Transition: the new Section 508

1. 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 (W3C) Director and inventor of the World Wide Web

2. Welcome! Let’s talk about standards! What are they for, how do they work, where are they going? Sharron Rush srush@knowbility.org

3. Accessible People with disabilities …can acquire the same information …participate in the same activities …be active producers as well as consumers

4. 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 4

5. Universal Design… • supports all people • supports all technology • improves experience for all • strong relationship to usability • “Good design IS accessible design” ~ Dr. John Slatin

6. Why advocate for inclusive design? Legal Technical Market Humanitarian Visionary Image: Man on soap box as advocate

7. 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

8. 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.

9. All 50 US states now mandate accessibility Legally binding for agencies, educational entities, purchases Most reference Section 508

10. 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

11. 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

12. Improved technical performance • Harmonize with global standards • Internationalization • Demonstrated ROI

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

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

15. Accessibility Standards Overview of standards How they interrelate How to choose

16. Role of Standards • Shared understanding of requirements among: • Consumers • Authoring Toolmakers • Developers • Makers of browsers and AT devices • “How to” Techniques and testing criteria for content creators

17. Components of Web Accessibility ATAG(authoring tools) 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) UAAG(user agent)

18. 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

19. Section 508 Guidelines • Only used in US • Subpart B - technical standards • 16 rules of web-based intranet and internet accessibility standards • Besed on WCAG1 • In process of “Refresh” www.section508.gov

20. 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

21. 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...”

22. WCAG2 defines four principles of accessibility Content is POUR • Perceivable • …Operable • …Understandable • …and Robust

23. POUR Principles are widely applicable • Documents • Web pages • Web applications • Content management

24. 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.

25. WCAG 2.0,Guideline 1 1. Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presented to users in ways they can perceive

26. WCAG 2.0,Guideline 2 2. Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable

27. WCAG 2.0,Guideline 3 3. Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable

28. 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

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

30. Mapping strategy Comprised of six steps: • 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.

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

32. 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

33. Progressive Enhancement • Replaces the notion of “graceful degradation” • Layers content, semantic HTML, CSS and scripting • WAI-ARIA

34. 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

35. Automated free one-page tests • ACheckerhttp://achecker.ca/checker/index.php • The Wave http://wave.webaim.org/ • Worldspacehttp://tinyurl.com/Worldspace-onepage Results emailed to you by • AMP Expresshttps://amp.ssbbartgroup.com/express

36. Manual Testing with toolbars Tools we use (and there are others…) • Accessibility Extension for Firefox • Accessibility Toolbar for IE • DequeWorldspaceFireEyes • FANGS • Jim Thatcher’s Favelets • Web developer toolbar

37. Resources • W3C – Web Accessibility Initiative How to Meet WCAG2 http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/ • WebAIM’s WCAG2 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/

38. Thank you You make all the difference! srush@knowbility.org @knowbility on Twitter www.facebook.com/knowbility