FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office for Administration and Finance Information Technology Division

  • Felix Browne (GOV) : (617) 725-4025
  • Joe Lazzaro (ITD) : (617) 626-4410

    MASS ITD LAUNCHES NEW LAB TO SERVE DISABLED COMMUNITY

    The Massachusetts Information Technology Division (ITD) today announced the launch of a new statewide Assistive Technology Computing Lab, a facility that will serve the needs of state employees and citizens with sensory, physical, learning, cognitive and other disabilities.

    “The opening of this lab marks an important milestone in the Commonwealth’s efforts to serve the disabled community through assistive technology,” said Bethann Pepoli, ITD’s acting director. “With the addition of this new facility, we will be able to further improve our performance in providing applications that are accessible to the disabled community.”

    The Assistive Technology Lab will provide guidance for state agencies and their vendors on how to create applications, web spaces and information content that are accessible for all, and ensure that employees and citizens with disabilities have full and equal access to information technology and applications developed by and for state government.

    “The opening of this lab underscores the public commitment made by the Commonwealth that access to information technology be available to all citizens,” said Myra Berloff, Director of the Massachusetts Office of Disability. “This is a major step toward meeting the assurances made to people with disabilities as laid out in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Information Technology Division, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Massachusetts Office on Disability.”

    “Our mission is to integrate assistive technologies with the mainstream hardware and software development cycle, in order to create a level playing field for persons with disabilities. Our goal is to bake accessibility features into all IT projects procured or developed by the Information Technology Division right at the beginning,” said the Manager of the Assistive Technology Group, Joe Lazzaro.

    To fulfill its mission, the Assistive Technology Lab boasts an array of high-tech hardware and software, including speech synthesis, voice recognition, video magnification, Braille printers and displays, captioning, video description, alternative communication and other assistive technologies.

    The Assistive Technology Lab’s is located in Room 801 of the John W. McCormack Building, One Ashburton Place in Boston. For more information regarding the Assistive Technology Lab please contact Joe Lazzaro at Joe.Lazzaro@state.ma.us or at (617) 626-4410.

    This article was posted by George in category Disability News