1. Mobile Accessibility Landscape Jonathan Avila

2. About SSB BART Group Unmatched Experience Accessibility Focus
Implementation-Oriented Solutions
Solutions That Reduce Legal Risk
Organizational Stability and Continuity
Knowledge That Is Up-to-Date, All the Time
Published and Peer Review Auditing Methodology
Fourteen hundred organizations (1445)
Fifteen hundred individual accessibility best practices (1595)
Twenty-two core technology platforms (22)
Fifty-five thousand audits (55,930)
One hundred fifty million accessibility violations (152,351,725)
Three hundred sixty-six thousand human validated accessibility violations (366,096)
Unmatched Experience
Founded in 1997 by engineers with disabilities, SSB BART Group has been in the accessibility business since before Section 508 and the WCAG existed and longer than any of our competitors. SSB has completed accessibility projects for hundreds of enterprise-class firms, has over 10,000 active AMP users and maintains a database of over 1,000 accessibility best practices across 13 core development platforms. SSB actively works with all major industry development platform vendors, assistive technology vendors, regulatory agencies and public sector organizations to constantly refine and update our understanding of the proper level of accessibility for your firm.
For clients who must comply with the Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, many clients find it helpful to know that over half of SSB’s client services staff have worked directly as staff and contractors for the Section 508 compliance teams in U.S. Federal Government agencies. This means that we have experience in both working with vendors selling to the Federal Government and as part of the workforce validating the compliance of vendor solutions provided to the Government.
Accessibility Focus
SSB BART Group only does accessibility. Other firms we commonly are compared to provide products and services that run a wide gamut, including general usability, privacy, security, brand compliance and SEO. These solutions tend to be effective as jack-of-all-trade solutions but, in practice, leave most customers working with organizations that provide a variety of services poorly. SSB’s sole focus is on providing IT accessibility compliance solutions and our team’s depth in accessibility is unmatched. Given the complexity of IT accessibility and the difficulty of implementing solutions, such a focus tends to be the only match for customers serious about rapidly and cost effectively implementing accessibility.
About half of SSB’s client services staff have disabilities, and this number is often far higher than total employees at competing companies. This means that we recommend what we know works for users with disabilities in the real world. Furthermore, this ensures that your organization can achieve compliance both with the technical and functional requirements of leading accessibility standards.
Implementation Oriented Solutions
Our organizational focus is implementing accessibility in the real world. Many accessibility companies focus on providing diagnostic information to clients often of the form "this doesn’t work in JAWS." While helpful in identifying an issue, this feedback provides no guidance on how to address the issue. In contrast, for all issues we identify, SSB provides specific, actionable guidance that can readily be implemented of the form "change this piece of code on this line." This includes providing code-level implementation and unit test guidance for all best practices in AMP and all content delivered in audits.
Our implementation focus grows out of our team’s background—a group of people that have development experience in the context of enterprise-class IT systems. Competing companies tend to specialize in web accessibility testing but with little-to-no experience in the development of enterprise-class websites, web-based applications and software. While it is important for accessibility firms to understand the inner-workings of JAWS, the world’s leading screen reader, far more benefit is provided to the customer if they understand how to modify an AJAX application so that it works properly in JAWS. This is our focus as an organization: how to make systems compliant in the real world.
In evaluating different accessibility consultants many of our clients have found that some firms live in a black-and-white world where nothing but fully compliant information technology is acceptable or tolerated. In the real world, trade-offs are required and dollars go to projects that provide the best ROI for an organization. As part of making systems compliant in the real world these constraints must be considered. As an organization, our goal is to ensure that we use your accessibility budget in an optimal fashion — ensuring that every dollar you spend on accessibility has the most impact.
Solutions That Reduce Legal Risk
SSB provides solutions that address the actual requirements of the law—rather than those that are just simple to test. Automated testing tools can only validate a sub-set of accessibility requirements and any validation process that solely uses automated testing cannot make an accurate claim of compliance. SSB utilizes automatic testing to address the set of requirements that can readily be validated using such testing and utilizes the cheapest first testing for the remaining requirements.
SSB’s approach was born out of being the first company to release a commercial accessibility validation tool, InFocus, 12 years ago. As part of that, SSB became well acquainted with the capabilities and general limitations of accessibility testing software. To address that, SSB has spent the last ten years investing in and developing the Accessibility Management Platform. AMP is focused at solving the broader problem that customers actually face, which is how to manage all the aspects of accessibility—Auditing, Training and Standards Management—over the course of many years and development cycles.
Organizational Stability and Continuity
SSB BART Group has the largest staff of W2 employees of any company of our kind. The vast majority of firms in accessibility use 1099 contractors that are hired on demand on a per-project basis. This has a significant, negative impact on the quality of work delivered, the consistency and repeatability of testing results and the accuracy of contractor work. With SSB, the people you talk to today will be available to help address your problems tomorrow. This ensures a consistent set of recommendations and allows us to develop organizational knowledge on how our accessibility solutions should be adopted to your business environment.
SSB’s size also ensures that we can staff and handle the volume of business from large customers. Smaller companies or sole consultants cannot handle the volume of work of enterprise-class customers, whether private IT manufacturers, financial institutions or large government organizations.
Knowledge That Is Up-to-Date, All the Time
SSB uses AMP to deliver all our accessibility services, meaning that AMP is a system in constant use by the largest accessibility consulting firm in the world. This gives SSB the ability to include improvements to AMP that are born through a continuous feedback loop that includes our own staff using the product for client services work on a daily basis. As new standards are deployed, new requirements identified, new implementation techniques developed and issues resolved in real world developments, these experiences and lessons are immediately provided in AMP. This ensures that customers have instant, ongoing updates to all best practices, rule sets, tests and training content in AMP. This is in sharp contrast to competing firms, where compliance data is hard-coded and updates infrequently at best.
Published and Peer Review Auditing Methodology
All SSB testing engagements conform to SSB’s Unified Audit Methodology, a mature methodology meant to ensure the relevance, accuracy and repeatability of results in a manner which ensures thorough coverage. This auditing process includes a mix of automated, manual and assistive technology validation, as well as the use of individuals with disabilities performing actual system tasks. Audits are performed against a unified set of conformance criteria based on industry best practices, public compliance requirements and internal standards relevant to the client’s compliance needs. All audits published under the methodology are immediately available in AMP and include a description of accessibility issues, media types, non-compliant code examples, compliant source code examples, recommended approaches and options for addressing issues, unit tests allowing for validation of the issues and source public standards associated with each rule.
Unmatched Support Capabilities
SSB BART Group’s support policy defines our same-day response policy on all high-priority support requests. All licensed users of AMP are covered under our support policy, which includes full support for the product and all information within it. In addition, SSB provides the following support capabilities to all customers as part of our standard engagement:
AMP Support Hours covers standard working hours across all regional U.S. zones and can provide full 24x7 support as needed;
When new versions of AMP are released on a quarterly basis, free training is provided to all customers on the new version and its use;
Upon sign-up, all licensed users of AMP are entitled to a free training session to understand how to use the product to the best of its abilities;
SSB BART Group has no less than three staff members available to support the product at any given time during the support hours;
All support is provided as part of SSB’s standard AMP license—no additional support or training contracts are required.
SSB BART Group accepts support requests via telephone, or online form.
Advocacy Group Relationships
SSB has partnered with numerous industry and advocacy groups focused on promoting accessibility to IT systems. Partner organizations focused principally on web accessibility include G3ict, W3C WCAG, and the U.S. Access Board. SSB has also partnered with the following organizations, institutions and research firms focused on general accessibility, including IT access: U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN), NDI, National Organization on Disability (NOD), BBI, Syracuse University, Cornell University, Buffalo University, VCU RRTC. In addition, we also have relationships with NISH, Ability One, NFB and UCP.
SSB has worked with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) since 2001 to support advocacy activities in the blindness community. SSB launched the NFB’s Non-Visual Access (NVA) certification program in conjunction with the Federation in 2003 and provided the certification services for the first three program clients—Hewlett-Packard, Wells Fargo and the U.S. Social Security Administration—all of which remain active SSB clients. The American Action Fund for Blind Adults and Children—a proxy NFB investment vehicle—has an investment in SSB as part of SSB’s Series B stock. Finally, Ray Kurzweil, an SSB angel investor, sits on the NFB board and owns an NFB co-developed company for the Kurzweil reader. 2

3. Agenda Current Landscape Standards and Laws User Demographics
Benefits and Challenges
iOS based products
Android®
Windows Phone®/Windows 8
Blackberry®
Strategies For Accessible Apps
User Impact
App Development
Resources

4. Smartphones and Tablets Platforms iOS Android Windows Blackberry
Current Landscape
Platforms
Smartphones and Tablets
Platforms
iOS
Android
Windows
Blackberry
Symbian, Windows Mobile and other OS are excluded from this presentation.
Smartphones and Tablets:
Typically have features such as , web browsing, instant messaging, multimedia, calendar, voice dialing, and other capabilities
Platforms
iOS (iPhone®, iPad®, iPod Touch® from Apple)
Android® (open-source OS from Google)
Windows Phone® and Windows 8® from Microsoft
Blackberry® from Blackberry

5. Advanced Communication Services (chat, email, SMS, VOIP)
Laws and Standards
Overview
CVAA
ACS
Video programming
Section 255
Section 508
47 CFR 20.19
HAC mobile handsets
WCAG 2 Level A and AA
Mandate M376
ADA
CVAA
Advanced Communication Services (chat, , SMS, VOIP)
Video Programming
Mobile browsers
Section 255
Telecommunication product accessibility requirements
Section 508
Federal accessible ICT procurement requirement - includes telecommunication products
47 CFR Hearing aid Compatibility w/ mobile
WCAG 2 Level A and AA
International guidelines for web content
Basis for many accessibility laws and regulations
Mandate M376
Proposed EU framework for procurement of ICT (expected completion February 2014)
ADA
US DoJ indicates ADA applies to websites and web only business (e.g. Netflix suit)
Likely to propose WCAG Level A and AA (ANPRM expected this year)

6. Very popular for blind and visually impaired users
User Demographics
WebAIM Survey #5 for Screen Reader Accessibility
iOS
Very popular for blind and visually impaired users
Percentage of users with disabilities greater than general population
Android
Percentage of blind/visually impaired users less than general population – but growing
Symbian/Nokia
Percent of users with disabilities dropping
Windows Phone/Blackberry
< 1% total users
WebAIM Survey for Screen reader accessibility
Four surveys include mobile accessibility
Latest in May 2012
iOS based products have become widely used by people who are blind and visually impaired.
Percentage of iOS users with disabilities compared to population using iOS is lower but increasing
Percent of Android users who are blind/visually impaired is less than the general population using Android devices
Number of users who are blind/visually impaired dropping for feature/smart phones using Symbian or Windows Mobile

7. Keyboard/accessible touchscreen Name, role, state, and properties
User Impact
Overview
Blind
Keyboard/accessible touchscreen
Name, role, state, and properties
Dynamically updating content
Low vision
Visual focus, size of content
Color and contrast
Complexity of layout/size of content
Motor Impairment
Touch-screen/D-pad access, visual focus
Alternative input, one handed operation

8. Complexity/distractions of page Consistent use of icons and text
User Impact
Overview (cont.)
Reading Disabilities
Complexity/distractions of page
Consistent use of icons and text
Spacing, color and size of elements 
Dynamically updating content
Photosensitive Epilepsy
Blinking and moving content
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Use of multimedia and audio content
Auditory feedback (sound notifications)

9. Smart Phones and Tablets
Apps That Benefit Users with Disabilities
Light detector
Color identifier
Money identifier
Barcode reader
Video magnifier
Flashlight
OCR
Daisy book reader
GPS
Point of sale services
Voice memos
Grocery finder
Switch enabled apps
Mobile learning
Control of video programming
TTY
Text relay
Video relay/chat
FCC Clearinghouse
Feature Phones (not included in this presentation):
Generally contain enhanced capabilities such as text messaging (SMS), contacts, voice dialing, and other standard phone features.
Apps designed for or that indirectly benefit users with disabilities
Light detector, color identifier, money identifier,
Barcode reader, video magnifier, Flashlight,,
OCR, daisy book reader, GPS, point of sale services,
Voice memos, grocery finder/prices, switch enabled apps
Mobile learning – removes barriers
Control of video programming (AT&T U-verse®)
Text relay, video relay/chat on the go
FCC Clearinghouse for mobile phone accessibility

10. Smart Phones and Tablets
The future of assistive technologies?
A compelling platform for many assistive technologies
Sample Capabilities
Visual capture
Image recognition and processing
Location based services
Integrated, adaptive communications
Plain language control (Siri, GoogleNow Cortana)
Processing power to spare
OG reading machine
Old school approach to AT is specific programs and devices to do specific jobs
Approach we see over the next 10 – 20 years is using mobile devices to drive AT into mainstream
Devices provide a common, commodity platform – AT focus shifts to software versus hardware
Material advantages to this approach
One device versus multiple devices
Portable platform and power profile
Materially lower costs for access to AT
Automatic updates and platform improvements
Mainstream technology versus “special” technology
Not a panacea – can’t talk and use a magnifier at the same time
That said we see it as drastically improving the options for mobility and independent living that are available to people with disabilities
And we haven’t even started talking about wearable computing, augmented reality and the really cool stuff in the pipeline!
New school reading machine

11. Smart Phones and Tablets
Challenges
Hearing aid incompatibility
Apps that do not follow accessibility API
No app store rating for accessibility
Third party sites rank accessible apps
Touchscreens without alternatives
Inaccessible browsers
Missing assistive technologies or features
Difficulty upgrading
Inconsistencies between manufacturers

12. Includes all iPads, iPhone 3gs+, iPod Touch 4th+
iPhone and iOS
Assistive Technology and Features
Includes all iPads, iPhone 3gs+, iPod Touch 4th+
Many of the same ATs found in Mac OS
VoiceOver (VO)
Alternative touch screen access
Speech output with audio cues
Refreshable Braille support
Zoom
Magnifies entire screen w/ panning
Assistive Touch
Allows single touch access to gestures
Launched in June 2007
iPhone 3gs began offering screen reader and
enlargement in June of 2009 as part of OS
Includes all iPad, iPod Touch 3rd +
Many of the same ATs found in Mac OS
VoiceOver
Zoom and pinch zoom within some apps
White on Black (Color inversion)
Captioning for iTunes based multimedia
Hearing Aid compatibility, TTY support through adapter
Visual notification of sounds
Assistive Touch
Other accessibility features include:
Guided access
One touch answer
Custom vibrations
Large text
Mono audio

13. Single touch switch access to actionable controls Captions TTY support
iPhone and iOS
Assistive Technology and Features (cont.)
Switch Control
Single touch switch access to actionable controls
Captions
TTY support
Custom vibrations
Mono audio
Visual alerts
Other accessibility features include:
Guided access
Custom vibrations
Large text
Mono audio

14. Changes dark colors to light and light colors to dark Large text
iPhone and iOS
Assistive Technology and Features (cont.)
Invert Colors
Changes dark colors to light and light colors to dark
Large text
Bold text
Increased contrast
Reduce motion
Guided Access
Aid to restrict access to app or region within an app
Invert Colors
Changes dark colors to light and light colors to dark
Large text
Bold text
Increased contrast
Reduce motion
Guided Access

15. iPhone and iOS Primary input method is capacitive touch screen
Input Methods
Capacitive Touch Screen
Styli designed for touch screen
Alternative gestures with VO
Assistive touch
Alternative Methods
Bluetooth keyboards
Limited external keyboard access without VO
Bluetooth Braille display entry
Speech recognition
Siri & third party apps for dictation
Accessible on-screen keyboard
No system-wide custom keyboard
Primary input method is capacitive touch screen
Alternative gestures when VoiceOver is active
Assistive touch feature provides one touch access
Alternative methods of input include Bluetooth keyboards and Bluetooth braille display entry, and styli designed to work with the touch screen
One handed operation may requires special case or mounting but most gestures are accessible with one stylus
Speech recognition capabilities to voice dial, look up contacts, and play iTunes tracks. Third party apps for text dictation
Third party assistive technology is limited to app specific (self-voicing)

16. When OS is upgraded AT upgrades To upgrade AT must upgrade OS
iPhone and iOS
Assistive Technology Versions
When OS is upgraded AT upgrades
To upgrade AT must upgrade OS
Activate/deactivate via phone or iTunes
Access to standard phone features
Access to third party and built-in apps
Many accessible third party apps
Custom on-screen keyboards are currently not available.

17. Open source platform initially developed by Google
Android
Assistive Technology and Features
Open source platform initially developed by Google
Assistive Technology such as Talkback included in Android 4.3 OS (Current version 4.4)
Support varies in prior versions
Talkback screen reader
Explore by touch support in Android 4.1+
Supports on-screen keyboard
Speech output with audio cues
Braille displays supported
Latest version required for many features
Open source platform developed by Google
Many manufacturers and models of Smartphones use Android
Assistive technology such as the Talkback screen reader is included in Android 4.3 OS but can be installed on older versions such as Android 2.2, 3, or 4
Input may consist of phone with keyboard and or directional pad (D-pad) or touchscreen only devices
Types of touchscreens vary with manufacturer and may require special styli if the user is unable to use a finger
Apps must be keyboard accessible with trackball or D-pad to be used by users of a screen reader
Provides basic screen reading capabilities to the phone and some third party applications
Functional explore by touch support in Android 4.1+
Latest version required for some TalkBack
Braille displays supported

18. Screen magnifier available in 4.2+
Android
Assistive Technology and Features (cont.)
Screen magnifier available in 4.2+
Captions supported by media player API
Other third party screen readers available
Custom on-screen system-wide keyboards available
Some manufacturers
Hearing aid compatible
Mono audio
Inverse colors
TTY
Screen magnifier in 4.2+
Captions supported in Media Player
Other third party screen readers available
Have similar limitations with Talkback
Custom on-screen keyboard available

19. Phone with keyboard, and/or Directional pad (D-pad), or
Android
Input Types
Phone with keyboard, and/or
Directional pad (D-pad), or
Touchscreen only devices
May by resistance or capacitance screens
Dictation and Speech Control
GoogleNow
Google Voice cloud based services
Third party applications from Nuance

20. Can upgrade OS and AT separately
Android
Assistive Technology Versions
Can upgrade OS and AT separately
AT support is limited on older versions of OS
OS upgrades not available for many devices
Access to standard phone features
Access to third party and built-in apps
Many accessible third party apps
Third party assistive technology
Screen magnifier available in 4.2+
Hearing aid compatibility and TTY is supported in the OS
Requires support from manufacturer of device
Captions supported by media player API
Dictation and Speech Control
Google offers some cloud based services
Speech-to-text
Voic to text
Third party applications from Nuance
Support voice dictation to text and web search
Some manufacturers support mono audio

21. Replaces Windows Mobile No accessibility layer in Windows Phone 8 OS
Overview
Replaces Windows Mobile
No accessibility layer in Windows Phone 8 OS
No built-in screen reader
Bundled with alternative apps (Code Factory)
Support magnification; large text; high contrast
Feature like talking caller id, speak SMS
Windows 8 tablets (e.g. Microsoft Surface)
Narrator supports touchscreen and IE 10
Touchscreen magnification feature
Built-in apps are directly accessible
Support high contrast theme in Windows 8
Windows Phone replaces Window Mobile
Windows Phone 8 OS does not including an accessibility layer
Silverlight and XNA applications can’t expose accessibility without the accessibility layer
No system-wide screen reader exist at this time for it
Bundled with Code Factory third party self voicing apps to provide phone feature access
Windows 8 tablets (e.g. Microsoft Surface)
Narrator supports touchscreen access
Narrator supports IE 10 browsing
Touchscreen magnification feature
Built-in apps are directly accessible
Support high contrast theme in Windows 8

22. Blackberry Version 10.2 Version 10 - Z10 and Q10 Version < 10
Assistive Technology and Features
Version 10.2
System touch screen reader on Z30
Version 10 - Z10 and Q10
No screen reader or accessibility API
Version < 10
Accessibility API in version 4.6 and above
Older Screen reader available
All versions
Color inversion and gray scale color mode
Text enlargement/magnification
One-handed operation including sticky keys
Popular due to security settings and compatibility
with Microsoft Exchange
Version 10.2 on the Z30 will offer screen reader
Version < 10
accessibility API in version 4.6 and above
Screen reader available
Provides access to phone features & standard apps
Limited access to web content and 3rd party apps
Limited support of models – limited updates
All versions
Provides color inversion as well as gray scale color mode
Provides text enlargement/magnification
One handed operation including sticky keys

23. Hearing aid compatibility Visual, audible, and vibration notifications
Blackberry
Assistive Technology and Features (cont.)
Hearing aid compatibility
Visual, audible, and vibration notifications
Closed captioning support for multimedia
Support for connection to a TTY device
Browser Zoom
Voice dialing
Video Chat
Some models
Tactilely discernible keyboard

24. Strategies for Accessible Apps
Recommendations
Mobile Apps
Focus on iOS and Android
WCAG 2 Level A and AA and Section 508
Web Apps
HTML 5 and ARIA based
WCAG 2 Level A and AA
Responsive design and progressive enhancement
Embedded Web Apps (WebView)
Supported with Talkback (issues with some pages)
Supported with iOS
Design for accessibility
Mobile Apps
Focus on iOS and Android based app accessibility
Best practices should be based on WCAG 2 Level A and AA and Section 508 (non-web ICT document)
Web Apps
Use HTML 5 and ARIA based mobile web apps
Support is still involving for HTML5 and ARIA in mobile browsers and with mobile assistive technologies
Best practices should be based on WCAG 2 A AA
Use responsive design and progressive enhancement

25. Strategies for Accessible Apps
Recommendations (cont.)
PhoneGap (uses web view)
Supported in iOS
Support for Android*
PDF and Word Documents
Most apps only render text
No heading, table or alt text indication
Adobe Reader follows Order panel
eBook Readers
EPUB 3 standard
Rapid Development and eLearning Tools
AIR apps do not expose accessibility
eBook Readers
EPUB 3 standard includes accessibility features from Daisy and eBook readers are supported on many mobile devices such as iOS, Windows 8, and Android
Rapid development and eLearning tools generally don't create fully accessible apps or HTML5 content
On Android use:
<access
origin="
<!-- allow enhanced accessibility
-->

26. Strategies for Accessible Apps
Recommendations (cont.)
Normative Testing
Accessibility Inspector (iOS)
Lint (Android)
Safari developer tools
Adobe Edge Inspect (DOM)
Screenshot testing for contrast
Functional/Use Case Testing
End users with disabilities
Core tasks of the app
Different end user personas
Embedded Web Apps (WebView)
Supported with Talkback under OS 3.x Honeycomb
Supported with iOS
Normative testing
Accessibility Inspector for iOS native apps
Adobe Edge Inspect – DOM inspection
Screenshot testing for contrast
Functional/Use Case Testing
End users with disabilities
Core tasks of the app
Cover different end user personas

27. App Development iOS Android OS Cocoa Touch UI/Objective-C/Xcode
Overview
iOS
Cocoa Touch UI/Objective-C/Xcode
Accessibility Inspector
Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines
Set label, traits, hint, frame and value
Notifications
Android OS
Keyboard accessible UI elements
contentDescription, hint, labelFor, states
Accessibility events for custom view components
Use Lint for Accessibility Checking
iOS
Cocoa objective C based using XCode on the Mac
Use Inspector to inspect accessibility properties in simulator
Use or subclass standard controls and follow Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines
Set label, traits, hint, frame, and value
Post notifications to indicates changes
Android OS
Ensure all UI elements are keyboard accessible
Label widgets
Send accessibility events for custom view components
Use the accessibilityService class of the Android SDK

28. Resources
iOS Accessibility Best Practices _platform_id=222
Android Accessibility Best Practices _platform_id=286
Designing for Accessibility (Android) html
iOS Accessibility
Blackberry Accessibility Overview

29. Resources
Accessibility Management Platform (AMP)
iOS app accessibility rating
Accessible Android app lists
BBC Mobile Accessibility Standards and Guidelines /mobile_access.shtml
Bridging Apps connects children with disabilities with appropriate apps
WebAIM Survey for Screen reader accessibility

30. Questions?

31. Contact Us Follow Us Thank You Jonathan Avila
Chief Accessibility Officer
SSB Contact Information
(800)
Follow Us
Twitter
@SSBBARTGroup
LinkedIn
Facebook
Blog