Section 508 CT310 Spring 2018

Scope We will be talking about US code from an implementation perspective Not a legal perspective

What is Section 508? Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended is a set of standards that requires Federal agencies to make ICT accessible to employees and members of the public who have disabilities in a comparable manner to the access experienced by employees and members of the public without disabilities.

Required Application The revised Section 508 Standards apply to ICT that is "procured, developed, maintained, or used" by agencies of the Federal government. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers to ICT, make opportunities available for persons with disabilities, and encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.

What is ICT? ICT includes information technology and other equipment, systems, technologies, or processes, for which the principal function is the creation, manipulation, storage, display, receipt, or transmission of electronic data and information, as well as any associated content.

ICT Includes… Computers and Peripheral equipment Information kiosks and transaction machines Telecommunications equipment (telephones, telephone systems) Customer premises equipment (servers, routers) Multifunction office machines Software, applications, and Websites Videos Electronic documents

Section 508 Standards Content Overview

The Criteria Support Blindness or visual impairments. Deafness, hearing impairments, or use of assistive hearing devices. Difficulty with speech. Difficulty with fine motor control. Limited reach and strength.

Incorporated by Reference… …or “Why should I care?” The Revised 508 Standards incorporate by reference the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, a globally- recognized and technologically-neutral set of accessibility guidelines for Web content. For Section 508-covered ICT, all covered Web and non-Web content and software is required to conform to WCAG 2.0's Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements.

Covered Electronic Content? The Revised Section 508 Standards specify that all types of public-facing content, as well as nine categories of non-public- facing content that communicate agency official business, have to be accessible. "Content," as defined in the standards, encompasses all forms of electronic information and data.

Actual Requirements

Assistive Technology Listen as web pages and other documents are read aloud by a screen reader Use refreshable braille to review electronic content Enlarge words and pictures on their monitor using screen magnification Change background and foreground colors on a screen using operating system accessibility settings Use voice commands to open a browser or other document, pause a video, or complete a form Navigate a web page or software application without a keyboard or mouse Use a combination of AT such as a screen reader and Braille display to navigate and understand a page

Types Speech recognition software Screen readers Screen magnifiers Reading assistance software Alternative input software and hardware

WCAG 2.0

Perceivable Provide text alternatives for non-text content. Provide captions and other alternatives for multimedia. Create content that can be presented in different ways, including by assistive technologies, without losing meaning. Make it easier for users to see and hear content.

Operable Make all functionality available from a keyboard. Give users enough time to read and use content. Do not use content that causes seizures. Help users navigate and find content.

Understandable Make text readable and understandable. Make content appear and operate in predictable ways. Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

Robust Maximize compatibility with current and future user tools.

WCAG In DETAIL

Text Alternatives Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.

Captions and other Alternatives for Media Captions are provided for all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labeled as such. Images have the alt attribute defined

Info and Relationships Information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation can be programmatically determined or are available in text.

Meaningful Sequence When the sequence in which content is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence can be programmatically determined. Example: Tab Order

Use of Color Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

Contrast (Minimum) The visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1

Resize text Except for captions and images of text, text can be resized without assistive technology up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality.

Images of Text If the technologies being used can achieve the visual presentation, text is used to convey information rather than images of text except for the following: Customizable: The image of text can be visually customized to the user's requirements; Essential: A particular presentation of text is essential to the information being conveyed. Note 1: Logotypes (text that is part of a logo or brand name) are considered essential.

Keyboard All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes, except where the underlying function requires input that depends on the path of the user's movement and not just the endpoints.

Timing Adjustable Turn off: The user is allowed to turn off the time limit before encountering it; or Adjust: The user is allowed to adjust the time limit before encountering it over a wide range that is at least ten times the length of the default setting; or Extend: The user is warned before time expires and given at least 20 seconds to extend the time limit with a simple action (for example, "press the space bar"), and the user is allowed to extend the time limit at least ten times; or Real-time Exception: The time limit is a required part of a real-time event (for example, an auction), and no alternative to the time limit is possible; or Essential Exception: The time limit is essential and extending it would invalidate the activity; or 20 Hour Exception: The time limit is longer than 20 hours

For moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating information, all of the following are true: Moving, blinking, scrolling: For any moving, blinking or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is part of an activity where it is essential; and Auto-updating: For any auto-updating information that (1) starts automatically and (2) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it or to control the frequency of the update unless the auto-updating is part of an activity where it is essential.

Bypass Blocks A mechanism is available to bypass blocks of content that are repeated on multiple Web pages.

Page Titled Web pages have titles that describe topic or purpose.

Link Purpose The purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general. Example: Click here

On Focus When any component receives focus, it does not initiate a change of context.

Consistent Navigation Navigational mechanisms that are repeated on multiple Web pages within a set of Web pages occur in the same relative order each time they are repeated, unless a change is initiated by the user.

Parsing In content implemented using markup languages, elements have complete start and end tags, elements are nested according to their specifications, elements do not contain duplicate attributes, and any IDs are unique, except where the specifications allow these features.

Name, Role, Value For all user interface components (including but not limited to: form elements, links and components generated by scripts), the name and role can be programmatically determined; states, properties, and values that can be set by the user can be programmatically set; and notification of changes to these items is available to user agents, including assistive technologies.

Ok, now what?

If you work for the federal government… You must comply with Section 508 and the includes WCAG

Private Sector? (Or state government, such as CSU) You are not required by law, but… Who is the audience of your website? Who are your customers? What do you desire for your reputation? Do you contract with the Federal Government?