Janet Jendron, SC Assistive Technology Program, Assistive Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) Janet.Jendron@uscmed.sc.

1. Web Accessibility Evaluating Web Accessibility: Developing a Program with Real AT Users Janet Jendron, SC Assistive Technology Program, Assistive Technology AdvisoryCommittee (ATAC)Janet.Jendron@uscmed.sc.edu

2. SC Assistive Technology Advisory Committee http://accessibility.sc.gov/

3. Our Basic Approach • Avoid techie arrogance. Feed “techie lust.” • “You can do it; we can help.” • Don’t beat people over the head with the law. “It’s the right thing to do.” “It’s good business.” • Include everyone, especially end users. • Have fun! People need it desperately. • Honey vs. vinegar

4. Who’s Your Buddy? • SC Assistive Technology Program • SC School for the Deaf and the Blind • SC Vocational Rehabilitation • SC Commission for the Blind • SC State Library (Talking Book Services) • SC Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging • SC CIO’s Office • SC Interactive • USC Technology Services • SC Tax Commission • College of Charleston • Florence Darlington Tech • SC Department of Transportation • SC Department of Health and Environmental Control • Midlands Technical College • Greenville Technical College • Lander University • Clemson University • SC Department of Transportation

5. Working Together • Joint Committees / Workgroups • http://accessibility.sc.gov/ Include Those who will be doing the work Different levels of expertise Different types of disabilities Different types of agencies/higher learning institutions People with a passion

6. The Questionnaire…. Reader-friendly! Geared towards state agency personnel with limited technical knowledge of web design Deciding what we really wanted to evaluate Revised after each stage Less automated, more subjective Encourages descriptive responses Questionnaire Web Testers accessibility/usability Questionnaire(Word) Web Accessibilty Evaluation Resources page

7. Recruiting Testers… what we asked SC Assistive Technology Advisory Committee is following up on last year’s Web Testers Pilot Program, with another program that will use people who use assistive technology, and some who don’t, to evaluate state agency web pages for accessibility and usability. We’re looking for people who: • Are able to effectively use assistive technology to access web pages. We need people who use different screen readers (JAWS, Window-Eyes, Dolphin Guide, Kurzweil, etc.) and different screen enlargers or magnifiers (ZoomText, Windows Accessibility Options, MAGic). We also need people who use AT for mobility impairments, such as the Headmouse, Eye Gaze, head and mouthsticks, touchscreens, etc.) • Have experience in web design (whether or not they use AT or not) and accessibility issues • Are willing to participate in several online trainings • Have the ability to learn and apply accessibility and usability principles to state agency web pages • Are able to express themselves effectively in writing • Might be available to demonstrate the use of assistive technology accessing web pages, as well as accessibility and usability issues Not every tester needs to fit all of the above requirements, but training participation and writing ability are musts. If you know a South Carolinian who might fit this program, please send contact information (email address and any other details).  Thanks for much for your help with this. It has been an exciting program and has the potential for a great impact in our state.

9. Promoting Our Testers • Learn about our Web Testers • Common challenges reported by Web Testers in accessing electronic information • Responses from testers and agencies to the Web Testers program Clay Jeffcoat SC School for the Deaf and the Blind David Able University of South Carolina Student

10. “Reality checks” at conferences, etc. • What is your disability and what is its origin? • What assistive technology do you use to access the Internet? • What’s been the impact of the Web on your life – work, education, government services, etc? • What are the top three things you appreciate in a web site? • What are your top three pet peeves about web sites? • Online Interviews of our Testers

11. Pilot Program Stages and Sites Stage 1 • Department of Motor Vehicles • Department of Disabilities and Special Needs • Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging Stage 2 • SC Department of Transportation (DOT) • SC Ethics Commission (SCEC) • University of South Carolina (USC) • SC Department of Revenue (DOR) Stage 3 • South Carolina State Election Commission (SCSEC) - Voter Registration • SC State Government, Division of State Information Technology (DSIT) • SC Governor's Office, Office of Executive Policy and Programs (OEPP)SC Commission for the Blind (SCCB)

12. Web Tester Program Stages and Sites Stage 1 • Center for Disability Resources Library – TECS • SC Department of Employment and Workforce Stage 2 • SC State Library – Talking Book Services • South Carolina State Government Stage 3 • DHEC – Bureau of Air Quality • South Carolina Assistive Technology Program

13. Training – Preliminary Materials sent to Testers Web Accessibility Toolbar and the Tutorial Web Developer Toolbar Chrome WAVE WebAIM - Note their side bar on usability: learnability, memorability, effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction. AccessIT - AccessIT Knowledge Base WC3: How People with Disabilities Use the Web: Dey Alexander Consulting's People With Disabilities- links to show how people with disabilities experience the web. EASI Equal Access to Software and Information- mailing list announcing free and fee-based trainings and webinars.

14. Tester Trainings In person – South Carolina Commission for the Blind Webinar – “Talking Communities” with SC Commission for the Blind Online PowerPoint with Resources Test Pages – SC Department of Agriculture SC Department of Employment and Workforce Task Oriented! Mini Tutorials between testing stages

15. Working and Training Together • Expose Web folks to lots of AT –exhibits, videos and real people • Promote South Carolinians who have done it! • Invite agency reps to the web tester trainings – in person and online

16. When presenting to State Agencies Who’s affected? Everyone!!! • A guide to understanding and implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 - W3C Working Group Oct 2010 • How Does Accessible Web Design Benefit All Users? - DO-IT from U of Washington • More recent attention to the laws and possible complaints

17. Door prizes…. with advance notice …. • Name two software products that magnify items on the screen. • Name two of the best-known screen reading software programs used to access the Internet. • If a person has deafness and blindness, how would he or she surf the Web using the computer? • If you can't use a mouse, what built-in Microsoft Accessibility Option is available to you? • Signing icons on name tags

18. Communicating with State Agencies • Pilot Program vs. Current Program • Regular AT Trainings • Listservs • IT Directors Meetings, Conferences • State Agency Contacts for Testing • Deciding on pages to test and tasks • Follow the Questionnaire and get all issues • Decide what content of the site would be of particular interest to people with disabilities

19. Testing Process • Pilot Program: 7-10 pages, individually evaluated • Web Testers Program: 5-6 pages collectively evaluated with 2-3 tasks • Input from testers and agencies

20. Reports! Goals • Results that are meaningful to agencies • Education for agencies and testers • Resolution of “different responses” by testers as a “committee as a whole”

21. Reports - Guidance to Testers Possible alternate responses (other than “yes” and “no”) Yes, but… No, but… “Yes and no” (explain) “Unable to determine” (tell why – e.g., JAWS users can’t see if a video is captioned) “Not applicable.” (e.g., “there is no video content on the page”) Be specific, be positive, be polite! Take the opportunity to “teach people” about how your assistive technology works.

22. Assigned task Describe your experience (positive and negative) in the assigned task for this web site. Remember that the reader probably won’t understand much about the assistive technology you use (if any). Tell how much time it took you to complete the task (or before you gave up).

23. General Questions What are some things you liked about the web pages you tested? What were your challenges in accessing the web pages? Describe, briefly, your experience, negative and positive, but do it in a positive way. Do you have any other suggestions for improving the web pages you tested?

24. Q – Site Navigation Generally, were you able to navigate the site successfully and efficiently? Why or why not? Is the site designed in a way that you can remember the navigation and use it more effectively when you return to the site? Look for clear, consistent, simple navigation. If you’re a sighted tester, try to remember the navigation without looking at the screen. Examples are important! Let the reader “feel” your experience. Make suggestions for things that would make the site easier for you.

25. Q – Written Language Was the information written in a way that is clear and understandable to the target audience? (Note: this question is about the language and terminology used, not about how the page is organized) Think about the target audience; their literacy levels, their computer skills (e.g., older users might not be as intuitive on the Internet).

26. Besides the written report.. • In-person demonstrations to agencies • Attending: HR people, legal people, content writers, web designers, CIOs • A picture is worth a thousand words • Aha moments • Benefits to testers who demonstrated • The future may hold videos of a tester accessing the web site

27. Qualitative Evaluations of the Program…some components Challenges – agency buy-in, costs, training testers in several states with varied technology and experience Acknowledging collaborating agencies Impact on the agencies Impact on the testers State agency representative commitment

28. What’s ahead? Funding Follow up with agencies to measure impact More training, more testers Testers on their own Smaller projects, testers paid by the agency Group/Collaborative Testing Flexible tasks… Continued state agency commitment Trainings – state and local

29. Online Resources • Web Questionnaire Resources - SCATP • Web Accessibility Resources – SCATP • SCATP Web Resources • Accessibility Issues - SCATP • SC Assistive Technology Advisory Committee • SC Access

30. Web Accessibility Janet Jendron, SC Assistive Technology Program, Assistive Technology AdvisoryCommittee (ATAC) Janet.Jendron@uscmed.sc.edu