Become an Accessibility Expert in 50 min

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Become an Accessibility Expert in 50 min
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What your will learn

• Stuff to impress your Client Boss with.
• Surprise, it might be you! Who are covered in
  accessibility issues.
• Wow, Thats allot of work.

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Time to Impress

• How Serious is this?
• About 1 in 4 computer users have a visual
  difficulty or impairment.
• Also about 1 in 4 users have a dexterity
  difficulty or impairment.
• 1 in 5 computer users have a hearing difficulty
  or impairment
• 74.2 million computer users are LIKELY or VERY
  LIKELY to benefit from the use of accessible
  technology.

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The Law

• Rehabilitation Act (Sections 504 508)
• Section 255 of the Telecommunicat-ions Act of
  1996

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (Amended in 1997)

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Rehabilitation Act (Sections 504 508)

• 1973 the act was created to give the disabled a
  even playing field.
• Amended in 93 and again in 98 which affects us on
  the web.
• http//www.section508.gov for more information
  not covered here on both 504 and 508

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Rehabilitation Act Sections 504

• The NutshellSection 504 prohibitions against
  discrimination apply to service availability,
  accessibility, delivery, employment, and the
  administrative activities and responsibilities of
  organizations receiving Federal financial
  assistance. A recipient of Federal financial
  assistance may not, on the basis of disability
• Deny qualified individuals the opportunity to
  participate in or benefit from federally funded
  programs, services, or other benefits.
• Deny access to programs, services, benefits or
  opportunities to participate as a result of
  physical barriers.
• Deny employment opportunities, including hiring,
  promotion, training, and fringe benefits, for
  which they are otherwise entitled or
  qualified....

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Rehabilitation Act Sections 508

• The NutshellSection 508 requires access to the
  Federal government's electronic and information
  technology. The law covers all types of
  electronic and information technology in the
  Federal sector and is not limited to assistive
  technologies used by people with disabilities. It
  applies to all Federal agencies when they
  develop, procure, maintain, or use such
  technology. Federal agencies must ensure that
  this technology is accessible to employees and
  the public to the extent it does not pose an
  "undue burden."
• Software Applications and Operating Systems
• Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and
  Applications
• Telecommunications Products
• Video or Multimedia Products
• Self Contained, Closed Products

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Title II Title III apply to Web accessibility
  and postsecondary institutions.
• Title II in particular Section VI Communications
  Pertains to the Government (State/Local)
• Title III Technical Assistance Manual. (Section
  1.2 Public Accommodation ) deals with public
  accommodation of people with disabilities.
• Question Does the internet qualify as a place of
  public accommodation?

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(ADA) Law Suites

• National Federation of the Blind vs. AOL
• Tyler v. City of Manhattan (857 F Supp 800 D.Kan.
  1994)
• Southwest Airlines Cases
• Martin vs. MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid
  Transit Authority)
• Oversight Hearing on The Applicability of the ADA
  to Private Internet Sites (Feb 9th 2000)

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Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Section 255)

• The Act requires manufacturers of
  telecommunications equipment and customer
  premises equipment to ensure that the equipment
  is designed, developed, and fabricated to be
  accessible to and usable by individuals with
  disabilities, if readily achievable.
• Telecommunications equipment and customer
  premises equipment designed, developed and
  fabricated after the effective date of the
  section, including, but not limited to,
  telephones, pagers, fax machines, computers with
  modems, etc.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

• Free appropriate public education for preK-12th
  grade.
• Must have access to the General Curriculum of
  their peers
• Very Similar to Section 504 508 except for
  schools.

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Defining The Disabled and Impaired

• Visual
• Hearing
• Motor
• Cognitive
• Age Related

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The Workload

• Assessing the situation
• Setting standards
• Get it done!
• Wait there is more. Testing again.

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Assessing the situationThe Site Audit

• Define your test
• What items will you test.
• How long will it take.
• Typical Items to test
• Home Page
• At least 5 pages at 1 click in.
• At least 5 pages at 2 clicks in.
• All form pages
• All Plug-in Pages
• Site Map Page
• Any part of the site which follows a User
  interactive Process (i.e. Registration process.
  Purchase process.)

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What to do for each item

• Verify the HTML for compliance
• Verify the CSS for compliance
• Test the HTML Schematic Structure.
• Check page against a tool like Bobby, Wave, or
  CynthiaSays.com
• Test with VisCheck for Color Blindness issues.
• Test with Client Scripts turned off.
• Test without images.
• Manually verify all Definitive Tag Attributes.
• Verify That the linguistics' are clear and
  precise to what they define.
• Test Media for Hearing disability and Cognitive
  disability issues.
• Check for Keyboard Accessibility Issues.

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Your Best Tool is

• Live User Testing

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Testing the HTML, CSS, And the Schematic Structure

• We do this to make sure of compatibility with
  accessible technology readers.
• HTML now well written will cause reader issues.
• CSS not well written will not allow users to
  overwrite the site settings. (i.e. Font sizes)
• Schematic should make sense. NO Formatting Text
  to look like a header. Use Header Tags!
• Do Not ltspan classHeaderTextgtThis is my
  header.lt/spangt
• DO lth1 classHeaderTextgtThis is my Headerlt/h1gt

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Testing the HTML, CSS, And the Schematic Structure

• A good Schematic Structure looks simular to
• Heading 1 lth1gt
• Heading 2 lth2gt
• Paragraph ltpgt
• Heading 2 lth2gt
• Paragraph ltpgt
• Heading 3 lth3gt
• Paragraph ltpgt
• Heading 3 lth3gt
• Paragraph ltpgt
• Heading 4 lth4gt
• Paragraph ltpgt
• Heading 3 lth3gt
• Paragraph ltpgt

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Manually Verify All Definitive Tag Attributes.

• Definitive Tag Attributes
• ALT
• LONGDESC
• SUMMARY
• CAPTION
• ABBR
• ACRONYM
• NAME

• TABLES
• Dont us ltthgt tags with layout tables.
• Designate Row and Column Headers Using the ltthgt
  Tag
• Use Appropriate Headers for the Data Cells
• Use Proportional Sizing over Absolute Sizing
• Provide Titles for Data Tables Using the
  ltcaptiongt Tag
• Provide Summaries Using the Summary Attribute

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Testing Media

• Provide synchronized captions for any audio that
  conveys content
• Remove strobing content that flashes between 2
  and 55 times per second
• Give users control over time sensitive content
• Ensure the content is keyboard accessible
• Be consistent
• Use the clearest, simplest language appropriate
  to the content
• Provide plenty of contrast
• Ensure screen reader accessibility or provide an
  accessible alternative
• Provide text equivalents for all non-text
  elements that convey content or provide a
  function

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Testing Keyboard Accessibility

• Easily navigatable via tab key.
• Easily navigatable with JavaScript turned off.
• Allow content skipping.
• Use tabindex attribute and keyboard shortcuts
• Avoid absolute positioning.

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Setting Standards

• Standards books help consistent accessibility
  design.
• Give a site template for multiple contributors
• Allows less room for mistakes.

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More Testing

• Use Human Testing.
• Random Audit Testing.
• Scheduled post-project testing