state of connecticut web site accessibility committee our approach to making online government...
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State of ConnecticutWeb Site Accessibility Committee
Our Approach to Making Online Government Accessible
Technology Accessibility Conference - SCSU
October 12, 2007
Kathleen Anderson
History of the State of Connecticut’s Web Site Accessibility Policy
Version 3.1 – December 1996– http://www.access.state.ct.us/policies/accesspolicy31.html
Version 4.0 – July 2000– http://www.access.state.ct.us/policies/accesspolicy40.html
Version 5 (proposed) – 2005– http://www.access.state.ct.us/wg/proposal.asp
Version 6 (in progress) – 2007– Section 508 http://www.section508.gov/
Version 3.1
Written in August 1996 Adopted in December 1996 Based on the TRACE Center Unified Web
Site Accessibility Guidelines No training given to state webmasters Not rigorously enforced No compliance date set
Version 4.0
Committee formed in October, 1999 All Committee members are volunteers Policy written by Committee members in the Spring of 2000 Adopted on July 26, 2000 Incorporates the W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines – Priority 1 Checkpoints– Encourages the use of valid HTML– Requires a valid DOCTYPE declaration
Target date for compliance was January 2002
Version 5 (Proposed)
Working Group formed in December, 2004 Proposal developed in 2005 Incorporates:
– All WCAG Priority 1 Guidelines– Some Priority 2 and Priority 3 Guidelines– Section 508 Standards that are not WCAG P1– One Guideline from WCAG 2.0 (Draft)
“Why not Section 508?” “Why not wait for WCAG 2.0?”
State Policy Version 3.1 – December 1996– http://www.access.state.ct.us/policies/accesspolicy31.html
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 – May 1999– http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/
State Policy Version 4.0 – July 2000– http://www.access.state.ct.us/policies/accesspolicy40.html
Section 508 Rules – February 2001– http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12#Web
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 – June 2005 (Working Draft)– http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/
State Policy Version 5 (Draft) – 2005– http://www.access.state.ct.us/wg/proposal.asp
Refresh of Section 508 Standards – http://www.access-board.gov/news/508update.htm
State Policy Version 6 (in progress) – 2007– Section 508 http://www.section508.gov/
Version 4.0 Implementation
Communications– Web Site: http://www.access.state.ct.us/– Listserv: CT-Access http://
www.access.state.ct.us/listserv/subscribeform.htm
– Monthly face-to-face meetings open to all state webmasters
Version 4.0 Training
Training provided to state webmasters– External – New Horizons – Fall, 2000 – Funded
by the Department of Information Technology (DOIT)
– Internal – All day “Refresher course” taught by Committee members – Fall, 2001
– Resources, Tools and Tutorials available on web site
Version 4.0 Testing
Testing Center set up All hardware and software donated by state
agencies Test Center Hardware:
– PC running Windows 98– Power Mac G4
Version 4.0 Testing (Continued)
Test Center Software– Browsers/Emulators
Internet Explorer Netscape(s) Opera Lynx WebTV Viewer
– Bobby Worldwide– JAWS (PC), OutSpoken (Mac)
Compliance
Tutorials written by Committee members– Six Steps to Accessibility Certification– How to run Bobby against large web sites– How to install the Lynx browser– How to code a default DOCTYPE in FrontPage– How to create Accessible PowerPoint presentations– How to create Accessible PDF documents
How to obtain Compliance Certification
Agency webmaster writes to the Committee Chair requesting a site review
Chair posts the request to the listserv A committee member volunteers to do the review The process is then taken off-list All communication is private, between the reviewer and
the reviewee
Compliance Negotiation
Occasionally, the Chair is called in during the process as an arbitrator, by either the reviewer or the reviewee:
– Some webmasters use the compliance certification request as a way of finding out what’s wrong with their site, instead of doing a preliminary assessment themselves
– Differences of opinion – “spirit of the law” Most reviews have a successful outcome
Compliance Certification
Site is certified to be compliant with the policy Webmasters place a compliance statement and a link to the policy
on their site Webmaster and their agency head are presented with certificates
at quarterly statewide webmaster meetings A list of all compliant (and non-compliant) web sites is available on
our web site for all to see
The Pros and Cons of Policy vs. Law
Funding Buy-in Training Compliance
Funding
No funding for a Policy All goods and services are donated
– Hardware– Software– Time
Like Blanche DuBois, we depend on the kindness of strangers
Buy-in
A Law leaves no doubt whether or not to comply
A Law normally has funding attached Provides an avenue and redress for
complaints
Training
Training needs to be funded Training needs to be mandatory Training needs to be offered on an on-going
basis– New hires– New technologies– New consultants
Compliance
A Law mandates compliance A Policy mandates compliance; however,
– Scope is unclear different branches of government Internet vs. Intranet vs. Extranet Physical location of server (state server or vendor server)
– Not a priority for agencies in an era of budget cuts– No penalty for non-compliance
External Issues
Vendors Training Software
Vendors
Difficult to find qualified consultants already on state contract
Proposals submitted by vendors were unrealistic in terms of:
– Hours– Scope of work– Dollar amount of the proposal
Raised the questions: – Did the vendors really know what they were being asked to
do?– Did they think we didn’t know what we were asking for?
Vendor Training
Problem solved in Connecticut by requiring vendors to be trained in how to make Accessible web sites
Training was provided by the State at no cost to vendors
Test center made available for use by vendors Committee web site and listserv available as resources
for follow-up
Vendor Training Issues
Billable hours– Vendors thought the State should pay for the time the consultant
was in class– We said: “We don’t pay for your database training, accessibility
training isn’t any different – it’s a skill set required to qualify for a state contract”
Attitude– Some consultants walked into class with a “low enthusiasm level”– 99% walked out “getting it” and thanking us for the learning
opportunity
Keys to Training Successes
Webmasters must experience the barriers in a hands-on environment– Take them out of their comfort zone (out of their
office, away from their PC)– Take away the mouse– Turn off the speakers– Turn off images
Training can be effective in either a classroom environment or online
How did we do?
Summer 2002– 81 consultants representing 35 companies were trained in
less than 3 months
2004 - 2005– Vendors are asking for training for new hires so they can
remain qualified– They are given a choice of Acceptable courses to choose
from
Web Site Accessibility - Acceptable Training Programs
HTML Writers Guild: http://www.hwg.org/ – Introduction to Designing Accessible
Websites Key-Logic: http://www.key-logic.com/
– Universal Web Site Accessibility Training
Web Site Accessibility - Acceptable Training Programs
New Horizons Computer Learning Center: http://www.newhorizons.com/content/index.aspx
State of Connecticut – Web Site Accessibility Training– Email: [email protected]– Phone: (860) 622-2159
Software
“It is just as important that all people be able to author content as it is for all people to have access to it.”
– W3C Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 - http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203/
Questions to ask– Does the web page authoring tool create accessible web
pages?– Is the web page authoring tool itself accessible to people with
disabilities?
How to choose an Accessible Authoring Tool
Conformance Reviews done by the WAI Authoring Tools Working Group: http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/2002/tools
Section 508 Buy Accessible: http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=2
What factors contributed most to our success?
Committee participation is voluntary– Policy development– Writing tutorials– Web site reviews
Support from DOIT:– Agreement to adopt a statewide IT policy– Funding for state webmaster training– Mandating vendor training
And, strange as it sounds …
Change in the way state agencies communicate (email, web, listservs, etc.)– Information available faster and accessible to more
people– Discussions held (and decisions made) online
instead of waiting for a meeting– Greatly reduces bureaucracy – and things get done!
For more information
Visit our web site: http://www.access.state.ct.us/ Subscribe to the CT-Access listserv: http://
www.access.state.ct.us/listserv/subscribeform.htm Come to a meeting:
http://www.access.state.ct.us/meetings/2005meetings.html Send me an email: [email protected] Call me: (860) 622-2159