, appearance and user controls and to build applications that lend themselves to interface selection or transformation.  Many of these already exist.  Netscape has released its Versions 6 browser which permits widespread modification of both its operating interface and the content appearing on it, through a language called XUL (extensible User interface Language).  There is also another language called User Interface Markup Language that uses Sun Microsystemsâ Java Swing for modifying rendering of interface elements.  Both of these languages are compatible with and expressible by the W3C language XML.  Sun is also pushing its Jini connection technology as a means of mediating access to alternative interfaces (the AIAP would run over Jini).  Other venues for the AIAP include the Salutation Consortiumâs Salutation architecture, HomeAPI/Universal Plug and Play, and HomeRF.

The AIAP is also being seen as part of the solution for meeting the Access Board procurement standards for electronic and information technology, pursuant to the provisions of Section 508 of the 1998 amendments to the1973 Rehabilitation Act.  Thus, some equipment procured by the Government could have the AIAP specified as meeting some of the requirements of the 508 procurement standards.

Numbers from analysts range up to 1 billion wireless devices shipped by 2004; 10 million digital homes by 2004; and 41 million telecommuting/ SOHO workers by 2003.  The total addressable market of an enabling technology such as interaction personalization can be estimated at 100M people in North America & Europe within 3 years.  Related investments in wireless data, personalization, and unified services are in the multi-billion dollar area.  There are 70 million adults aged 50+; this is expected to grow to 115 million in the next 25 years.  Of the present 70 million, 13 million have Internet access (SeniorNet and Charles Schwab), or 16.5% of total online population, and they spend 30 hours per month online, 47% higher than the national average.  A significant portion of these users has difficulty in using a mouse and navigating the Web, and operating other applications.  About 8% of the total U. S. population has a disability that limits their ability to use a computer or to have effective access to the Internet.  People with disabilities are under-represented in the work force and make up a considerable portion of the population that is at low-income levels.

3.3.3 Costs and Methods for Conformity Assessment
The committee will consider the results of testing provided to the committee through the voluntary efforts of the participants in ITA SG (see specifically http://www.nist.gov/iusr/, as an example of a potential standard reporting mechanism). With this method, all costs are borne by the organizations of the various participants and have for the most part been mainly an adjunct of their normal development and acquisition costs.

3.3.4 Return on Investment
The return on investment for this development is expected to be high, due to the complexity and cost to individuals and their employing organizations of  using the current methods of interface configuration in the areas covered by the proposed Standard.

3.4 Legal Considerations
3.4.1 Patent Assertions
Calls will be made to identify assertions of patent rights in accordance with the relevant NCITS, ANSI and ISO/IEC policies and procedures. The ITA SG is unaware of any patent assertions that may be made.

3.4.2 Dissemination of the Standard or Technical Report
Drafts of this document will be disseminated electronically. Dissemination of the final Standard will be restricted as the document becomes the property of NCITS and ANSI.

4. Related Standards Activities
4.1 Existing Standards
There are no known protocols at the Human Computer Interface.

4.2 Related Standards Activities
IETF ZC WG
HFES
Also, see our document,"Related Technology and Ideas." (http://www.uniac.com/RelatedTech.html)
NOTE: The attached document is one of our working documents and is subject to continuing revision.

4.3 Recommendations for Coordinating Liaison
NCITS L8

4.4 Recommendations for Close Liaison
IETF ZC WG
W3C/WAI Protocols and Formats WG