Accessible Rich Internet Applications and Electronic Documents from Adobe

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Accessible Rich Internet Applications and
Electronic Documents from Adobe
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Adobes Commitment to Accessibility

• Adobes Commitment to Accessibility
• Adobe is committed to enabling all people to use
  Adobe software and formats. Accessibility is
  important to users with various disabilities who
  want to engage in digital workflows as well as to
  publishers, authors, and developers who need to
  comply with global accessibility standards.

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What is Accessibility?

• At Adobe Accessibility involves two key issues
• How users with disabilities access electronic
  information
• How content designers, developers, and authors
  produce content that functions with assistive
  devices used by individuals with disabilities.

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Rich Internet Applications

• What are RIA?
• Web-based applications with desktop-like
  functionality
• A slippery-slope definition
• Users deserve to enjoy the same high level of
  access to any application, whether on the web or
  desktop.

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FLASH, FLEX, AND AIR
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The Flash Platform

• The Adobe Flash platform consists of Adobe Flash
  Player, Adobe Flex, and Adobe AIR

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Adobe Flash Player

• Adobe Flash Player provides support for assistive
  technologies.
• Many accessibility features need to be enabled by
  developers
• In some cases, accessibility work is handled by
  default, others require additional effort.
• Screen reader, magnifier, and keyboard only users
  should have an expectation of access to Flash
  content.

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Adobe Flex

• Adobe Flex provides a set of Flash-based controls
• 28 accessible control types in Flex 3
• Flex controls have built-in assistive technology
  support and keyboard access.
• JAWS users benefit from available scripts(for
  JAWS 10 and older), these are being gradually
  phased out.
• Developers still need to attend to key
  accessibility issues.

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Adobe AIR

• Adobe AIR is Adobes new runtime allowing
  developers the ability to develop cross-platform
  experiences that include Flash, Flex, HTML, and
  PDF content.
• AIR has enjoyed tremendous popularity among
  developers.
• The next major version of AIR will include
  support for assistive technologies.

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Adobe AIR

• AIR will provide accessibility information that
  the Flash Player exposes for assistive
  technologies.
• Accessibility AIR applications will need to be
  built with content that displays in the Flash
  Player only.
• AIR applications can include HTML but in the
  next release the HTML content will not be
  accessible.
• Adobe is working with assistive technology
  vendors, including Freedom Scientific (JAWS) and
  NVAccess (NVDA) to ensure that the end-user
  experience is well-supported.

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EXAMPLES
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Creaturediscomforts.org

• Offers transcripts, subtitles, and sign language

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Accessible Flash with Video at US Dept. of
Education

• Flash with accessible video controls and captions
  at U.S. Department of Education public service
  announcement.
• http//federalstudentaid.ed.gov/mystory/

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THE USERS ROLE
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The Users Role

• Let developers know if their application doesnt
  work for you
• Let developers know if their application works
  well
• Dont turn Flash off - give it a try
• Let Adobe and assistive technology vendors know
  what works

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THE DEVELOPERS ROLE
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The Developers Role

• Make accessible applications.
• Following WCAG 2.0 is a great start
• Too much to cover completely a few familiar
  highlights.
• Non-text content
• Alternatives for time-based media
• Meaningful sequence
• Minimum Contrast
• Resize text
• Name, Role, Value

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The Developers Role

• WCAG 2.0 Non-Text Content
• Flash allows authors to define equivalents for
  images and other non-text content.
• Accomplished with the Accessibility panel
  (shiftF11) the easiest way
• Accomplished via ActionScript themost powerful
  and flexible way

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The Developers Role

• Assigning equivalents in Flashs scripting
  language - ActionScript 3
• Equivalents are referred to as Name in the
  accessibility API
• To assign a name to the Help button
• this.help_btn.accessibilityProperties new
  AccessibilityProperties()
• this.help_btn.accessibilityProperties.name
  Help
• If changing a name dynamically, the accessibility
  information is updated by adding
• Accessibility.updateProperties()

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The Developers Role

• WCAG 2.0 Alternatives for Time-Based Media
• Deaf users cant hear audio (captions)
• Blind users cant see the video (need audio
  description)

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The Developers Role

• Flash CS4 Makes Accessible Video Easy
• DFXP Captions with FLVPlaybackCaptioning
  component
• Accessible controls by default
• Example http//www.creaturediscomforts.org
• Example http//www.kingtut.org/flash/video/tut_cc
  .html
• Adobes work with the Open Media Player Project
  (Strobe) is also worth a look.

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The Developers Role

• Alternative Viewing of YouTube Videos -
  Accessible HTML controls using Flash Players
  JavaScript API
• http//icant.co.uk/easy-youtube/

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The Developers Role

• WCAG 2.0 Meaningful Sequence
• Flash content needs to be read by screen readers
  in a logical order.
• Authors can achieve a logical reading order via
• Simple linear layouts
• Control of reading order with tabIndex property
  for all objects needing to be read.
• aDesigner provides a simple way to test reading
  order.
• http//www.eclipse.org/actf/downloads/tools/aDesig
  ner/index.php

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The Developers Role

• WCAG 2.0 Resize Text
• Many users need enlarged text to easily read and
  interact with content.
• Flash provides built-in zooming, but this is not
  ideal for users.
• Flash files can be sized with em units to allow
  for native browser resizing of the entire Flash
  movie
• Browsers that support zooming (IE7, FF3) also
  zoom in on Flash content.
• Authors can take advantage of Flashs CSS support
  to offer text resizing.
• Demo

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The Developers Role

• WCAG 2.0 Minimum Contrast
• Color contrast is first and foremost an authoring
  issue.
• Many users have trouble reading text with low
  contrast. WCAG specifies
• 51 contrast ratio for text
• 31 contrast ratio for large text
• Flash provides ActionScript filters which allow
  authors to offer alternative color schemes.
• Flash support for CSS to allow authors to offer
  alternative color schemes.

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The Developers Role

• Color Contrast Analyser Tool (http//www.paciellog
  roup.com/resources/contrast-analyser.html)

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The Developers Role

• WCAG 2.0 Name, Role, Value
• Flex controls and Flash components support role
  and value automatically
• Name requires that developers provide the label
  text and associate it with the control.
• Developers can assign roles, states, and values
  for custom controls also.

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The Developers Role

• WCAG 2.0 Name, Role, Value

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ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS Reader, Acrobat, and PDF
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Adobe Acrobat 9 Accessibility Overview

• All products in the Acrobat family, Reader,
  Acrobat Standard, and Acrobat Professional work
  with conventional assistive technology products
  such as the popular screen readers JAWS and
  Window Eyes.
• All of the Acrobat products also have built in
  accessibility features such as Read Out Loud
  speech synthesis, the ability to control the
  contrast between background and text, and the
  ability to provide a large type display using the
  Reflow feature.
• Pro versions provide authors the ability to
  validate and create accessible PDF documents and
  forms from a variety of original sources
  including scanned paper documents.

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Strategy in Practice PDF an Accessible File
Format

• Logical Reading Order Does it make sense when
  you listen to it?
• Alternate Text Descriptions for Non-Text Elements
  Have alternate text descriptions been added to
  graphics for those with visual disabilities?
• Logical Tab Order (Forms) Can you navigate the
  form in a way that makes sense?
• Short Descriptions (Forms) Are audible short
  descriptions added to form fields for those with
  visual disabilities?

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Strategy in Practice Adobe Acrobat 9
Accessibility

• Compatible with Conventional Assistive Technology
• Has Built in Accessibility Accommodations
• Read Out Loud
• High Contrast
• Reflow
• Autoscroll
• Accessibililty Setup Assistant
• Facilitates Accessible Authoring
• OCR
• PDFMaker
• Add Tags
• Touch Up Read Order Tool
• Accessibility Checker

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Strategy in Practice Helping Authors Create
Accessible PDF

• Guides for authors are available
• Quick tips for Word authorshttp//blogs.adobe.co
  m/accessibility/2008/03/reference_card_for_accessi
  ble.html
• Comprehensive Best Practices http//www.adobe.com
  /accessibility/training.html
• PDF accessibility overview
• Creating accessible PDF from Word
• Acrobat 9 Pro PDF accessibility repair workflow
• Using the accessibility checker in Acrobat 9 Pro
• Creating accessible PDF forms with Acrobat 9 Pro
• Online Traininghttp//my.adobe.acrobat.com/p8968
  1357/

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Product Features Providing Accommodation for a
Variety of Disabilities

• Accommodation Achieved With or Without 3rd Party
  Assistive Technology
• Blindness (Text to Speech functionality Read Out
  Loud and Screen Reader Compatibility also support
  for Braille output refreshable keyboards,
  Braille embossers)
• Low Vision (Text to Speech functionality, Support
  for Magnification and Large Type Display Reflow,
  High Contrast Viewing, Read Out Loud, Screen
  Magnifier Compatibility)
• Limited Mobility (Autoscroll, numerous keyboard
  equivalents, compatibility with alternate input
  devices, Support for Voice Recognition - Dragon,
  ViaVoice)
• Cognitive (Read Out Loud, Compatibility with
  TextHelps PDFAloud which highlights content as
  it is being spoken)

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Product Feature Optimize Adobe Acrobat / Adobe
Reader for Best Results

• Accessibility Setup Assistant Configures the User
  Agent for Optimal Performance with Assistive
  Technology
• Adobe AcrobatAdvanced gt Accessibilitygt Setup
  Assistant
• Adobe Reader HelpgtAccessibility Setup Assistant

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Product Feature Acrobat TouchUp Read Order Tool

• TouchUp Reading Order Tool in Acrobat 9
  Professional for PDF Accessibility Repair
• Review and correct reading order
• Review and correct basic tagging issues
• Add Alternate Text to Figures
• Add Short Descriptions to Form Fields
• Tag simple tables quickly and easily
• Benefits
• Quick and easy to detect tagging errors
• Easy to fix most common errors

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Scenarios for Accessible PDF

• You Have a PDF File
• Scanned PDF
• PDF Forms
• Acrobat Forms (Forms Toolbar in Acrobat 8
  Professional)
• Searchable PDF
• You Intend to Create a PDF File
• Applications that Create Tagged PDF
• PDF Maker (for Microsoft Office)
• Other Applications
• Adobe FrameMaker
• Adobe InDesign
• Microsoft Word 2007
• OpenOffice Writer
• PDF Form
• LiveCycle Designer (Application Distributed with
  Acrobat 8 Professional)

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The PDF Accessibility Workflow....

• Ask Yourself a Series of Questions in this Order
• Is the PDF a Scanned Image?
• Is the PDF Intended to be a Form?
• Is the PDF Tagged?
• Are the Items Properly Tagged?
• Verifying read order
• Verify proper tagging (i.e., figures, tables,
  etc.)
• Add alternate text descriptions to graphics
• Add short descriptions to form fields
• Have I Missed Something?
• Run the Accessibility Checker
• Make recommended and appropriate repairs until no
  problems found

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For More Information

• Adobes Accessibility Website Your Resource for
  Acccessibility Information for Adobe Products
• www.adobe.com/accessibility
• Adobe Accessibility Blogblogs.adobe.com/accessibi
  lity

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