March 17, 2011 Ellen Crowe Fred DiFiore VHA OHI Section 508 Office

1. Improve 508 Compliance and Workload with Simple ToolsCalifornia State University, Northridge Center on Disabilities (CSUN) Conference March 17, 2011 Ellen Crowe Fred DiFiore VHA OHI Section 508 Office

2. Challenge Find innovative ways to accomplish mission with limited resources and a large, complex workload  Create simple tools that can easily and quickly flag accessibility issues and provide critical workload data 

3. Outcome This was a work in progress that has spanned over a year  To date, tools have enhanced the quality and quantity of the office’s workload Most important: tools are easy to create, maintain and use

4. Tool 1: Top Violations In 2009, not a single media type passed on the first compliance test Some media types had hundreds of violations We recognized need to identify and deal with the most common media violations We created a tool to identify the top violations for each media type

5. Top Violations Presented at CSUN Top Five E-learning Violations tool was presented at the 2009 CSUN Conference  General Services Administration was impressed and posted it on their official site so that federal 508 coordinators could benefit from using it    As we all know, many ideas sound great in the beginning, but falter with time… Our Office decided to follow-up on the status of the top five violations

6. January to May 2010 Violations • In May, a five month review revealed a surprise: the five violations cited at CSUN were no longer on the top violation list! • We decided to expand the analysis • List of violations would include the top two from each major e-learning media types:  • Adobe Flash • Web • PDF • Multimedia • Java Software 

7. Addressing the Violations • To correct the violations, a document was created that included: • Brief description of each violation • Recommended solutions and references for remediation: • Links to related best practices • Links to sections of our online training http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508// • Links to documents on creating accessible PDFs • Links to information on other commercial or federal sites • The document was widely distributed to all VHA and contract developers and shared with our web master community 

8. June to September 2010 Violations After four months, a new report was compiled on the top violations.  The process worked again!  The number of violations for the top group dropped an average of 41%  Several violations dropped off the chart  The number of violations for the Multimedia (1) and Java Software (0) areas were so low they were no longer worth tracking

9. October to December 2010 Violations Again success! • Top Flash violations dropped from 129 to just 41 • There was a new number two and number three Flash violation, but both only had nine violations each • All previous web violations dropped off the chart • Since there was a higher number of total violations compared to the other media types, we recognized the need to renew our focus on web • In PDF, there was a new number one violation and number two dropped from 33 violations to just 13

10. 2010 Summary of Top Violations This approach has reaped huge benefits: • Flash was the 800 pound gorilla in early 2010, but has dropped to baby chimpanzee-level now: • Many of the top violations have dropped off the chart • The violations that have remained on the chart have dropped an average of 81% during 2010 • Most significantly, in early 2010, just the number one violation alone had 219 incidents. Over the last reporting period, the combined total for the 10 Flash violations was only 88 incidents

11. 2010 Summary of Top Violations (Con’t) • PDF is a similar success story: • The number of violations remaining on the chart have dropped over 65% • The combined total for the top ten PDF violations this last reporting period was only 79 • Web has also been successful • Most violations drop off the chart by the next report • The combined total for the top ten Web violations this last reporting period was 113. In early 2010, just the top violation alone was 129.

12. 2010 Summary of Top Violations (Con’t) • With each iteration of the report: • Data is analyzed to identify trends and problems • For example, a violation reappeared on the chart. The problem was identified as cyclic contracts and we changed our training methodology accordingly. • Applicable materials and solutions are identified and shared with target audiences to reduce violations • Most of the training and resources are available to the public via our web-site

13. Tool 2: Snapshot The second tool deals with workload Faced with limited resources and an overwhelming workload, we struggled to be more efficient Our office was also faced with four other daunting situations that compounded our workload

14. Daunting Situations 1 and 2 The major issues that impacted our workload: • Not a single media type that was tested for compliance passed the first time • Most media types had to be retested three or more times • The average media type was tested 3.3 times before it was compliant • This process often stretched out for more than six months and sometimes a year

15. Daunting Situations 3 and 4 3. The backlog for testing was nine weeks, which was unacceptable to all involved • Testing is complicated: • Most courses consist of multiple media types • The customer may change priorities and content • A media type may be new or remediated

16. Creating a Solution • In early 2010, started to experiment with using a tool on a weekly basis to monitor the various factors causing the backlog • Many factors to consider • Required several revisions to meet our needs  • The tool identified numerous consistent problems • The most critical revolved around the balancing act between the priorities of media types being tested versus the priority of courses being re-tested • By identifying the problems or trends and then working on them, our Office was able to realize incredible results

17. Snapshot

18. Workload Improvements Testing: Backlog dropped from nine weeks to same week as received First time passing compliance: From zero in 2009 to 23% Number of test passes before compliance: From average of 3.3 tests to 1.86 tests Number compliant on first retest: From 34% to 85% All of this happened while the content received per week for testing increased by 31%

19. Workload Improvement Benefits • Improved understanding of how to code for Section 508 compliance • Courses are processed faster, saving the Agency time and money • More positive attitude on including Section 508 in products • Staff with more time to work on proactive tasks that promote Section 508 • Example: creation of the Flash Course that was presented here yesterday and available at: http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508/flash/index.asp

20. Snapshot -- Benefits to Managing • Establish workload averages (e.g., how many items received, how many tested, types tested) allows for: • Workload management • Shifting assets accordingly • Identify trends that might need further monitoring (e.g., change in volume tested each week) • Identify what works and what does not • Identify problem areas that might need additional training (e.g., if the number of media types passing on the first time decreases, could signify a problem and might require additional training to a target audience)

21. Key Attributes for creating the Tools • Identify problems & solutions • Identify sources from which to gather data • Gathering data should be minimally disruptive to others • Data should be easily obtainable and credible • Create a format to analyze the data • Remember that it should be changed until it meets your needs • Establish a baseline • Establish a schedule for gathering the data (i.e., monthly)

22. ??? Questions ??? 22

23. Contact Information VHA Section 508 Office: vha19section508@va.gov Training Material: http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508//