1. Birkbeck University of London Business Workshop Web Accessibility Tools and Assistive Technology © 2001-2007 Copyright Janet Billinge Includes some slides adapted from Tips and tools © Netskills, Quality Internet Training, University of Newcastle

2. Web Accessibility Tools and Assistive Technology Tools to check accessibility Assistive technologies Alternative techniques Alternatives to visual content Keyboard as alternative to mouse event selector Specific tools and browsers IBM HPRJAWS VischeckLynx Bobby Authoring tools Dreamweaver Accessibility checker

3. Tools to check accessibility Large number of accessibility testing tools exist e.g. Bobby, Wave, A-prompt Similarities Still need to know HTML Limited: text descriptions? Retest after page changes Differences Online/download utility Evaluate/repair Free/buy A logo does not make your page accessible!

4. Assistive technologies Text-only browser lynx.browser.org/ Simulation of Lynx www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html lynx.browser.org/ www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html HPR IBM Home Page Reader (www- 306.ibm.com/able/solution_offerings/hpr.html )www- 306.ibm.com/able/solution_offerings/hpr.html JAWS (www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp) ( www.hj.com/fs_downloads/jaws.asp 30 day evaluation version)www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp www.hj.com/fs_downloads/jaws.asp Browsers - using only keyboard and/or ENTER and TAB to access content, using user-defined stylesheet

5. Tools used in workshop Browser set with images off Browser set to display grey scale Browser set with JavaScript off Vischeck – free colour blind simulation www.vischeck.com/ www.vischeck.com/ Dreamweaver MX 2004 Accessibility Checker Bobby webxact.watchfire.com/ (free version only for testing single pages) webxact.watchfire.com/ IBM ADesigner (accessibility checker for visual disabilities http://www.research.ibm.com/trl/projects/acc_tech/adesigner_e.htm ) http://www.research.ibm.com/trl/projects/acc_tech/adesigner_e.htm

6. Dreamweaver MX Can write xhtml/css to web standards Set accessibility options in preferences for: forms, frames, media, images and tables WYSIWYG prompts for tags and attributes Can run Accessibility check using DW version of WCAG to analyse and list warnings

7. Dynamic Page accessibility Server-side scripting Handled by server Tailor output for user/device Only output must be accessible Potentially good for accessibility Client-side scripting Will be inaccessible to some users Do not rely on mouse events Do not redirect user Alert user if opening new window or changing focus Supplementary Browser detection and style sheets Cookies: place holding, preserving style sheet selection

8. Summary Wide range of accessibility evaluation and diagnostic tools Accessibility checking is more than just Bobby Be careful when using authoring tools as they can easily produce non-accessible HTML You must know HTML in order to make accessible web pages (at the moment)!