It is the dawn of the new millennium. Despite all the concern and celebration at the beginning of the year 2000, the real millennium arrived this past January. As with any new beginning, the new millennium caused us at AAES to contemplate our past and future, what has been, and what lies ahead. The year 2001 is a decision milestone in the development of our field and the future of our organization.

Information Technology Access Standards in Place
At the end of 2000, on December 21st, the Access Board published the long-awaited standards for Section 508, mandating that US Federal Government agencies procure more accessible information technology equipment and software. In support of these standards, the General Services Administration (GSA) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) were busy awarding a number of contracts and grants to support and assure the success of these standards. With the addition of the 508 standards to legislation and regulations already in place, the regulatory environment for disability access appears to be set for some time to come. Our vision has been realized.

From Vision to Reality
The world of accessibility has changed, the regulations have been passed and engineers and designers are implementing accessibility into real world products. I reflect on the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. For those who remember when that movie came out, the year 2001 was a distant future, but the vision in the movie seemed all too possible. Alas, reality is quite different. We have no deep space mission to the moons of Jupiter. What we do have is the PC revolution, the wireless revolution, the internet and a parade of innovations and advancements unlike any period in human history. But the vision of the movie is not the reality. As in Space Odyssey, our future is now; our reality is today. So what do we do when faced with a discrepancy between a cherished vision and a developing reality?
Over the past few months, AAES has been faced with developing reality challenging our vision. The field of disability access engineering is not developing as we originally envisioned. What we discovered is that, if AAES were to follow the field, it needs to change and also grow. AAES was originally started as a visionary organization with a lot of missionary zeal and a strong advocacy component. However, what is an advocate’s job once the message has been accepted? For AAES the question is how do we best support our members once there exists a cadre of dedicated accessibility designers working in the telecommunications and information technology industry. The companies who hired our members or assigned them have accepted accessibility. Those engaged in designing more accessible products and services are a dedicated and enthusiastic cadre. With these encouraging developments, the role of AAES is changing from a visionary organization to providing professional support, current information and nurturing the development of the field. Some of these changes have tangible ramifications. For AAES to grow and continue to thrive, it needs to be able to make real commitments. AAES needs to have the support of the staff and conduct its business in an orderly way, following a well thought strategy. Issues of delegation ofauthority andresponsibilitybecomevery important when a lot is going on and decisions have real consequences.

iNARTE/AAES Intra-Organizational Relationships;
Adaptation and Change
As opportunities come our way, we have discovered that the relatively loose relationship between the NARTE board and AAES board was not effective. Some of the opportunities presented this past summer brought this situation to the fore. It became clear that there were two paths forward. Either AAES needed to become more autonomous and independent of NARTE, or it needed to become more closely integrated with NARTE. It has not been an easy deliberation. However, after a great deal of discussion and thought, the future direction is clear. AAES is being guided by its own vision of integrating accessibility into the design process of every new product. If we want to see accessibility become integrated into product design in main stream industry, how can we as an organization insist on greater isolation and independence? We cannot. The NARTE board has been very helpful in this process by repeatedly reaffirming its commitment both to AAES and the vision that accessibility become a regular issue in every product development effort.

Opening and Stocking the "General Store"
We reflect back to the movie and how the computer HAL changed from being a critical mission support resource to a threat to the survival of that mission. When a vision starts to become a reality, adaptation often becomes very difficult. When the scout brings the wagon train safely to its destination, what is the scout’s job? The scout has several choices; like the computer HAL, he can refuse to recognize the new reality and fight change that challenges his role. He can insist that the wagon train keep traveling and he keep scouting well past the original destination. Or, the other and healthy choices available are either to become a storekeeper and open a general store or go back and guide another wagon train. Both of those choices are positive yet each has difficult aspects. To open a general store means taking on a lower status job, but has the advantage of staying with the group. Returning for another wagon train means keeping the job, but losing all the relationships that have been built up on the trail.
For AAES the decision is, "Have enough people settled so that a general store is needed to assure the continued viability of the settlement?" It is clear the answer is "Yes." The future is in the general store, providing the news, training and information that our members require to make the vision of accessibility a reality. There are other wagon trains that need to come over the mountains, but AAES needs to make sure that when they arrive, they find the infrastructure to support their future. We are compelled by the realization that we can lose tremendous ground if people find, having bought into the concept of accessible design, the reality falls far short of the promise. We dare not let the vision of a more accessible world fail because we were not willing to do the hard work and provide the tools for real engineers to produce more accessible and commercially successful products.

Planning For the New Millennium
So with the generous and enthusiastic support from the NARTE board, AAES is changing to face the exciting challenges of the new millennium. The NARTE and AAES board will be working much more closely together. Clear lines of decision-making and delegation of responsibility and authority are being drawn. A new 5-year development plan is being created. More staff support from the NARTE office is being assigned to AAES.

Reinforcing the Vision
These internal changes are being made so that AAES can effectively support three central components of our vision. First, AAES wants to assure that new entrants to the field can quickly and easily become current in accessibility engineering. We want it to be as easy as possible to achieve excellent accessibility design. Second, we want our present members to stay current with the field. A lot is being done and yesterday’s answer is not necessarily the solution for tomorrow’s product. There is an enormous amount of information that needs to keep flowing if those of us in the field are to stay up with the field and not become dated. Finally, we need to advance the field. We need ways in which consensus practice is identified and then advanced. These are large challenges, to be sure. But with the support of NARTE and the strength of our members, our goal and vision will yield exciting, accessible products and services for th enew millennium.

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