Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG2 Diagram of evolving web technologies over time. From 1991 and plain text through Mosaic, Netscape,

Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG2

Diagram of evolving web technologies over time. From 1991 and plain text through Mosaic, Netscape, Opera, I.E. and the various evolutions of CSS, HTML and Javascript/AJAX

"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of

disability is an essential aspect." –

Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Director and inventor of the World Wide Web

Transition:the new Section 508

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Welcome!

Let’s talk about standards!What are they for,how do they work,

where are they going?

Sharron Rush [email protected]

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AccessiblePeople with disabilities

…can acquire the same information…participate in the same activities

…be active producers as well as consumers

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I.T. Accessibility Movement

Illustration of Universal Access symbols - wheelchair, Braille letters, tab navigation. The words accessibility, open standards, innovation.

• Grounded in civil rights• Universal access to built

environment – required by ADA • Standards bodies recognized need to

address IT accessibility• Concepts and vocabulary extended

into learning and communications

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Universal Design…

• supports all people• supports all technology• improves experience for all• strong relationship to usability• “Good design IS accessible

design” ~ Dr. John Slatin

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Why advocate for inclusive design?

Legal Technical

Market

Humanitarian Visionary

Image: Man on soap box as advocate

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Legal Mandates

• International – UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities, 2006

• Global requirements based on WCAG2

• US Federal standards, Section 508• Other national laws• State and local laws

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US Federal Law• Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act

• Oct 2010, President signed 21st Century Accessible Technology bill

• ADA. DoJ recent notice of intention to extend to web.

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All 50 US states now mandate accessibility• Legally binding for agencies, educational entities,

purchases• Most reference Section 508

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0

Legal progress in US• 1998 – 2002 National Federation of the

Blind (NFB) vs SW Airlines, AOL others• Most settled out of court, few clear legal

precedents established • Since 2002, states and NFB are filing under

local and ADA laws with greater success • Structured negotiations successful in

increasing accessibility without litigation

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Demographic Forces• Number of people with disabilities is

growing• 55 million Americans / 1 billion

worldwide• Fortune: “$1 trillion annual market” in

US• $200 billion in discretionary spending• More as population ages

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Improved technical performance

• Harmonize with global standards• Internationalization• Demonstrated ROI

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Image of 9-year old girl in home made super girl costume, arms crossed, goggles on, looking determined!

Because we can!

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Human Rights

In 2006, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognized technology access as a basic human right. Logo of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations

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Accessibility Standards

Overview of standardsHow they interrelate

How to choose

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Role of Standards

• Shared understanding of requirements among:

o Consumerso Authoring Toolmakerso Developerso Makers of browsers and AT devices

• “How to” Techniques and testing criteria for content creators

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Components of Web Accessibility

Diagram of the relationship between authoring and evaluation tools, Web content, and user agent tools such as browsers and assistive technologies. As each component adheres to common standards, accessibility and interoperability are improved. At the W3c, groups of experts work in collaboration on the

ATAG – authoring tools accessibility group;

WCAG – web content accessibility group; and UAAG – user agent accessibility group, and others.

WCAG(web

content)

ATAG(authoring

tools)

UAAG(user agent)

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Global Standards

• WCAG - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. International standards for the web

• ATAG - Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines. Vendor standards for interoperability

• UAAG - User Accessibility Guidelines for browsers and assistive technologies

• ARIA - Accessible Rich Internet Application research for emerging technologies

www.w3.org/WAI

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Section 508 Guidelines• Only used in US • Subpart B - technical standards

o 16 rules of web-based intranet and internet accessibility standards

o Besed on WCAG1o In process of “Refresh”

www.section508.gov

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Standards are being revised

• Section 508 in “refresh” (expect to harmonize with WCAG 2.0)

• WCAG 2.0 released in December 2008 – accessibility defined within 4 basic principles.

508 WCAG

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New 508 references WCAG2

“E207.2 WCAG Conformance.  User interface components and content of platforms and applications shall conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements specified for web pages in WCAG 2...”

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WCAG2 defines four principles of accessibility

Content is POUR

1. Perceivable

2. …Operable

3. …Understandable

4. …and Robust

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POUR Principles are widely

applicable

• Documents• Web pages

• Web applications• Content

management

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Not just for web pages

Advisory E205.1 Official Agency Communications.  WCAG is written to be technology neutral.  While oriented towards web pages which are defined as being delivered using HTTP, it is straightforward to apply the WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements to all electronic content.

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WCAG 2.0,Guideline 1

1. Perceivable - Information and user

interface components must be presented to users in ways they can perceive

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WCAG 2.0,Guideline 2

2. Operable - User interface components and navigation

must be operable

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WCAG 2.0,Guideline 3

3. Understandable - Information and the operation

of user interface must be understandable

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WCAG 2.0,Guideline 4

4. Robust – Content must be

flexible enough to be interpreted reliably by a

wide variety of user agents, including

assistive technologies

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Section 508 to WCAG2 Map

• Created by Tom Jewett and Wayne Dick for CSUN 2009 http://www.tomjewett.com/accessibility/508-WCAG2.html

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Mapping strategyComprised of six steps:

1. State the need2. Identify gap in equally effective

access3. Which of four basic principles apply?4. which guidelines?5. which Success Criteria?6. Find the sufficient techniques to test

and validate.

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Graphic representation of WCAG2 guidelines. Accessible version found http://www.stamfordinteractive.com.au/resources/wcag-2-0-map/

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Implementation Strategy• Explicit policy statement with

reference to standards• Training and orientation to

standards• Design with progressive

enhancement• Create internal supports• Iterative testing• Include people with disabilities in

user testing

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Progressive Enhancement• Replaces the notion of “graceful

degradation”• Layers content, semantic HTML,

CSS and scripting• WAI-ARIA

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Testing for Accessibility

• Structure based on internal policies• Specific protocols will depend on

goals• Should be part of overall QA• Will be iterative• Can improve user experience for

all

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Automated free one-page tests

• AChecker http://achecker.ca/checker/index.php

• The Wave http://wave.webaim.org/

• Worldspace http://tinyurl.com/Worldspace-onepage

Results emailed to you by

• AMP Express https://amp.ssbbartgroup.com/express

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Manual Testing with toolbars

Tools we use (and there are others…) Accessibility Extension for Firefox Accessibility Toolbar for IE Deque Worldspace FireEyes FANGS Jim Thatcher’s Favelets Web developer toolbar

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Resources• W3C – Web Accessibility Initiative How to Meet WCAG2

http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/

• WebAIM’s WCAG2 ChecklistUnofficial guidancehttp://webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist

• Designing with Progressive EnhancementBook from Filament Grouphttp://filamentgroup.com/dwpe/

• Adaptive Web DesignRecent book by Aaron Gustafson

http://easy-readers.net/books/adaptive-web-design/

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Thank youYou make all the difference!

[email protected] @knowbility on Twitter

www.facebook.com/knowbility