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Tutorial #12: Implementing a Corporate Web Accessibility Compliance Program
Sarah Swierenga Tuesday, July 9th, 8:30 AM - Noon
Keywords:
disability, accessible web design, accessibility compliance
Audience: Intermediate, Managers or Usability Advocates
Abstract:
This tutorial will focus on a practical approach for organizing and implementing an accessibility compliance program. Participants will learn how to 1) set up an accessibility compliance program, 2) interpret and implement the Section 508 standards for designing accessible Web sites, and 4) perform testing to ensure Web accessibility compliance.
Length of Tutorial:
Half Day
System, Product, or Project Focus:
Web
Learning objectives:
My goal is to help participants ramp up quickly on accessibility compliance issues and provide them with a practical approach for organizing and implementing an accessibility compliance program. Participants will learn how to
- set up an accessibility compliance program,
- interpret and implement the Section 508 standards for designing accessible Web sites, and
- perform testing to ensure Web accessibility compliance. After completing the course, participants should understand how to initiate an accessibility compliance initiative in their own organization, and they should have a fundamental understanding of how to evaluate web sites for accessibility.
How tutorial will be conducted:
The session will include a combination of lecture, Web site demonstrations using a screen reader, group discussion about accessibility strategies and compliance approaches, and class exercises on conducting accessibility evaluations using a Section 508 checklist on a Web site.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MATERIAL COVERED BY TUTORIAL AND A SCHEDULE OF EVENTS WITH TIME ALLOCATION
Introduction to Tutorial and Instructors (20 minutes)
After a brief introduction about my background, session schedule/logistics, I'll provide an overview of the tutorial topics, address why accessible design is important (for the disabled as well as for emerging technologies), and give general background information on the types of disabilities (including blind, low-vision, colorblind, deaf, and cognitive impairments) and statistics on the disabled user population. Then I will briefly demonstrate how a screen reader (IBM's Home Page Reader) vocalizes a Web site.
Relevant Accessibility Legislation (20 minutes)
- Section 508 legislation-Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act in 1998, requiring Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The law, which into effect June 21, 2001, applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. § 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others, complying with the 16 standards that are included. (Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (36 CFR Part 1194)).
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-The ADA is civil rights law passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Title II of the ADA requires state Web sites to be accessible.
- Federal Acquisition Requisition legislation (FAR)-Amendments were passed in 2001 that require agencies to apply Section 508 standards to contracts awarded on or after June 25,2001.
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-This legislation requires that public schools to provide all eligible students with disabilities with the least restrictive environment appropriate to the needs of the student.
- Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)-The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has published guidelines for developing accessible Web sites, browsers, and tools for creating content. The Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WACG) provides accessibility guidelines for three priority levels.
- Accessibility-related lawsuits-The National Federation for the Blind settled a lawsuit with AOL after AOL committed to make version 6.0 of its software accessible to the visually impaired. Also, the Sydney Olympic Committee lost in court and was ordered to make the Olympics Web site accessible to blind users.
- Handout: Summary of major legislation and guidelines
- Handout: Checklist showing the relationship between Section 508 provisions and WACG checkpoints
- Role of Usability Specialists as accessibility advocates (10 minutes)
- Usability specialists understand research methodologies and have usability testing experience making them invaluable for accessibility compliance efforts. They would be good advocates for raising awareness about accessibility issues, given that they tend to promote user-centered design processes already.
- Usability specialists would also be the best resource for evaluating and testing Web sites because they have the necessary skills to utilize existing usability testing methodologies, or modify them appropriately, to perform the compliance testing.
- Organizationally, usability professionals tend to be positioned well to initiate and manage cross-functional initiatives.
- Group discussion: How might usability specialists act as advocates in participants' organizations
Preparation for an Accessibility Initiative (10 minutes)
- Discuss organization considerations and the importance of champions and advocates for accessibility
- Information resources for getting started-describe some of the helpful accessibility Web sites, books, and newsgroups
- Overview of guidelines-W3C's Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WACG), Microsoft, IBM, etc.
- Strategies for implementing a compliance Initiative:
- Approach 1: Develop internal expertise to address accessibility compliance. Send a few Web designers to extensive training classes, and/or give them the time to learn about accessibility issues. These accessibility champions would serve as internal resources to mentor and train the other technical leads, developers, and product managers regarding accessibility design and implementation. The accessibility specialists would also be responsible for working with the product teams to ensure product compliance, functioning as "accessibility compliance officers." Additionally, the accessibility experts should develop company-specific guidelines and standards. Pros and cons of this approach will be discussed.
- Approach 2: Use external accessibility consultants to set up the strategy for the organization. Technical accessibility consultants would conduct the accessibility evaluations of the products, and recommend solutions to problems that are identified. A product/project manager would be needed to act as the liaison between the external consultants and the product managers/technical leads for each project. Pros and cons of this approach will be discussed.
- Handout: List of accessibility resources
The Compliance Assessment Process for a Corporate Web Site (1 hour)
- A Web-based search product will be used as a case study to demonstrate how the process works.
- Process for conducting the initial evaluations:
- What to look for at a high level, e.g., alt text on images, presence of skip navigation links, redundant color-coding, frame & page titles, table headers, use of JavaScript, etc.
- Configuring your machine for a quick compliance evaluation
- Describe a checklist approach for evaluating Web sites based on the Section 508 standards.
- Demonstration: Conduct a walk-through of a Web-based search product using Home Page Reader or one of the other accessibility products.
- Describe how to organize the work based on the initial findings. Discuss the importance of forming a core accessibility team that consists of product & project managers, Human Factors Engineers, usability specialists, Web designers, and software engineers/developers.
- Discuss the issues involved with lining up resources and funding, as well as obtaining support from other organizations.
- Discuss how to establish a strategy for an on-going compliance maintenance program. Describe the pros and cons of utilizing an in-house accessibility compliance officer vs. relying on external consultants.
- Discuss criteria for selecting an appropriate consultant for the organization and the level of work that is needed.
- Group Discussion: Brainstorm alternative ways of setting up a compliance program in different kinds of organizations.
- Handout: Sample of a completed initial evaluation
- Handout: IBM Home Page Reader tips and tricks
The Section 508 Evaluation in Detail (1 hour, including a 30 minute class exercise)
- Discuss how to interpret the sixteen Section 508 standards
- Textual descriptions for images and image maps, style sheets, table cell identification, frame titling, JavaScript, search forms, skip navigation, flicker and timed responses
- Special issues, particularly multimedia presentations and PDF files, will also be addressed.
- Handout: Section 508 Implementation Guidelines (for resolving accessibility problems)
- Class exercise (~30 minutes): Participants will be given the opportunity to evaluate a typical Web for accessibility compliance using a Section 508 checklist. Each participant will receive a packet containing several screen shots of the Web site. The participants will then be split into small groups and asked to identify accessibility issues. This class exercise is intended to encourage discussion about the specific standards, and give participants an idea of what's really involved with designing and evaluating sites for accessibility.
Verification and Documentation (30 minutes)
- Discuss why it is important to have a formally agreed-upon verification process. Describe how to set up a verification process.
- Discuss the advantages of creating product documentation for accessibility compliance efforts, including Customer Service documentation.
- Describe the issues involved with developing a corporate accessibility compliance statement.
- Handout: Verification checklist and template for documenting compliance
- Handout: Samples of accessibility compliance statements
- Group Discussion: Brainstorming on the effectiveness of the proposed verification process in participants' organizations.
Accessibility and Usability (30 minutes)
- Discuss the relationship between usability and accessibility testing. For disabled users, accessible Web sites are a prerequisite for usability, while that isn't always the case with non-disabled users.
- Give examples of accessible user interface designs, as well as sites that may be usable, but are not necessarily accessible.
- Discuss how to adjust a traditional usability test plan to gather data from disabled users.
- Topics for research in this evolving area would be discussed.
- Handout: Sample test plan for testing with visually-disabled users
DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS (HANDOUTS)
- Summary of major legislation and guidelines
- Checklist showing the relationship between Section 508 provisions and WACG checkpoints
- List of accessibility resources
- Sample of completed initial evaluation
- IBM Home Page Reader tips and tricks
- Section 508 Implementation Guidelines (for resolving accessibility problems)
- Verification checklist and template for documenting compliance
- Samples of accessibility compliance statements
- Sample test plan for testing with visually-disabled users
Maximum number of participants
30-50
BACKGROUND OF PRESENTERS
Sarah J. Swierenga Ph.D., C.P.E.
Dept. of Psychology & Research Institute
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-0158
Voice: 937-296-1640
E-mail: sarahswierenga@yahoo.com
Dr. Sarah Swierenga is both an experienced
researcher
and a practitioner, who has almost 20 years of
experience in the scientific study of users in
both
commercial and military environments. She has
extensive skills in user interface design, data
collection tools and methodologies including
usability
tests, questionnaires, and focus groups.
Additionally,
Sarah led a corporate accessibility compliance
initiative, providing technical consulting on over
50
products, creating an organizational strategy for
implementing Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
standards, developing technical guidelines for
applying the regulation, and raising company-wide
awareness of accessibility compliance issues. She
recently completed a chapter for a book entitled,
"Constructing Accessible Web Sites" (glasshaus,
2002).
Dr. Swierenga holds a Ph.D. in Human Factors Psychology, and is a Certified Professional Ergonomist (C.P.E.). She is a member of the Usability Professionals' Association; Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (currently serving as Past-Treasurer and President-Elect of the Southern Ohio Chapter); American Psychological Association, Division 21; and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.
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