Transition the new Section 508 Diagram of evolving

Transition: the new Section 508 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 (W 3 C) Director and inventor of the World Wide Web Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Welcome! Let’s talk about standards! What are they for, how do they work, where are they going? Sharron Rush srush@knowbility. org Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Accessible People with disabilities …can acquire the same information …participate in the same activities …be active producers as well as consumers Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2 4

Universal Design… • supports all people • supports all technology • improves experience for all • strong relationship to usability • “Good design IS accessible design” ~ Dr. John Slatin Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Why advocate for inclusive design? Legal Technical Market Humanitarian Visionary Image: Man on soap box as advocate Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Legal Mandates • International – UN Convention on Rights • • of People with Disabilities, 2006 Global requirements based on WCAG 2 US Federal standards, Section 508 Other national laws State and local laws Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

US Federal Law • Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act • Oct 2010, President signed 21 st Century Accessible Technology bill • ADA. Do. J recent notice of intention to extend to web. Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

All 50 US states now mandate accessibility • Legally binding for agencies, educational entities, purchases • Most reference Section 508 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Improved technical performance • Harmonize with global standards • Internationalization • Demonstrated ROI Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Because we can! Image of 9 -year old girl in home made super girl costume, arms crossed, goggles on, looking determined! Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Accessibility Standards Overview of standards How they interrelate How to choose Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Role of Standards • Shared understanding of requirements among: Consumers o Authoring Toolmakers o Developers o Makers of browsers and AT devices o • “How to” Techniques and testing criteria for content creators Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Components of Web Accessibility ATAG Diagram of the relationship between (authoring tools) WCAG authoring and evaluation tools, Web (web content) 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 W 3 c, 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. UAAG (user agent) Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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. w 3. org/WAI Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 WCAG 1 o In process of “Refresh” www. section 508. gov Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

New 508 references WCAG 2 “E 207. 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. . . ” Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

WCAG 2 defines four principles of accessibility Content is POUR 1. Perceivable 2. …Operable 3. …Understandable 4. …and Robust Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

POUR Principles are widely applicable • Documents • Web pages • Web applications • Content management Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Not just for web pages Advisory E 205. 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. Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

WCAG 2. 0, Guideline 1 1. Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presented to users in ways they can perceive Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

WCAG 2. 0, Guideline 2 2. Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

WCAG 2. 0, Guideline 3 3. Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Section 508 to WCAG 2 Map • Created by Tom Jewett and Wayne Dick for CSUN 2009 http: //www. tomjewett. com/accessibility/508 WCAG 2. html Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Mapping strategy Comprised of six steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. State the need Identify gap in equally effective access Which of four basic principles apply? which guidelines? which Success Criteria? Find the sufficient techniques to test and validate. Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

found http: //www. stamfordinteractive. com. au/resources/wcag-2 -0 -map/ Graphic representation of WCAG 2 guidelines. Accessible version Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Progressive Enhancement • Replaces the notion of “graceful degradation” • Layers content, semantic HTML, CSS and scripting • WAI-ARIA Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

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 Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Manual Testing with toolbars Tools we use (and there are others…) ü Accessibility Extension for Firefox ü Accessibility Toolbar for IE ü Deque Worldspace Fire. Eyes ü FANGS ü Jim Thatcher’s Favelets ü Web developer toolbar Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Resources • W 3 C – Web Accessibility Initiative How to Meet WCAG 2 http: //www. w 3. org/WAI/WCAG 20/quickref/ • Web. AIM’s WCAG 2 Checklist Unofficial guidance http: //webaim. org/standards/wcag/checklist • Designing with Progressive Enhancement Book from Filament Group http: //filamentgroup. com/dwpe/ • Adaptive Web Design Recent book by Aaron Gustafson http: //easy-readers. net/books/adaptive-web-design/ Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2

Thank you You make all the difference! srush@knowbility. org @knowbility on Twitter www. facebook. com/knowbility Creative Commons – some rights reserved Section 508 to WCAG 2