508 Reference Guide
Contents
1. 1194 21 e When bitmap images are used to identify controls status indicators or other programmatic elements the meaning assigned to those images shall be consistent throughout an application s performance In other words An image s use must be consistent throughout a product Alternative text e g tool tip ALT text should also adhere to this standard Terms e Bitmap image e Programmatic element Determining Compliance It is best to use universally accepted images for specific functions e g the picture of a printer for the printing function Products should not have contradictory or counterintuitive image meanings e g the picture of a printer whose function is to delete records e Check the bitmap images in the product especially those that represent unique or critical tasks e Ensure that the image for each function is consistent throughout the application 1194 21 f Textual information shall be provided through operating system functions for displaying text The minimum information that shall be made available is text content text input caret location and text attributes In other words Text information from a product must be available to AT This is accomplished by interfacing with operating system functions for displaying text e g APIs that accept text content and attributes Term e Textual information e Caret Determining Compliance e Change the font attributes in the operating system2. ALT key down you can press TAB several times to navigate through the system display of each previously used window ALT SHIFT TAB s Similar to ALT TAB s switch backward between open windows You can switch between moving backward or forward by holding or releasing the SHIFT key ALT ESC s Cycle the input focus through the windows in the order that they were opened compare to ALT TAB ALT SHIFT ESC s Similar to ALT ESC s cycle focus backward through windows You can switch between moving backward or forward by holding or releasing the SHIFT key PRINT SCRN Copy an image of the screen ALT PRINT SCRN Copy an image of the current window Left ALT SHIFT Switch input languages or keyboard layouts available and configurable when the user installed multiple keyboard layouts through Regional and Language Options in Control Panel CTRL SHIFT Switch keyboard layouts or input languages available and configurable when the user installed multiple keyboard layouts through Regional and Language Options in Control Panel CTRL or left ALT SHIFT number 0 9 or accent key Use hot key for input languages available and configurable when the user installed multiple keyboard layouts through Regional and Language Options in Control Panel WINDOWS V Speech recognition Toggle listening status of the microphone WINDOWS
3. C Speech recognition Correct recognized text strings WINDOWS T Speech recognition Toggle speech dictation mode WINDOWS H Handwriting Open or close handwriting pad WINDOWS number Activate function reserved for OEM use System Wide Accessibility Options and Tools Shortcut Keys Press To Right SHIFT for eight seconds straight Switch FilterKeys on and off Left ALT left SHIFT PRINT SCRN Switch High Contrast on and off Left ALT left SHIFT NUM LOCK Switch MouseKeys on and off SHIFT five times Switch StickyKeys on and off NUM LOCK for five seconds straight Switch ToggleKeys on and off WINDOWS U Open Utility Manager General Shortcut Keys for Applications Press To F1 Display Application Help SHIFT F1 Display tips help context sensitive help near the selected control APPLICATION Display the shortcut menu for the selected item SHIFT F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item same as APPLICATION CTRL C Copy selected items CTRL X Cut selected items CTRL V Paste items that have been cut or copied CTRL Z Undo the last action CTRL Y Redo the last action ESC Cancel the current task DELETE Delete selected items Navigation and Window Controls Shortcut Keys Press To CTRL F4 Close the active document in applications that allow you to have multiple doc
4. In Windows this can be done by clicking Start gt Settings gt Control Panel gt Display gt Appearance The fonts within the application should change accordingly 11 e Textual information should be selectable using the cursor 1194 21 g Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes In other words A product must be able to conform to the user s operating system display settings A product cannot use its own color and contrast settings unless it complies with 1194 21 j Term e Display attributes Determining Compliance Change the operating system display settings In Windows this is accomplished by clicking Start gt Settings gt Control Panel gt Display gt Appearance e In all of the product s screens the product s colors and other display attributes must be able to conform to the operating system s display settings e Application functions cannot automatically disable or change system display settings e The magnification zoom settings cannot be adversely affected when evaluating the product Note e Satisfying this requirement will help support interoperability with AT such as screen magnifiers and alternative user interfaces 1194 21 h When animation is displayed the information shall be displayable in at least one non animated presentation mode at the option of the user In other words If animation is used in a product the
5. application s conformance to this standard are e Ifa black and white setting is available turn it on and verify that all information is still conveyed e Print the information without color on a black and white printer or adjust the display to monochrome and verify that all information is still conveyed Note e This standard is parallel to standards 1194 22 c for web based information and applications and 1194 25 g for self contained closed products 1194 21 j When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast levels shall be provided In other words A variety of color selections and contrast levels should be provided when an application allows the user to change contrast or color settings If the product does not feature adjustable color or contrast settings then the standard does not apply In either case the product must conform to 1194 21 g regarding system display settings Determining Compliance 13 In Windows go to Start gt Settings gt Control Panel gt Accessibility Options and change the color and contrast settings If the application s color and or contrast do not change then the product must allow the user to adjust color and contrast settings e Color adjustment to foreground background and other elements must be allowed e A range of colors must be provided For example Microsoft allows at least 30 variation
6. must be available using the keyboard For example you cannot have a print function that can only be accessed with a mouse The feature itself or the result of the feature must provide text feedback Term Discerned textually A function is textually discernible if it offers text feedback to the user For example when a user activates a Delete function the application may display a confirmation dialog box with text Are you sure you want to delete Text feedback is accessible to AT Determining Compliance To test for product compliance Notes Install the software by using only the keyboard Perform basic software functions using the keyboard e g open and close a file read the help file and print The functions should perform as expected and this should be evident from text feedback Consult the product s user manual for functionality For every function there must be a means to access and use that function with the keyboard alone This law only applies to systems that include keyboards Information transaction machines such as kiosks with limited input controls would fall under 1194 25 Self Contained Closed Products Please see the accompanying Windows Shortcut Keys for commonly used key combinations e Text feedback is integral to compliance with several other standards See 1194 21 d e f i and l e When navigating through an application a sighted user can also test for 1194 21 c compliance by ensur
7. only applies to specific situations Otherwise the standard is not applicable e Most of the standards in this category are good coding practice and should be followed even when designing software for non disabled users e Software tools developed by Sun for Java include Ferret Monkey and the AccessibilityMonitor These tools can be used to help ensure compliance References e Guide to the Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology Software Applications and Operating Systems 1194 21 http www access board gov sec508 guide 1194 21 htm e The W3C WAI User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1 0 provides further guidance and techniques for these requirements at http www w3 org TR UAAG10 guidelines html e IBM Software Accessibility Checklist Checkpoint 1 2 http Awww ibm com able guidelines software accesssoftware html e ANSI HFES 200 Human Factors Engineering of Software User Interfaces Section 200 2 Accessibility in balloting e Inspect Objects tool from Microsoft Search for Inspect Objects in the Microsoft Developer Network Library http msdn microsoft com library_and the Microsoft Download Center http Awww microsoft com downloads e GNOME Accessibility Framework A free open source graphical desktop for UNIX and GNU Linux systems GNOME 2 will be the future desktop of the SolarisT Operating Environment http developer gnome org projects gap JavaT Accessibility a free cross platform toolkit independ
8. user must be able to select at least one non animated mode to display the animation s information e g audio or text description Term e Animation Determining Compliance e To determine the full set of controls that display animation methods include o Observation of the product interface o Review of the product documentation e g user manuals and online help 12 e The software must provide each animation s content using an alternate means For example for each informative animation sequence a text or audio equivalent may be provided Note e The ability to turn off decorative non informational animations is a good product feature 1194 21 i Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying information indicating an action prompting a response or distinguishing a visual element In other words Color should never be the only means to identify functions visual elements or information Determining Compliance For all functions that require color coding there must be an alternative or different reference and that reference must be unique That is the information or action must also be conveyed without color For example a form that requires the user to complete only the areas in red would be noncompliant One solution would be to have the user complete all the areas marked with a red star or asterisk However this would be compliant only if no other stars existed on the form Two ways to evaluate an
9. GSA Guide For Making Software Applications and Operating Systems Accessible Section 508 Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology for People with Disabilities Section 508 Reference Guide 1194 21 Software Applications and Operating Systems Overview This first category of standards applies to purchased or developed operating systems and application software programs These requirements also apply to Electronic and Information Technology EIT products that contain software as an integral part of their functionality Such application software is bundled or sold with the product and typically executes on an attached network connected personal computer or server For example a printer would fall under 1194 25 Self Contained Closed Products but the accompanying software used for printing must conform to this portion of the law In addition these requirements apply to telecommunications PBX with TAPI software that allows access to phone system functions from a computer workstation Remember that e An area that is normally overlooked is the installation of software While the software may be Section 508 compliant its installation process may not be An effective solution is to develop the installation process in accordance with the appropriate standards e There are currently no testing tools to determine software compliance automatically e All standards are equal in importance e f a standard states When it
10. cus or selection in a group of controls or items Tab control CTRL TAB Move forward through tabs CTRL SHIFT TAB Move backward through tabs CTRL PAGE DOWN Move forward through tabs same as CTRL TAB CTRL PAGE UP Move backward through tabs same as CTRL SHIFT TAB ARROW keys Move between tabs when focus is on the tab control Combo box F4 Display or hide the items in the active list ALT DOWN ARROW or UP Display or hide the items in the active list ARROW same as F4 any printable key or keys Move the selection to the item matching prefix letters in the beginning of title List view SPACE Locate new selection and anchor for the item Windows Explorer Shortcut Keys Note These are examples They do not represent all of the available shortcut keys Press To F2 Rename selected item F3 Search for a file or folder F4 Display the Address bar list F5 Refresh the active window or reload the document in the active window F6 Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop ALT RIGHT ARROW Move to next page or folder viewed ALT LEFT ARROW Move to previous page or folder viewed ALT ENTER View properties for the selected item SHIFT DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin HOME Display the top of the active window Windows Explorer Shortcut Keys Continued END Display t
11. d is programmatically exposed to AT so that AT can track focus and focus changes Terms e Assistive Technology AT e Focus or input focus e Programmatically exposed Determining Compliance Navigate through the software or operating system paying attention to focus changes in menus dialogs forms property boxes and other interface elements e The cursor should be visible and easy to find e Focus should be easy to identify when using the TAB or ARROW keys to move between objects e Another way to test for compliance is to ensure that while testing for 1194 21 a compliance a sighted user is able to visually discern focus changes throughout a product e Compliance with this standard is essential in order to test for compliance with 1194 21 a e It is difficult to test for programmatically exposed focus in a product Consult the manufacturer as to how focus is exposed to AT and through what standard APIs focus is available to AT 1194 21 d Sufficient information about a user interface element including the identity operation and state of the element shall be available to assistive technology When an image represents a program element the information conveyed by the image must also be available in text In other words All visually available on screen information in a product must be available to AT Images graphs icons and forms must have descriptive information conveyed in a text format such as a text label ALT ta
12. e activated features of any operating system that are identified as accessibility features where the application programming interface for those accessibility features has been documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is available to the product developer In other words Systems or applications must not disrupt or disable documented accessibility features of software products or operating systems Terms e Accessibility feature e Application Programming Interface API Determining Compliance When testing software in a Windows environment e Click on Start gt Settings gt Control Panel Double click on the Accessibility Options icon and activate all of the accessibility features The StickyKeys MouseKeys and other options should still work with the application running e Check the product s user manual for any documented accessibility features Enable them if available Ensure that they do not impact the operating system or other application s accessibility features e Run AT with the software None of the AT features should be overridden by the product being tested 1194 21 c A well defined on screen indication of the current focus shall be provided that moves among interactive interface elements as the input focus changes The focus shall be programmatically exposed so that assistive technology can track focus and focus changes In other words The point of action e g cursor is easy to find an
13. ent API designed to give Assistive Technology AT direct access to the information in user interface objects Java based applications run on a wide variety of host operating systems many of which already have AT available for them for example Macintosh OS 2 Windows For existing AT to provide access to programs written in the Java language the AT needs a bridge between its native environment and the accessibility support built into the Java platform http www sun com access index html Linux Accessibility Resource Site GNU Linux lets the AT or software developer make changes to the actual operating system in order to provide its users with the desired information http lars atrc utoronto ca Macintosh Accessibility http www apple com accessibility MSAA included in the Windows operating system It was designed to provide a standard interface for AT and for applications built on Windows http msdn microsoft com at W3C Document Object Model an API that can be implemented on various operating systems and in many programming languages that provides programmatic access to HTML and XML based content http www w3 org 2002 07 26 dom article html 1194 21 a When software is designed to run on a system that has a keyboard product functions shall be executable from a keyboard where the function itself or the result of performing a function can be discerned textually In other words Ata minimum every feature of an application
14. g or tool tip Term e User interface element or program element Determining Compliance Consult the manufacturer for compliance If the manufacturer is not available or you are performing compliance tests on proprietary software solutions e Inspect the application using a software utility to retrieve and display information about user interface elements Each interface element should be identified and accurately described by the utility e g a check box should report its function and current state e A quick way to determine whether an image program element is compliant is to place the mouse pointer over the image If a tool tip appears that textually describes the meaning or function of that image then the image is compliant If a tool tip does not appear then similar descriptive text should be associated with the image in a way that is available to AT Notes e Microsoft provides two utilities for developers One utility is SPY included in Visual Studio and the other is Inspect Objects e To test Java based applications visit http java sun com products jfc accessibility index jsp and download the free Java 10 Accessibility Utilities Access Bridge interface utilities such as Ferret Monkey and AccessibilityMonitor e An expert testing with specific AT such as screen reading software in a specific environment cannot guarantee compliance but can be an effective indicator as to whether a product conforms to this law
15. he bottom of the active window BACKSPACE View the folder one level up from current folder Microsoft Office XP Shortcut Keys Note The shortcut keys in the next table are presented only as examples and do not represent all of the available shortcut keys A complete list of shortcut keys is provided in the online documentation of each Microsoft Office application Press To INSERT Toggle the insertion mode F6 Move between task pane and the document window SHIFT F6 Move backward between task pane and the document window CTRL F6 Switch to next window when more than one window is open CTRL SHIFT F6 Switch to previous window when more than one window is open CTRL TAB Move focus between menu and tool bars in menu mode F1 Display the Assistant balloon if Office Assistant is active ALT SHIFT F10 Display the menu or message for a Smart Tag near the input focus CTRL O Open the Open dialog box CTRL N Open a new blank document CTRL F Open the Find dialog box CTRL P Open the Print dialog box CTRL S Save the document that currently has the input focus CTRL A Select all 1194 21 b Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of other products that are identified as accessibility features where those features are developed and documented according to industry standards Applications also shall not disrupt or disabl
16. ing or blinking elements e Special tools are required to accurately measure the screen blink rate Check the user manual for the flash blink rate If it is not listed call the manufacturer for information e Because 2 Hz is relatively slow it is possible to use visual observation to determine whether the blink rate is greater than 2 Hz Ideally the blink rate should not be greater than 1 Hz i e one blink per second If no timing device is available you may approximate a one second interval by speaking the words one thousand one Notes 14 e If there are multiple items that are flashing simultaneously in the same visual space the cumulative effect should be considered e Processor speeds and graphic cards can affect blink rate so it is best to measure blink rate on all the relevant products e This standard is parallel to standards 1194 22 j for web based information and applications and 1194 25 i for self contained closed products 1194 21 I When electronic forms are used the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information field elements and functionality required for completion and submission of the form including all directions and cues In other words Electronic forms in products must be accessible to AT This includes the fields in the form all information required to complete the form and any functions used to submit the form Determining Compliance This standard cannot be v
17. ing that each interface element displays focus changes Windows Shortcut Keys This section introduces a series of shortcut keys that are common in Windows When developing Windows applications developers should assign shortcut keys in a similar manner for consistency If you are connected to Windows through Microsoft Terminal Services Client some shortcuts may have changed depending on your configuration Some keyboard shortcuts may require a Microsoft compatible keyboard that includes the WINDOWS key with a graphic of a flying window and the APPLICATION key with a graphic of a menu and mouse pointer System Wide Shortcut Keys Press To WINDOWS Display or hide the Start menu CTRL ESC Display or hide the Start menu same as WINDOWS CTRL ALT DELETE Display Windows Security screen or Windows Task Manager WINDOWS BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box WINDOWS D Show the desktop WINDOWS M Minimize all windows WINDOWS SHIFT M Restore minimized windows WINDOWS E Open My Computer with Windows Explorer WINDOWS F Search for a file or folder CTRL WINDOWS F Search for computers WINDOWS F1 Display Windows Help WINDOWS L Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain WINDOWS R Open the Run dialog box ALT TAB s Switch between open windows While holding the
18. isually evaluated for compliance without access to the source code of a product The most effective way to evaluate the product is with testing utilities e g Microsoft s Inspect Objects _tool AT such as JAWS screen reader software is useful only in the hands of an expert See related standard 1194 21 d When evaluating electronic forms e The focus should move in a logical sequence to all fields and information e g starting with a description of the first name field then to first name description of the last name field last name etc e The user should be able to fill in data in the proper fields in the required format e g name state telephone numbers critical fields e The user should be able to complete the form and submit it using only the keyboard See 1194 21 a Note e This standard is parallel to standard 1194 22 n for web based information and applications 15
19. pen a submenu LEFT ARROW Menu mode Open the next menu to the left or close a submenu Edit Box Shortcut Keys Press To HOME Move cursor to beginning of the line END Move cursor to end of the line CTRL A Select all CTRL RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW Move cursor to the beginning of the next or previous word CTRL DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW Move cursor to the beginning of the next or previous paragraph CTRL HOME Move cursor to the beginning of the edit box content CTRL END Move cursor to the end of the edit box content SHIFT cursor movement ARROW Select or modify the selection HOME or END SHIFT CTRL cursor movement ARROW HOME or END Select or modify the selection by words or blocks of text INSERT Toggle insertion mode Dialog Box and Common Controls Shortcut Keys Note ARROW PAGE UP PAGE DOWN HOME and END keys for general navigation are omitted from this table Control Type Press To General TAB Move forward through options SHIFT TAB Move backward through options Dialog box ALT access key Select or carry out the corresponding command or control ENTER Carry out the default command of the dialog box or command of the selected control SPACE Toggle the selection status or carry out the selected option or control command ARROW keys Move fo
20. s Ata minimum the product should include the selection of the eight primary colors for both the foreground and background e While observing contrast levels adjust the display to full color and monochrome settings Notes e There should be a combination that will provide a soft background low contrast color scheme as well as combinations that provide a high contrast color scheme e Avoid reds and greens together White on black black on white and yellow on black are examples of high contrast settings e Lighthouse International provides guidelines for effective color contrast on their web site at http www lighthouse org color_contrast htm e Color combinations should be observed on a video display not in printed material e This standard is parallel to standard 1194 25 h for self contained closed products 1194 21 k Software shall not use flashing or blinking text objects or other elements having a flash or blink frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz In other words Design software products so that blinking on the screen is nonexistent or very slow e g one blink per second or very fast at least fifty five blinks per second Terms e Flashing or blinking element A user interface element_or a decorative element that flashes or blinks e Hertz Hz Determining Compliance It is best not to use products that have flashing or blinking elements e Visually review software applications to locate flash
21. uments open simultaneously ALT F4 Close the active item or quit the active application CTRL TAB Move to next pane or palette CTRL SHIFT TAB Move to previous pane or palette F6 Move to next pane or palette same as CTRL TAB SHIFT F6 Move to previous pane or palette same as CTRL SHIFT TAB CTRL F6 Move to next window in a group of related windows or between MDI document windows CTRL SHIFT F6 Move to previous window in a group of related windows or between MDI document windows Menu Controls Shortcut Keys Press To ALT SPACE Display shortcut menu for the active window ALT HYPHEN Display shortcut menu for the active child window MDI application ALT Activate the menu bar and enter menu mode F10 Activate the menu bar and enter menu mode same as ALT Menu Controls Shortcut Keys Continued ALT access key on menu or dialog box selected Activate the menu bar and open corresponding menu to the access key access key Menu mode Carry out the corresponding command DOWN ARROW Menu mode Open the menu move to the next menu item or wrap to the first menu item if focus is on the last menu item UP ARROW Menu mode Move to the previous menu item or wrap to the last menu item if focus is on the first menu item RIGHT ARROW Menu mode Open the next menu to the right or o
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