Debi Orton, Co-Chair NYS Forum IT Accessibility Committee

 Review of how people with disabilities access the web  History and review of NYS technology policies on web accessibility  Discussion of what to consider when planning web-delivered training  Tips for meeting everyone’s needs  Questions

 Types of disabilities with impact on web- delivered training: ◦ Blindness / Low vision ◦ Deafness / Hearing impairments ◦ Mobility impairments ◦ Cognitive impairments

 Types of web-delivered training to consider ◦ Webinars ◦ WebEx sessions ◦ Traditional elearning content ◦ HTML elearning content

 People who are blind access the web via: ◦ Screen reading software ◦ Refreshable Braille displays ◦ CANNOT use pointing devices  People with low vision may use those tools or: ◦ Screen magnification software ◦ External (larger) displays

 Visual acuity also a factor for: ◦ People using mobile devices ◦ People using older equipment (smaller monitors, lower resolutions)  Visuals need to be described using “alt text”  Videos or presentations containing instruction needs to be audibly described

 Cataracts  Glaucoma

 Macular Degeneration  Retinopathy

 Difficult to magnify graphical text without distortion

Map of Hurricane Isabel (with color)

 Map of Hurricane Isabel (simulating red/green color blindness)

 Subway maps

 Video or presentation content with audio must be captioned  Elearning content cannot rely on audio cues  People whose computers do not support sound  Can be an issue for mobile device users

 Cannot use mouse for navigation  Interaction through keyboard only  May have difficulty with timed responses

 Images are helpful for many with cognitive impairments  Avoid “Wall o’ Text”  Use headlines and bullets  Attention to “fog index”

 Began in 1998 with call to action  Developed and released first accessibility policy in September, 1999 – aligned with W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 1 (WCAG 1)  Major policy shift in 2004, to “hybrid” standard  Minor changes in 2006, 2008  Major change for 2010

 Will mirror federal Section 508  Allows NYS to leverage work vendors have already done to become Section 508 compliant  Expands tools available for our use

 Covers all web content and applications on both Internet and intranet sites  Intranet allowed more latitude because agency can ensure end user platform  Requires that 14 guidelines be met

1. Requires text equivalents for non-text content 2. Don’t use color to convey information 3. Requires proper document structure 4. Requirements for “skip navigation” and home page links 5. Avoid flickering and blinking elements 6. Allow user to reprogram timed responses 7. Data tables must be properly marked up

8. Frame titles must provide context and orientation information 9. Image maps must provide redundant text links 10. Information shall not be conveyed via audio only 11. Multimedia must be captioned and described 12. Elements and information provided via scripting must be accessible to A. T.

13. Label elements must be used for all form controls 14. Agencies can post proprietary formats so long as an accessible alternative is made available

 Given the scope of the policy, anything that requires a browser to access can be considered “web”: ◦ Webinars ◦ Webcasts ◦ HTML ◦ Elearning delivered via browser

 When planning training, do not rely on one sense alone ◦ If using videos in your training, be sure: 1.Videos are captioned and you provide instructions about how to access captions 2.Any video demonstration (for example, showing how to tie a knot) is described in such a way that someone unable to see the video can follow it

 When planning a webinar: ◦ Keep in mind that people using screen readers can interact with only one window at a time ◦ Make sure your presenter knows to describe any substantive images he or she uses

 When planning a webcast: ◦ Ensure that you have arranged for captioning services ◦ Note on the announcement if the webcast will be captioned live or if a captioned version will be available at a later date

 Audio content (e.g., podcasts): ◦ Provide a transcript, and put a link to the transcript adjacent to the link to the podcast

 When posting a presentation: ◦ If the presentation will be posted long-term, provide a Braillable text description of the presentation

 If using online learning authoring tools, be sure you can create accessible content with it ◦ Keep graphical text to a minimum ◦ Make sure navigation is consistent and adequately labeled ◦ If using Flash animations, make them accessible