1. powerful technology. unparalleled expertise. significant results. deque.com | 877-577-9783 Download the Essential Guide to Digital Accessibility! Download Now

2. Digital Accessibility

3. Table of Contents Who We Are What Is Accessibility? Why Is Accessibility Important? Review of Current & Upcoming Legislation Steps to Ensure Accessibility

4. About Deque Founded in 1999 Focused on digital equality for technology users with disabilities Developed accessibility software solutions such as FireEyes, WorldSpace, Amaze Provides consulting and training on accessibility issues Works with government, banks, higher education, non- profits and Fortune 500 companies

5. What is accessibility? Chapter 1

6. Accessibility 101 How would you access the Internet if… you couldn’t see the screen had difficulties hearing sound had trouble using a mouse or a keyboard had cognitive difficulties

7. Ambulatory Keyboard Only Speech to Text Software Auditory Closed/ Open Captions Transcript Files Visual Screen Readers Braille Displays Cognitive Thoughtful layout and organization of web content Abilities Affect Digital Access

8. Impact of Accessibility Assistive Technologies and Web Accessibility Enables People to Lessen Impact of Disabilities People with vision impairments can listen to sites People with low vision can enlarge their screens People with color blindness can distinguish content People with hearing impairments can read video People with motor disabilities can use tools to operate keyboards Persons with cognitive disabilities can understand and focus better

9. Why is Accessibility Important? Chapter 2

10. Legal Obligations and Risk Legal Requirements (more specifics on this later) Liability Lawsuits against companies who do not make their services accessible to those with disabilities Recent settlements include: Banking and financial companies (Bank of America) Retail (Target) Governmental agencies (State of Texas) Educational institutions (Northwestern University) Non-profits (American Cancer Society)

11. Increase Customer Reach People with disabilities represent a huge group of consumers: According to a 2005 report, there are 54 million disabled people in the United States Over 18% of population has some sort of disability Number of people with disabilities is growing Estimated disposable income is $175 to $220 Billion

12. SEO Benefits Making your site visible to assistive technologies has an added bonus… It also makes your site more visible to search engines as well! 80% of Accessibility Improvements have an SEO Benefit Example: Adding alt tags on images allows the content to be read by screen readers. Google will also index the keywords for the images, which increases your PageRank for relevant search terms!

13. Usability Benefits Creating Accessible Websites Makes Your Site More Usable for ALL users Many accessibility principles are also core usability principles: Give users enough time to read and use content. Help users navigate and find content. Make text readable and understandable. Make content appear and operate in predictable ways. Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

14. Societal Benefits Probably the most important reason to make your website accessible to all visitors, regardless of ability: It’s the Right Thing To Do!

15. Accessibility Standards and Legislation Chapter 3

16. WCAG Standards Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a series of guidelines published by the WC3 Initiative. The goal is to create a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally. While Section 508 consists of requirements, WCAG consists of guidelines. WCAG is more complete than Section 508.

17. The Rehabilitation Act The Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies, in programs receiving Federal assistance, in Federal employment, and in the employment practices of Federal contractors. Several sections of this act involve digital accessibility: Section 503 Section 504 Section 508

18. Section 503 Section 503 requires that any contract that the US Federal Government enters into require the contractor to take affirmative action to employ, and advance in employment, individuals with disabilities. Applies to any prime contract or sub-contract over $10,000 in value. Enforcement is both active – with compliance audits – and reactive based on complaints from individuals with disabilities. IMPACT: How does this relate to web accessibility: job applications and any internal IT used by employees of any employer who wishes to do business with the government needs to be accessible.

19. Section 504 “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States... shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” IMPACT: Any programs receiving federal funds must have accessible digital access. This includes all government agencies, K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

20. Section 508 Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as now amended, provides a blueprint of just what is intended in Section 504. Thus, Section 504 provides the context of the law and Section 508 provides the direction.

21. Americans With Disabilities Act Sweeping legislation passed in 1991 outlawing discrimination against those with disabilities. ADA ensures physical access to public places. Digital Access not expressly in law, but Department of Justice has taken the position that Title III also applies to websites as part of “public accommodation”.

22. Expansion of ADA? The DOJ is considering expanding the ADA’s requirements to public websites (such as shopping) for “public accommodation.” Guidelines from DOJ expected at end of 2013. …Stay tuned!

23. CVAA 21 st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act The CVAA updates federal communications law to increase the access of persons with disabilities to modern communications. The CVAA makes sure that accessibility laws enacted in the 1980s and 1990s are brought up to date with 21st century technologies, including new digital, broadband, and mobile innovations.

24. AODA Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Sweeping legislation designed to remove barriers for all disabled individuals to provide accessible customer service All businesses in Ontario must become compliant with the new regulations Deadlines to comply are approaching!

25. Planning for Digital Accessibility Chapter 4

26. Accessibility Plan Determine if digital accessibility is a priority Determine the level of accessibility you will conform to Begin to create a culture of accessibility through training & education of team members Accessibility review of site designs & templates – check for things like keyboard accessibility of navigation, color contrast of design, alt tags on images, template structure, etc. Accessibility review of other content – videos, PDFs, etc. Correct accessibility violations in site designs/templates and other digital content Plan for sustainability and monitor compliance

27. Case Studies: Non-Profit National Federation of the Blind The NFB needed to bring its web properties under compliance to serve its constituents. Together with Deque as their accessibility consulting partner, launched the Nonvisual Access (NVA) Seal of Approval certification program. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) uses Deque’s WorldSpace for automated testing in addition to manual verification to certify that sites and organizations are compliant with the NFB’s NVA certification.

28. Case Studies: Government Agency Veteran’s Affairs The Department of Veteran’s Affairs partnered with Deque to make millions of pages accessible as part of one of the largest Section 508 compliance program at the federal level. Making the VA systems accessible means that veterans who are disabled can manage their insurance benefits, coordinate their medical care, and look for employment. The VA is currently using WorldSpace and Amaze to remediate their web content in addition to a number of Deque training programs.

29. deque.com | 877-577-9783Connect with us: About Deque Digital equality is both our mission and our passion. For over 10 years, Deque has worked alongside major corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, institutions of higher learning, and other organizations to achieve their accessibility goals. Every Deque team member is passionate about the importance of accessibility in the digital world and in helping customers achieve the outcomes that accessibility provides. Contact Deque