1. Section 508 Overview Michele Sarko

2. What is Section 508?  Section 508 is a federal law  Passed in August, 1998 and took effect in June 2001  Requires that federal buyers purchased, use, and maintain applications that are accessible by people with disabilities – Section 1194.21 (paragraphs A-L) outlines the requirements for software applications and operating systems – Section 1194.22 (paragraphs A-P) outline the requirements for web applications – State and local governments are insisting upon Section 508 compliance, too  Leaders in the software industry have embraced Section 508 – Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard helped to shape the law – Many software companies have dedicated accessibility teams that have been in place for years

3. Scope of Section 508  Electronic and Information Technology  Websites, intranet, and web-enabled applications  Other software applications  Hardware such as copiers and fax machines

4. Spirit of Section 508  Basic question to ask about your product – Can you complete the tasks of this application without a mouse? – Can you complete the tasks with your monitor turned off? (with a screen reader operating)  www.freedomscientific.com (Jaws download) www.freedomscientific.com  Can you complete the tasks with the speakers turned off?

5. The Disabled Population  How many people in the United States has some level of disability?

6. The Disabled Population  1 of 5 people in the United States has some level of disability – Blind and visually impaired – Deaf – Motor disability (e.g., carpal tunnel) – Cognitive disability (e.g., seizures) – Learning disability

7. What is Accessibility?  Accessibility involves the compatibility of your web or Windows application with various web browsers or user agents  An accessible application can be used by anyone, regardless of disability

8. Benefits and Impact of Accessibility  Comply with Section 508 requirements – Federal buyers must purchase applications that are Section 508 compliant – State and local governments are following – Other countries are also making accessibility a requirement  Reduce legal liability – AOL, H&R Block, Intuit, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo had legal action brought against them because of inaccessibility  Be accessible to all users  Prepare for wireless translation  Create a positive public relations image

9. What are “Assistive Technologies?”  Assistive technologies are devices used by people with disabilities to access computers  Depending on their disability, people will use any one or combination of the following: – Text-to-speech screen readers (e.g., JAWS) – Alternative keyboards and mice (e.g., one handed, Braille keypad) – Head pointing devices – Voice-recognition software, voice-enabled browsers – Screen magnification software

10. Assistive Technology Examples Scanner with speech and Variable speed screen reader magnified screen display ALVA Braille display Braille and speech note taker

11. Achieving Accessibility  Applications are made accessible by adding enhancements to an application’s code – Textual equivalents – Navigational aids – Accessible alternatives  Most enhancements do not affect the visual appearance on the page – Ideally, all users should use the same form – In some cases, need alternate views because of form complexity

12. What do we need to do for 508 compliance? Specific Rules for AR System-based products : Application Developers QA Writers Install Engineers

13. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers Rule #1 - All tasks and interactions should also be available solely with the keyboard. No mouse-only actions are permissible. For example, all tables must have a Refresh button associated with it rather than having the feature “Click to Refresh” using a mouse.

14. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #2 – Field labels must always be positioned to the left of the input boxes. Never at the top Incorrect Correct

15.  Rule #3 – All fields must have a field label Incorrect Correct Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers

16.  Rule #4 – All required fields must be bold with an asterisk (*) at the end of the field label  If the required field also includes a (+) sign, the asterisk comes before the plus sign.  Both the asterisk and plus sign are bold Incorrect Correct

17. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #5 – Do not use radio buttons, use a pull-down list instead Incorrect Correct

18. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #6 – All graphics and images such as icons must have a descriptive ‘Alt’ tag associated with it  If there is an image that is not meaningful to people with visual impairments, then the Alt tag must have a null attribute Alt=“ ”

19. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #7 – The order of tabs in all forms should be set correctly  The order should move from top left to bottom right

20. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #8 – The focus within the form must be set to the first readable field on the page – This does not include the URL in a web view

21. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #9 – Pop Up dialogs must always have a descriptive page title such that the visually impaired can understand what the page is all about when translated by a screen reader

22. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #10 – A user should be allowed more time to complete a task if there is a timed response

23. Eleven 508 Rules for Application Developers  Rule #11 – Any data that is represented using a graphic file must be available in an alternative format understandable by a screen reader – Excel Spread sheet – HTML file – Any format which can be read by a screen reader  Example: An application that uses Crystal Reports must also present the data in HTML or an excel spreadsheet

24. 508 Rules for QA  Test all the rules that application developers need to follow  Test with JAWS to see the application is fully functional in the accessibility mode  Testing platform includes: – Windows – Web

25. 508 Rules for Writers  Rule #1- Make an accessibility document for each application. Include: – Known accessibility issues and work-arounds – Keyboard shortcuts – Optimal Configurations for JAWS – Optimal AR Settings for Accessibility  Rule #2 - All product documentation needs to be available in a format which can be read by a screen reader – HTML – Accessible PDF

26. 508 Rules for Installer Engines  Rule #1- All end-user installers should be accessible solely with a keyboard  Rule #2 - All end-user installers should be accessible with JAWS

27. 508 Summary  Every group has an important part to contribute  Teamwork is needed to achieve this goal