ACCESS IS MORE THAN BRICK AND MORTAR: THE BASICS OF WEB SITE ACCESSIBILITY

AGENDA

• Definitions • Web Barriers • Requirements • Benefits • Standards • Areas to Consider • Issues and Fixes • Accessible Systems Racing League

DEFINITIONS

• Accessibility • The quality of being accessible, or of admitting approach; receptibility.

• Usability • The effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction with which users can achieve tasks in a particular environment of a product.

DEFINITIONS

• Interoperability • The ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from multiple vendors to communicate.

• Assistive Technology (AT) • A generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them.

WEB BARRIERS

• Individuals who are blind or visually impaired: • Complex science and math notation, images and image maps • Multimedia (sound & video), frames, forms, and tables • Navigation, Java scripts and programming code

WEB BARRIERS

• AT for individuals who are blind or visually impaired: • Screen reader programs and Braille displays • Screen magnification programs and High (or different) contrast settings (e.g., yellow text on a black background)

WEB BARRIERS

• Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing: • Multimedia features including sound and video clips • Error, or information, system or application messages displayed through audible cues

WEB BARRIERS

• AT for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing: • Assistive technology devices for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing (e.g., hearing aids) do not impact Web design significantly.

• Textual captioning and visual cues

WEB BARRIERS

• Individuals who have mobility disabilities: • Manipulation of input devices, including the keyboard and mouse • Difficulty holding down multiple keyboard keys simultaneously

WEB BARRIERS

• Individuals who have mobility disabilities: • Alternative and adaptive keyboards and mice • Breath control devices • Head pointing/tracking devices • On screen keyboards and mouse emulation programs • Voice input/recognition

REQUIREMENTS: OVERVIEW

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • No specific requirements • Section 508 (Federal Agencies) • Access Board Standards and Federal Acquisition Regulation • Section 503 (Federal Contractors) • Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

REQUIREMENTS: OFCCP

• Contractors must ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans have an equal opportunity to apply and compete for jobs.

• This may include providing needed reasonable accommodations, unless doing so would cause undue hardship (significant difficulty or expense).

OFCCP CONTRACTOR ACTIONS

• Contractor Actions • Prominently display a notice of how to obtain reasonable accommodations, including contact and process information.

• Incorporate “interoperable” technology into the online application system.

• Allow people who cannot use the online system because of a disability to apply for a job in an alternate way.

BASIC EMPLOYER BENEFITS

• Demonstrates commitment to diversity.

• Increases ability to attract and retain qualified employees: • Workers with disabilities • Older workers • Workers with English as a second language – both in the U.S. and other countries • Saves time by not having to build system workarounds for applicants.

• Avoids complaints from applicants.

COST BENEFITS

• Reduces or eliminates retrofitting to meet requirements • Reduces cost to maintain once IT staff is trained • Decreases costs associated with debugging • Decreases amount of server capacity needed • Decreases cost of translating websites into other languages

DESIGN BENEFITS

• Easier to navigate and find information • Captions on videos are useful • Information is not color dependent • Web accessibility guidelines are widely recognized international standards • Increases site consistency • Browser and mobile device compatibility • Decreases loading time and bandwidth use • Increases search engine rankings

STANDARDS

• Section 508 • www.section508.gov

• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) • www.w3.org

AREAS TO CONSIDER: RECRUITMENT SYSTEMS

Career Site Search Applicant Tracking System Hard Skills Tests Soft Skills Tests

AREAS TO CONSIDER: OTHER

• Onboarding • Training • Performance Evaluation • Time keeping • Payroll

ISSUES AND FIXES

• Issue • Individuals with disabilities, in particular those with cognitive disabilities may need more time to fill out forms and read content.

• Fix • Provide a notification of a pending time out and the option to request additional time.

ISSUES AND FIXES

• Issue • Flickering elements may induce seizures for users with photosensitive epilepsy. Any elements that flicker, blink or scroll may also be accessibility issues for users with low vision.

• Fix • Avoid blinking, marquee or other auto scrolling text.

ISSUES AND FIXES

• Issue • Repetitive navigation links are usually on every page of a Website. For users who are unable to use a mouse, they must tab through each link in order to get to the main content. For screen reader users, they must listen to the repetitive information on each page.

• Fix • Provide a method to skip repetitive links.

ISSUES AND FIXES

• Issue • Users who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on synchronized captions to understand the audible sounds and speech of multimedia content.

• Fix • Provide captioning for all video and audio content.

ISSUES AND FIXES

• Issue • Users who are unable to use a mouse (due to dexterity disabilities or other reasons) rely on the keyboard to navigate and control the computer.

• Fix • Ensure elements on a webpage are not only mouse driven, but have keyboard equivalents.

ACCESSIBLE SYSTEMS RACING LEAGUE

ACCESSIBLE SYSTEMS RACING LEAGUE (ASRL)

• Developed by EARN in partnership with JAN and ODEP • Provides a basic evaluation of career site • Provides consultation through EARN and JAN in identifying resources

ASRL DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

• Assessment of 10 areas • Equal employment opportunity policy statement (OFCCP) • Reasonable accommodation application process (OFCCP) • Screen reader interoperability • Significant time out period • “Trigger text” (blinking, marquee or other auto scrolling)

ASRL DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

• Assessment of 10 areas, cont.

• Repetitive navigation links • Captioning for multimedia • Text description • Accessibility without use of mouse • Accessibility of forms and documents

NEXT STEPS

• Request an assessment of your career site • Email [email protected]

CONTACT EARN

Website:

www.earnworks.com

ASRL Information:

www.earnworks.com/508Racing.asp

Phone:

866.327.6669

Email:

[email protected]