Accessibility of UW Information Technology

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Accessibility of UW Information Technology
The same code that is best for Stephen Hawkings
assistive software is also best for iPhones!

• Technology that works for all the ways people
  access UW services
• Presented at the UW Web Council, November 20, 2008

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• We want our information technology to be
  cutting-edge and accessible, and we want to
  demonstrate leadership in this arena.
• UW President Mark A. Emmert, Sept.
  27, 2006

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Accessibility
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What Do We Mean By Accessibility?

• Sites and Services That Work With the Technology
  People Use
• Mouse users
• Mouseless users (keyboard only)
• Speech output users
• Speech input users
• Google Search users (Google Search is blind)
• PDA, smartphone, and cell phone users

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What Do We Mean By Accessibility?
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The Need To Be Accessible

• The Law
• Americans With Disabilities Act
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Washington State Information Services Board
  Guidelines
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Applies specifically to Federal sites but often
  used as a standard

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The Need To Be Accessible

• University of Washingtons Mission
• Extend educational opportunities to many who
  would not otherwise have access to them
• Seek broad representation of the large and
  diverse community of which we are a part
• Educate students for life as global citizens
• Excellence, community, diversity, and innovation

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The Need To Be Accessible

• Control Risk
• Minimize risk of lawsuits Dont be a Target
• Target was sued by the National Federation for
  the Blind over inaccessibility of the Target Web
  site
• Settlement included a 6 million payment to a
  fund for blind screen reader users of Target
  sites
• Target agreed to bring its Web sites up to
  standards
• Avoid negative publicity
• Avoid the high cost of mandated retrofits

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Opportunity

• We Have an Opportunity to Address Accessibility
  From the Ground Up!
• Templates
• Guides
• Training

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Opportunity

• Building an Accessibility Learning Community
• Sharing insights
• Developing methods
• Connecting with peers at the UW and elsewhere
• Finding the best resources

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Designing For Accessibility

• Key Concepts
• Getting information to the brain through one or
  more of the senses (Perceivable)
• Not everyone uses a standard keyboard and mouse
  (Operable)
• Usable no matter which technology is being used
  (Understandable)
• Stable through time as technologies change
  (Robust)

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Designing For Accessibility

• The Value of Standards
• Adhere to standards
• Well formed
• Compliant
• Validated
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• Standards-based methods give access technologies
  something predictable and well structured to
  interact with

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Designing For Accessibility

• The Value of Logical (Semantic) Markup
• (X)HTML elements are based on the logical model
  of the parts of a document
• Headings
• Paragraphs
• Lists
• Tables
• etc.
• Adhering to logical markup allows assistive
  technology to more intelligently present and
  navigate content

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Documents are built with a set of logical types
of text blocks or elements
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(X)HTML is a language based on those same
semantic element types
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Designing For Accessibility

• Separating Content from Presentation
• Put content in (X)HTML
• Control presentation (including layout) with CSS
• Define behaviors with standards compliant
  scripting that operates on the (X)HTML elements

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Strict separation of content and presentation
greatly simplifies your content and makes content
more coherent for non-visual access
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Designing for Accessibility

• Alternative Text
• Provide alternative text for non-text content
• ltimg srcgerberding.jpg altGerberding
  Hallgt
• If the graphic has no meaninggive it an empty
  alt text
• ltimg srcswirly.jpg altgt

Gerberding Hall
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Designing for Accessibility

• Labeling Input Fields

Example of text associated with input fields.
Which text applies to which input field?
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Designing for Accessibility

• Labeling Example
• ltform action"..." method"post"gt
• ltlabel for"fname"gtFirst Namelt/labelgt
• ltinput type"text" name"firstname"
• id"fname" /gtltbr /gt
• ltlabel for"lname"gtLast Namelt/labelgt
• ltinput type"text" name"lastname"
• id"lname" /gt
• lt/formgt

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Designing for Accessibility

• Navigation
• Meaningful page title
• Meaningful menu items texts
• Meaningful headings
• Use of headings for topic (H1), subtopic (H2),
  subsubtopic (H3), etc.

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Designing for Accessibility

• Navigation That Helps
• Skip to Content links allowing bypass of menus
• Avoid dependence on one technology or access
  method
• Menus in good structured (X)HTML
• Usable without the mouse (not dependent on
  mouseovers)
• Scripting fully standards compliant

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Designing for Accessibility

• Colors
• Contrast (at least 51 between text and
  background)
• Consider red/green color blindness (about 10 of
  males)

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Assistive Technology Demo
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Working With Contractors

• Hire Carefully
• Assess accessibility skills of candidate
  contractors
• Knowledge of standards compliant methods
• Knowledge of Section 508 standards
• Assess contractors understanding of display of
  Web pages
• Design based on relative sizes
• Scalability
• Contrast

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Working With Contractors

• The Contract
• Include a statement of accessibility requirements
• Provide for evaluation of drafts for
  accessibility compliance
• Make compliance testing a requirement of contract
  completion

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Working With Contractors

• Sample Language
• NOTICE -- All electronic and information
  technology (EIT) procured through this RFP must
  meet the applicable accessibility standards of 36
  CFR 1194. 36 CFR 1194 implements Section 508 of
  the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and
  is viewable at the following URL
  http//www.section508.gov The following Section
  508 technical standards are applicable to this
  RFP, as a minimum " Software Applications and
  Operating Systems (1194.21)" Web-based Intranet
  and Internet Information and Applications
  (1194.22) " Video or Multimedia Products
  (1194.24) C.4 Applicants must state their level
  of compliance to applicable sections to be
  considered for purchase under this RFP.
• From Utah State University Center for Persons
  With Disabilities

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Working With Contractors

• Responsibility
• Adding accessibility after delivery is expensive
  and difficult
• You are responsible for what you accept from your
  contractors

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Content Management Systems

• What Counts is What Gets to the Browser
• CMS systems store, handle, and present content
• Different systems work in different ways
• Modules/web parts/widgets provide units of
  content
• The Master Pages (basic page templates) provide
  page structure
• Skins define color, backgrounds, fonts, sizing

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Content Management Systems
Master page provides page framework into which
modules fit
Skin defines backgrounds, fonts, sizes, and can
even adjust layout
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Content Management Systems

• For Your CMS To Be Accessible
• Modules need to generate standards compliant
  code, including alt texts and labeling
• Master pages should not use nested tables for
  layout and provide for
• Skip to Content
• Size scaling
• Skin should provide good contrast, avoid too
  small type, designed to work on a variety of
  devices

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Content Management Systems
A typical CMS Web site
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Content Management Systems
The site uses tables layout nested ten tables
deep on every page! However, this is a problem
with the Master Page design, not the CMS.
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Content Management Systems
The same CMS (SharePoint) using an XHTML/CSS
Master Page (no layout tables)
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Content Management Systems

• Take Care of Your CMS
• Once you get a CMS, be careful not to disable its
  accessibility features 
• Query the CMS community about accessibility
  features of your product and how to keep it
  accessible
• CMS Watch 

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Procuring Accessible IT

• Get Information
• Request accessibility information from vendors
• Query accessible technology community for comment
  on products you are considering
• Accessibility Working Group (AccessibleWeb_at_U)
• University Web Developers (http//cuwebd.ning.com)
  
• Review product Voluntary Product Accessibility
  Template (VPAT)  

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Procuring Accessible IT

• Conduct Tests
• Conduct usability and accessibility tests
• Can you use the product without a mouse?
• Access it with a text reader (WebAnywhere)
• Check for tables
• Turn off the CSS and see what happens
• Request an evaluation by the Access Technology
  Lab

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Cloud Services

• The Cloud is Young
• Cloud services are constantly improving
• Using them is becoming more practical,
  justifiable
• Constantly evolving, competitive
• Accessibility not necessarily a high priority
• Often accessibility improved later
• Need to keep evaluating services to be sure they
  meet your requirements

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Cloud Services

• Take a Close Look
• Pay attention to the process of using the product
• Only one inaccessible step means the whole
  process is a problem for assistive technology
  users.
• Do the usual accessibility evaluation steps
• Can you use the product without a mouse?
• Access it with a text reader (WebAnywhere)
• Check for tables
• Turn off the CSS and see what happens

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In Conclusion

• We care about people
• Our mission is to enable and empower learning,
  knowledge creation, and service
• Standards enable interaction among devices and
  among people
• Standards give leverage, power

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Where Do We Go From Here

• Open Discussion
• Raising awareness
• Education
• Tools and Resources
• Policy
• Top-level institutional support
• Community and culture

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Resources

• Information Technology Accessibility
• Tools and Resources List
• Access Technology Lab
• Web Accessibility In Mind (WebAIM)
• WAVE Accessibility Evaluation Tool
• Color Contrast Analyser
• Web Developer Toolbar
• Scripting Enabled
• WebAnyWhere
• CMS Watch

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Thanks
A special thanks to the many people who
contributed directly and indirectly in preparing
this presentation

• Cynthia Berman
• Wendy Chisholm
• Dan Comden
• E.A. Draffan
• Dan Druliner
• Marcus Duke
• Rick Ells

• Pat Smith-Major
• Heather Larson
• Kay Pilcher
• Terrill Thompson
• Jennifer Ward
• Nancy Weiner
• Dylan E. Wilbanks