Nonvisual Access Definitions

COMAR 14.33.01.02.

Accessible: Easy to get to, Approachable or Available.

Agency: Each unit of State government to which this subtitle is applicable in accordance with State Finance and Procurement Article, §3A-302, Annotated Code of Maryland, and Regulation .01 of this chapter.

Applet: A program or subprogram that interprets content on web pages.

Assistive Technology: Any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional facilities of individuals with disabilities. It does not include personal headsets for private listening.

Closed Products: See Self Contained Products.

Equivalent: Fulfilling essentially the same function or purpose upon presentation to a user. Fulfills essentially the same function for a person with a disability utilizing reasonable accommodations to the extent possible, given the nature of the disability and the state of technology, as the primary content does for the person without a disability.

Image Map: An image that has been divided into regions with associated actions which by clicking on an active region causes an action to occur.

Information Technology: All electronic information processing hardware and software, including maintenance, telecommunications and associated consulting services.

Information Technology Services: Information provided by electronic means by or on behalf of a unit of State of government.

Interconnected Network Services: The support of direct or indirect facilities for telecommunication and computer connections such that telecommunications operate in a reliable and secure manner.

Intranet: An organization’s internal Internet. An Intranet is a privately maintained network offering the same kind of facilities, news, file transfer protocol (FTP), and World Wide Web (WWW) as can be found on the Internet. Intranet may only be accessed by users authorized by the owning organization.

Mobile Phone Systems: Analog or digital telephonic transmission hardware and software.

Multimedia Productions: Productions that present information in more than one sensory mode, e.g., both audibly and visually. For instance, streaming video with a soundtrack is a multimedia production. A show broadcast through a radio station is audio only and therefore not covered by this captioning requirement. However, the procurement of information technology necessary to operate the radio station would be covered under the standard.

Nonvisual Access: The ability, through keyboard control, synthesized speech, braille, or other methods not requiring sight, to receive, use, and manipulate information, and operate controls necessary to access information technology.

Personal Digital Assistant (PDA): A hand-held computer used in entering, storing, and displaying schedules, appointments, addresses, phone numbers, and other personal data; and for sending and receiving messages and faxes.

Screen Reader: A software program that reads the contents of the screen aloud to a user, usually reads only text that is printed to the screen; and does not generally read graphic images.

Self-Contained Products: Products that generally have embedded software and are commonly designed so that a user cannot easily attach or install assistive technology. May include, but are not limited to: information kiosks and information transaction machines, copiers, printers, calculators, fax machines, and other similar types of products.

Script: A programmatic set of instructions that when downloaded with a web page will permit the user’s computer to share the processing of information with the web server.

Style Sheet: A set of statements, generally termed templates, that specify presentation of a document. May be written by content providers, created by users, or built into user agents.

Telecommunications: The transmission of information, images, pictures, voice, or data by radio, video, or other electronic or impulse means.

Text Equivalents: Alternative presentations of graphic or audio information or functionality in words readable electronically as data.

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