RE: [SEC508] 508 Issues...

["Nissen, Dan E" <Dan.Nissen@UNISYS.com>]

Tammy,

You have identified the issue that drives me crazy with discussing Section 508 and the requirements.  It depends on whether you want to sell E&IT equipment to the US Federal Government and other customers who have adopted similar standards, or if you want to have particular populations of people able to use your stuff, or the preferred outcome, both compliance and usability. 

 

The answers you will get here in the sec508@trqce.wisc.edu mailing list will generally address the first one, where you want to meet the letter of the law.  Due to the nature of the assistive technology marketplace (lots of small, underfunded vendors with very small markets), the congress did not require specific performance, but only characteristics and functions, where the AT can be built to do the right thing.  It is not legally required to actually be able to do any particular thing for the end user of the product.

 

If you want to do particular things for particular classes of individuals (reduced vision, reduced motion, etc.) then you must identify AT that can serve those people and then test your offerings in the real environment with the AT, and, most likely, work with the AT vendors to get them to make the AT work for you.  My experience a few years ago was that there are large areas where the common AT (JAWS, MAGIC, etc.) wasn't capable of handling the valid constructs that were used, especially in fringe areas.  When we worked with Freedom Scientific, they were able to tell us how to make their products work or to make changes to the AT to make it work in most cases.  But, it is an ongoing effort level that nobody much seems to be doing, as the letter of the law never requires the end user to get any particular service.

 

Dan

Dan Nissen
Manager 

Recovery, Optimization, and Development Products

Unisys ClearPath 2200 Systems
Roseville, MN USAmerica
Net2 524-5131  +1(651)635-5131
Fax +1(651)635-5544

 

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From: sec508-admin@trace.wisc.edu [mailto:sec508-admin@trace.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Tammy Mosey
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2005 10:41 AM
To: sec508@trace.wisc.edu
Subject: [SEC508] 508 Issues...

We are complying with the 508 standards for 1194.22 for software development. I am a bit lost MIke, you stated in one of your notes :

"if it does not work in assistive technology, you have

> a

> major problem." THEN "It's not Tammy's responsibility to enforce compliance by assistive

technologies and browsers. That is a task that the w3c doesn't even

claim."

I must test the software as part of my job , test it for 508 compliance, and yes if it

doesn't work in asst. tech, then we do have a problem, I need to send it back to be fixed.

If its not my responsibility to enforce, by using asst. tech then how will we know if it works for Assts. tech ?

We do follow standards 508 here. But I need to check and make sure it was followed,: it will tab thru flash, it will tab thru questions and answers, etc....

We follow the provisions, but if it doesnt work, then what.

Tammy

Tammy M. Mosey

Software Tester