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This document provides an overview of digital accessibility. It discusses what accessibility is, why it is important, relevant standards and legislation. It also outlines steps organizations can take to plan for and ensure digital accessibility, including creating an accessibility plan and policy. Examples of Deque working with organizations like the National Federation of the Blind and Department of Veterans Affairs are provided.

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91 views

Dequeaccessibilityv1jl1 130830191627 Phpapp02

This document provides an overview of digital accessibility. It discusses what accessibility is, why it is important, relevant standards and legislation. It also outlines steps organizations can take to plan for and ensure digital accessibility, including creating an accessibility plan and policy. Examples of Deque working with organizations like the National Federation of the Blind and Department of Veterans Affairs are provided.

Uploaded by

api-213648940
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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powerful technology.

unparalleled expertise.
significant results.

Download the Essential


Guide to Digital
Accessibility!

Download Now

deque.com | 877-577-9783

Digital Accessibility

Table of Contents

Who We Are

What Is Accessibility?

Why Is Accessibility Important?

Review of Current & Upcoming Legislation

Steps to Ensure Accessibility

About Deque
Founded in 1999
Focused on digital equality for technology users with
disabilities
Developed accessibility software solutions such as
FireEyes, WorldSpace, Amaze
Provides consulting and training on accessibility issues
Works with government, banks, higher education, nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies

Chapter 1

What is accessibility?

Accessibility 101
How would you access the Internet if
you couldnt see the screen
had difficulties hearing sound
had trouble using a mouse or a keyboard
had cognitive difficulties

Abilities Affect Digital Access

Visual
Screen
Readers
Braille
Displays

Auditor
y
Closed/
Open
Captions
Transcrip
t Files

Ambulator
y
Keyboard
Only
Speech to
Text
Software

Cognitive
Thoughtful
layout and
organizatio
n of web
content

Impact of Accessibility
Assistive Technologies and Web Accessibility Enables People
to Lessen Impact of Disabilities
People with vision impairments can listen to sites
People with low vision can enlarge their screens
People with color blindness can distinguish content
People with hearing impairments can read video
People with motor disabilities can use tools to
operate keyboards
Persons with cognitive disabilities can understand
and focus better

Chapter 2

Why is Accessibility
Important?

Legal Obligations and Risk


Legal Requirements (more specifics on this later)
Liability
Lawsuits against companies who do not make their services
accessible to those with disabilities
Recent settlements include:
Banking and financial companies (Bank of America)
Retail (Target)
Governmental agencies (State of Texas)
Educational institutions (Northwestern University)
Non-profits (American Cancer Society)

Increase Customer Reach


People with disabilities represent a huge
group of consumers:
According to a 2005 report, there are 54 million disabled people in the
United States
Over 18% of population has some sort of disability
Number of people with disabilities is growing

Estimated disposable income is $175 to $220 Billion

SEO Benefits
Making your site visible to assistive technologies has an added
bonus
It also makes your site more visible to search engines as well!
80% of Accessibility Improvements have an SEO Benefit
Example:
Adding alt tags on images allows the content to be read by screen
readers. Google will also index the keywords for the images, which
increases your PageRank for relevant search terms!

Usability Benefits
Creating Accessible Websites Makes Your Site
More Usable for ALL users
Many accessibility principles are also core usability
principles:

Give users enough time to read and use content.

Help users navigate and find content.

Make text readable and understandable.

Make content appear and operate in predictable ways.

Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

Societal Benefits
Probably the most important reason to make your
website accessible to all visitors, regardless of
ability:

Its the Right Thing To Do!

Chapter 3

Accessibility Standards
and Legislation

WCAG Standards
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a
series of guidelines published by the WC3 Initiative.
The goal is to create a single shared standard for web content accessibility
that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments
internationally.
While Section 508 consists of requirements, WCAG consists of
guidelines.
WCAG is more complete than Section 508.

The Rehabilitation Act


The Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis
of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies,
in programs receiving Federal assistance, in Federal employment,
and in the employment practices of Federal contractors.
Several sections of this act involve digital accessibility:
Section 503
Section 504
Section 508

Section 503
Section 503 requires that any contract that the US Federal Government
enters into require the contractor to take affirmative action to employ,
and advance in employment, individuals with disabilities.
Applies to any prime contract or sub-contract over $10,000 in value.
Enforcement is both active with compliance audits and reactive based
on complaints from individuals with disabilities.
IMPACT:
How does this relate to web accessibility: job applications and any
internal IT used by employees of any employer who wishes to do
business with the government needs to be accessible.

Section 504
No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States...
shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial
assistance.
IMPACT:
Any programs receiving federal funds must have accessible digital
access. This includes all government agencies, K-12 schools and
higher education institutions.

Section 508
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as now amended,
provides a blueprint of just what is intended in Section 504.
Thus, Section 504 provides the context of the law and Section
508 provides the direction.

Americans With Disabilities Act


Sweeping legislation passed in 1991 outlawing discrimination
against those with disabilities.
ADA ensures physical access to public places.
Digital Access not expressly in law, but Department of Justice
has taken the position that Title III also applies to websites as
part of public accommodation.

Expansion of ADA?
The DOJ is considering expanding the ADAs
requirements to public websites (such as
shopping) for public accommodation.
Guidelines from DOJ expected at end of 2013.
Stay tuned!

CVAA
21st Century Communications
and Video Accessibility Act
The CVAA updates federal communications law to increase the
access of persons with disabilities to modern communications.
The CVAA makes sure that accessibility laws enacted in the 1980s
and 1990s are brought up to date with 21st century technologies,
including new digital, broadband, and mobile innovations.

AODA
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Sweeping legislation designed to remove barriers for all


disabled individuals to provide accessible customer service

All businesses in Ontario must become compliant with the


new regulations

Deadlines to comply are approaching!

Chapter 4

Planning for
Digital Accessibility

Accessibility Plan
Determine if digital accessibility is a priority
Determine the level of accessibility you will conform to
Begin to create a culture of accessibility through training & education of team
members
Accessibility review of site designs & templates check for things like keyboard
accessibility of navigation, color contrast of design, alt tags on images, template
structure, etc.
Accessibility review of other content videos, PDFs, etc.
Correct accessibility violations in site designs/templates and other digital content
Plan for sustainability and monitor compliance

Case Studies: Non-Profit


National Federation of the Blind
The NFB needed to bring its web properties under compliance to serve its
constituents.
Together with Deque as their accessibility consulting partner, launched
the Nonvisual Access (NVA) Seal of Approval certification program.
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) uses Deques WorldSpace
for automated testing in addition to manual verification to certify that
sites and organizations are compliant with the NFBs NVA certification.

Case Studies: Government Agency


Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs partnered with Deque to make
millions of pages accessible as part of one of the largest Section 508
compliance program at the federal level.
Making the VA systems accessible means that veterans who are
disabled can manage their insurance benefits, coordinate their medical
care, and look for employment.
The VA is currently using WorldSpace and Amaze to remediate their
web content in addition to a number of Deque training programs.

About Deque
Digital equality is both our mission and our passion. For over 10 years,
Deque has worked alongside major corporations, financial institutions,
government agencies, institutions of higher learning, and other
organizations to achieve their accessibility goals. Every Deque team
member is passionate about the importance of accessibility in the digital
world and in helping customers achieve the outcomes that accessibility
provides.

Contact Deque

deque.com | 877-577-9783

Connect with us:

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