Use text instead. It provides the minimum standards for what is deemed acceptable, and minimum really does not make a site fully accessible. page elements. The title attribute is probably always required for linked images or other non-textual content. Use HTML element to create links whenever possible. There's much more to Section 508 compliance than alternative text. Avoid referring to visual indicators, like "the red button," or "the left-hand side of the page," or "the square box.". Identify the repetitive content on pages and the location of where a skip mechanism should land. It is just as easy to build a 508 compliant document as it is to create a non-compliant one. Examples of changes in context are: Going to a new page (or anything that would look to a user as if they had moved to a new page), Significantly re-arranging the content of a page. 508 compliance is the law that law-people wrote up to try and begin to set some standards. It acts like a regular dialog, but it is supposed to convey more of a sense of urgency. If using colors that have a gradient, use the lightest color in the gradient for the contrast ratio test. Add alternate text as prompted in the Set Alternate Text dialog box. Run the accessibility checker: "Missing Alt Text: Tables" Best Practice: Although the requirement allows for it, avoid vague link text like "click here" and "read more". Instructions provided for understanding and operating content do not rely solely on sensory characteristics of components such as shape, size, visual location, orientation, or sound. How to Create 508 Compliant Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations. Using best practices for creating accessible documents makes Section 508 remediation much less costly. Determining if the image presents content and what that content is can be much more difficult. If you are developing a course under an old contract and you are not required to develop your course in the LCMS, follow the requirements … Section 508 requires that all charts and graphics be tagged with Alternative Text – often referred to as Alt Text. As a UX designer, I think it’s helpful to review exactly who will be using a specific feature and why. It does not move the keyboard focus. In most cases, an image will only have a function if it is contained within a link (or is an image map hotspot or a button). Unfortunately, persons with disabilities, who utilize screen readers or other assistive technologies to read the content of PDFs, often cannot access the content because the documents are not Section 508 compliant. All images must have descriptions. This ensures that viewers who cannot see the full color spectrum are able to read the text.” “The options below offer color palette combinations that fall within the range of Section 508 compliant foreground/background color contrast ratios.” Content owners are the best resource for text descriptions since they know what information they want the image to convey. Logotypes (text that is part of a logo or brand name) are considered essential. Requirements for 508 compliance. If you need to specify height and width, using em units in padding can help keep things in proportion because em units are relative to font size. Provide a descriptive link to a text transcript or the audio track (for silent video/animation content) immediately after the audio-only or video-only content. 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. Anything that is shown by the video should be described with the audio and text description accordingly and appropriately for assistive programs to be able to accomplish the right content. Best Practice: Ensure that mechanism to control the content is easy to locate, is keyboard operable, and is clearly labelled as to its purpose. Select a CAPTCHA that does not rely on images. The resources in this section were developed by the Accessible Electronic Documents Community of Practice (AED COP). Give repeated functional components a consistent name. Alt text describes images in words so they can be read and understood by visitors using screen readers. The link can be made invisible until it gets focus so that sighted keyboard users can also use it. Best Practice: Do not use content that automatically moves, blinks, or scrolls. Identify the default lang attribute on the HTML element: The human language of each passage or phrase in the content can be programmatically determined except for proper names, technical terms, words of indeterminate language, and words or phrases that have become part of the vernacular of the immediately surrounding text. WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.1.1 D3 Video-Only or Silent Animation: Provide a text transcript or an audio track for video-only (without sound) content. More than one way is available to locate a web page within a set of web pages except where the web page is the result of, or a step in, a process. Usually this means clicking a button, even if it may just be an "OK" button or a "Close" button. 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. Performing a 200% zoom should not affect the content or functionality of the page. Building a website or web application using templates and reusable components provides familiarity and consistency for its users. Large Text is at least 18 point text or at least 14 point for bold text. Acrobat 10 is the most widely used program for testing throughout FEMA. Tag decorative images with a blank alt tag. Ensure that mechanism to control the content is easy to locate, is keyboard operable, and is clearly labelled as to its purpose. Review WebAIM Alternative Text for appropriate use of alternative text. 508 compliance is the same as accessibility. More Tips for Section 508 Compliant Accessible Text. Assign headings structure and heading levels to headings. Click to see non-compliant flashing Failure: This blinking text fails because the rate of flashing can’t be determined and its greater than 3 Hz. Only accessibility-supported ways of using technologies are relied upon to satisfy the success criteria. Content owners are the best resource for text descriptions since they know what information they want the image to convey. Headings and labels describe topic or purpose. Provide a clearly named control, such as a button, to initiate such changes. Requirements for 508 compliance. Arrange for a caption provider to caption live events. Select Figures Alternate Text in the Accessibility Checker panel, and choose Fix from the Options menu. In that case, the images should be marked as background and you do not have to provide alternate text within the image. After deactivating the element currently in focus, set the focus to a specific location. Determine alt text by asking, "What text would I put here instead of this picture?". How does this software help me in the process to become Section 508 compliant. One approach is to imagine you are describing the image to a person over the phone, Ensure that you still provide concise alternative text to help readers decide if they are interested in the longer description. If the name for a component is not obvious, provide it for the developer. 508 Compliance and Alt Text If you can read the photo, what you read needs to be entered in the alt text Text that is in an image MUST be entered as Alt Text or it cannot be read by assistive technology, and will be inaccessible to some users. Result. Make error messages visible so that sighted users know how to fix the problems. If your form is of the covered type, choose from the available options (Reversible, Checked, Confirmed) to meet this requirement. For passages in a language other than the default language of the page, place a lang attribute with the appropriate value on the element or a parent element that contains the passage. When any component receives focus, it does not initiate a change of context. Adding alternative text for images is the imperative, and needs to be done correctly: Try to answer the question “what information is the image conveying?” Don't use javascript to perform a function that changes the page's context on the focus event (onfocus).      , that conveys content has equivalent alternative text (alt, longdesc, or in the element context). Start and end tags that are missing a critical character in their formation, such as a closing angle bracket, or a mismatched attribute value quotation mark, are not complete. Information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation can be programmatically determined or are available in text. Review WebAIM captions for a description. Traceability to 508. Associate multimedia files with audio description track; label as audio described version. 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. Avoid using images of text. Any keyboard operable user interface has a mode of operation where the keyboard focus indicator is visible. In some situations, the information being conveyed will be how an image looks (e.g., an artwork, architectural detail, etc.). Note: Start and end tags that are missing a critical character in their formation, such as a closing angle bracket or a mismatched attribute value quotation mark are not complete. 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. tabindex="-1": Makes the element focusable but not part of the (DOM) Tab sequence. Provide the text caption files for time-based media. If any audio on a web page plays automatically for more than 3 seconds, either a mechanism is available to pause or stop the audio, or a mechanism is available to control audio volume independently from the overall system volume level. Audio descriptions are not necessary if all visual descriptions are provided with the sound track narration. Provide a method to display captions for the live event. One of the requirements to be Section 508 compliant is that – you have to provide text alternatives to all non-text content. Note: The default red color in CSS does not provide enough contrast against white if it's not large text. Best Practice: Put form instructions at the top of the form, instead of the middle. Provide this information with the error notification (3.3.1). Using best practices for creating accessible documents makes Section 508 remediation much less costly. Created by the CIO Council’s Accessibility Community of Practice, this information is presented in categories that align to the Baseline Tests for Revised 508 Standards, which cover all WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA requirements, and will be the basis of the updated Trusted Tester Test Process. Provide adequate labels and instructions to help users accurately complete form fields. Videos should not have too much flashing or flickering elements because they can be distracting and trigger seizures and dizziness to people with cognitive disabilities. Note 2: Authors of web pages that cannot conform due to content outside of the author's control may consider a Statement of Partial Conformance. User must be able to configure auto-updates to content. Designers should provide (text) equivalent descriptions for images, and pass them along to the developer(s). (See Understanding accessibility support.). According to the 508 compliance team, the compliance requirements for a video are: 1. Automatic changes should not be initiated when a user makes a selection or enters information. If tables are used for layout purposes, add role="presentation" and do not use structural elements like and table summaries. Sometimes a link/anchor () is textual and sometimes it is not.A linked image is non-textual ().I think that the title attribute is not required for links that contain sufficiently descriptive text. (Level A). Incidental: Text or images of text that are part of an inactive user interface component, that are pure decoration, that are not visible to anyone, or that are part of a picture that contains significant other visual content, have no contrast requirement. Automatic changes should not be initiated when a component receives focus. Identify decorative content so developers can tag it appropriately. How To Create a 508 Compliant Microsoft Word Document By using the built-in features within Microsoft Office, to include Word, you can avoid many of the most common mistakes related to accessibility. Navigation mechanisms can be any repeated information on pages and are not limited to links and menus. Background images should generally have no alt text, other decorative images should only have alt text if they form a crucial part of the content, message, and purpose of the document), If the image contains meaningful text, ensure all of the text is replicated, For logos, the alternative text should be the organization name, For groups of logos, one logo can be chosen to represent the group, Sometimes text is included as part of a logo or footer image (e.g. Any information or functionality that is provided in a way that is not accessibility supported is also available in a way that is accessibility supported. In designs show the media player with caption control (CC) and audio description control (AD) buttons visible along-side the other user controls. Screen readers typically say "Alert dialog" when an alert dialog pops up. Do all decorative images have “ “ in the alt text field? In addition, the web page as a whole continues to meet the conformance requirements under each of the following conditions: When any technology that is not relied upon is turned on in a user agent, When any technology that is not relied upon is turned off in a user agent, and, When any technology that is not relied upon is not supported by a user agent. People who use screen readers are usually either completely blind o… Logotypes: Text that is part of a logo or brand name has no minimum contrast requirement. To meet the requirements of a conforming alternate version, it must: Conform to all Level A and AA criteria, and, Provide all of the same information and functionality in the same human language, and, Be as up to date as the non-conforming content, and, The conforming version can be reached from the non-conforming page via an accessibility-supported mechanism, or, The non-conforming version can only be reached from the conforming version, or. If title and aria-describedby are both provided, aria-describedby is the accessible description and title is ignored. Use CSS to change the cursor to a pointer (in most browsers this looks like a hand). Frames that contain repetitive content can be used to meet 2.4.1, however, frames are obsolete in HTML5. Sure, you can make the effort to be 508 compliant, but the wording is very vague. If error is detected immediately when exiting the form, ensure the error notification is keyboard accessible. Code content so elements are tabbed to in a sequential order that matches visual presentation of content (left to right, top to bottom). Avoid using meaningful images as background images. Failure to meet this requirement could interfere with any use of the page. 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. Select a CAPTCHA provider that is already conformant to 508 standards. Provide audio description track for time-based media. Note 2: The alternate version does not need to be matched page for page with the original (e.g., the conforming alternate version may consist of multiple pages). Refer to Requirement 5 - Non-Interference to learn more. This issue is a violation of Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.1.1. Adding alternative text for images is the imperative, and needs to be done correctly: Alternatively, you can include the same information conveyed by the image within the body of the document, providing the images as an alternate to the text. If an input error is automatically detected, the item that is in error is identified and the error is described to the user in text. 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. Note 6: Alternate versions should not be confused with supplemental content, which support the original page and enhance comprehension. When title is provided with alt, aria-labelledby, or aria-label, the value of title is computed as the accessible description. If the page is a result of a user action or scripted change of context, the TITLE should describe the result of change of context. This helps me understand the use cases of the feature better and keeps my focus on the people I’m designing for. Review ARIA tooltip example. WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.1.1 D2. Note 4: Alternate versions may be provided to accommodate different technology environments or user groups. Labels or instructions are provided when content requires user input. If you are a developer, designer, or content manager, keep reading! Large Text: Large-scale text and images of large-scale text have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1. The user cannot navigate out of the dialog by just tabbing, and screen reader users cannot use keyboard shortcuts to access semantic elements (headings, landmarks, form elements, etc.) **Please see 1.2.5 (below) for Section 508 conformance guidance, which requires audio description.**. Note: is not supported in HTML5. Provide suggestions on how to correct an error if known fixes are available. All pages in the series from start to finish (checkout) conform in order for any page that is part of the process to conform. Development Considerations From the Accessible Digital Office Document Project: Tips for writing short alternative text descriptions: Try to answer the… Continue Reading More Tips for Section 508 Compliant Accessible Text. Use simple tables instead of complex tables whenever possible. Do not use ONLY color to indicate errors, such as a red outline around the field. Associate error descriptions with form fields using aria-describedby so that screen reader users know how to fix the problem. Ensure style guidelines for your organization meet the minimum contrast requirements.      , A mechanism is available to bypass blocks of content that are repeated on multiple web pages. An Alternative text description is to be provided for every image or graphic. Best Practice: Do not have content that flashes. Do you know how to create accessible digital products and services? For each time limit that is set by the content, at least ONE of the following is true: 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. 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