ATLANTA, Ga. -- Both industry and state governments are grappling with accessibility to information technology for persons with disabilities. The Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) at Georgia Tech in Atlanta is one of the nation's leading resources for accessibility training, tasked by the U.S. Department of Education with outreach to the states and to the IT industry.

June 10 - 11, ITTATC is sponsoring a two-day course on Accessible IT for Industry Marketers and Accessibility Program Managers in Washington, DC. Billed as a "hands-on" experience, the course will feature simulations of barriers to access for the diverse range of disabilities. In addition, presenters will review regulatory requirements, policy implementation, the elements of accessible design and how companies can build a business case for developing and implementing accessible technologies, among other topics.

According to ITTATC project Director Mimi Kessler the upcoming course is designed for the private sector. "Our target audience is high tech companies interested in learning about 508 ... and how to market the accessibility features of their products," she said. "And, also to people who might be having trouble getting other people in their company interested in accessibility."

Interest in accessibility peaked with the implementation of Section 508 -- a federal directive that requires certain federal agencies purchase only accessible electronic and information technologies. Since implementation of 508, several states have adopted similar policies.

Although accessibility most immediately refers to physical disabilities, more than 300 million people worldwide speak English as a second language and 2.5 billion of the world's population have low or no literacy. Accessibility advocates say technology will benefit these people as well as the global population of 480 million aging people.

Kessler said that companies are coming to understand that there is a strong business case for developing accessible products and services. "There are a lot of things that were designed as assistive technology that are now mainstream," she said, explaining that "good grips" products now found in kitchen supply stores were originally designed for someone who had arthritis.

The course will be held at the Kellog Center at Galludet University. ITTATC will also be sponsoring similar trainings for government participants throughout the country and on the Web.