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Re: An Accessibility validation workstation product suite.

for

From: Mark Rew
Date: Mar 5, 2002 4:55AM

Folks,

I want to thank all of those who sent me suggestions for the workstation. I
have not been told what my budget limit is, but they have accepted all of my
suggestions. So, I'm going to keep pushing my luck and see if I can get a few
more products on the machine for other types of disabilities.

Mark Rew
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kilcommons,Cath" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
To: < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2002 7:33 PM
Subject: RE: An Accessibility validation workstation product suite.


> Hi Mark,
>
> Here are some additional products that are used here at Colorado State
University to access the web:
> WYNN 3.0 (http://www.freedomscientific.com/WYNN/index.asp) is the "latest
and the greatest" for folks with cognitive / reading disabilities- this latest
version has much improved web capabilities.
>
> TextHelp's Read and Write (http://www.texthelp.com) also is used on campus
quite a bit.
>
> ReadPlease and HELPread - We also have quite a few students with text
disabilities who use the freebies- these will literally only take the text off
the site. ReadPlease is at http://readplease.com; HELPread is
http://helpread.net.
>
> For users that need voice browsing, you might want to include a copy of
Dragon - this sure points out the need for clear links! Most of our users
with high level performance needs use the professional versions.
http://www.lhsl.com/naturallyspeaking/pro/
>
> Don't know what the budget is for your testing machine, but having AT that
is used by folks with varied disabilities might help.
>
> Best Regards,
> Cath
>
> Cath Stager- Kilcommons
> Assistive Technology Support and
> Web Accessibility Coordinator
> Assistive Technology Resource Center
> <http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC>;
> Colorado State University
> 970-491-6258
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Rew [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
> Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2002 10:15 AM
> To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> Subject: An Accessibility validation workstation product suite.
>
>
> Folks,
>
> I have been asked to generate a list of products to have available on a
> workstation so software and web developers can test and correct their
> aplications for accessibility. More than likely this will be a Microsoft
> windows based machine.
>
> I have put together a list of urls for products, but I want to try to
include
> as many disability types as possible. Please send me any ideas or
suggestions
> that you may have for what to include on this workstation.
>
> List:
> Evaluation and Repair Tools
>
> Note: There are a number of tools that can assist with diagnosing and
> repairing accessibility problems, but they cannot do the job on their own.
It
> takes
> a well-informed Web developer to interpret and act on the messages these
tools
> generate. Making a site accessible requires human judgment and informed
> decisions. It is a process that cannot be automated.
>
> A-Prompt: This accessibility validator currently has an option for Section
> 508-checking. Go to
> http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/.
> A-Prompt is a tool that assists with the design of web pages with a wide
range
> of users in mind. Authors may also include HTML access features that
optimize
> access to users with disabilities. It was developed by a joint collaboration
> between the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre at the University of
Toronto,
> and the Trace Centre at the University of Wisconsin.
>
> Lynx (
> for Windows, Unix, etc.) and
> MacLynx (
> for Macintosh)
> http://lynx.browser.org
> Free text-only browser, very useful for testing how well pages will work on
> screen readers, Personal Digital Assistants, phones, braille printers, and
> other
> non-graphical devices.
> Download the
> Windows/DOS version (
> choose "2-8-3rel") or
> Mac version (
> choose La Sierra's server). For other operating systems, see the
> Lynx download page.
> Delorie Lynx Viewer
> http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html
> Free web-based service that shows approximately what your pages will look
like
> when viewed in Lynx.
>
> Opera
> http://www.opera.com
> A free, fast, highly standards-compliant Web browser.
> Allows you to toggle images, style sheets, scripting, and tables on and off
> with a single mouse click. These features allow site managers to check
> alt-text,
> see how tables linearize, and ensure that pages work with style sheets
turned
> off.
> Windows version offers a preview of what pages will look like when printed.
> Versions available for Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.
>
> Macromedia Accessibility Suite
> http://www.usablenet.com/macromedia/index.htm
> Downloadable extension for the Dreamweaver 4.0 Web-editing application.
> Allows Web pages to be "accessibility-checked" much in the same way as you
> "spell-check" a Word document.
> The extension covers Section 508 and level 1 W3C guidelines.
> A 30-day trial download of
> Dreamweaver
> is also available.
>
> NIST WebMetrics Tool Suite
> http://zing.ncsl.nist.gov/webmet
> Provides a set of tools used to test the usability and accessibility of a
> site.
>
> HTML Validation Service
> http://validator.w3.org
> HTML syntax errors can have dire consequences for accessibility. The World
> Wide Web Consortium's free online validation service can help you ensure
that
> your pages are error-free and cross-platform compatible.
>
> access.adobe.com
> Online tools for converting PDF files to HTML or ASCII, resources for
visually
> impaired users, and more.
>
> Bobby
> http://www.cast.org/bobby
> Web-based tool for checking Web page accessibility.
> Not designed to check specifically for 508 issues. Bobby "approval" does not
> guarantee 508-compliance.
>
> Wave
> http://www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave/
> Helps you check if your page is accessible to people with disabilities.
>
> Corda Technologies
> http://www.corda.com
> Software for creating accessible, dynamically generated graphs and charts.
>
> Vischeck Color Blindness Simulator
> http://vischeck.com/index.php3
> Available as online tool, Photoshop plug-in (Windows), and Java version.
>
> Colorfield Insight
> http://www.colorfield.com
> Commercial tool for designers of web graphics. Simulates color blindness.
> Photoshop plug-in (Macintosh).
>
> SSB Technologies
> http://www.ssbtechnologies.com
> Commercial accessibility-verification and repair software, training and
> consulting to government IT organizations.
>
> HiSoftware
> http://www.hisoftware.com/access/
> AccVerify software package reviews sites for conformance with Section 508.
>
> Crunchy Technologies
> http://www.crunchy.com
> Commercial accessibility-verification and repair software.
>
> W3C's List of Evaluation and Repair Tools
> http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/existingtools.html
> Descriptions and links to over 30 different kinds of tools that can help
with
> evaluation, retrofitting, and transformation of Web content.
>
> Assistive Technologies
>
> See the W3C's
> Alternative Browsing section
> for an overview and links to assistive technologies. Commonly used
commercial
> products include:
>
> ALVA Access Group
> http://www.aagi.com/aagi/crossref01.html
> Offers computer accessibility software for the visually impaired.
>
> Henter-Joyce: JAWS for Windows
> http://www.hj.com/JAWS/JAWS.html
> Offers products to assist the blind in Web accessibility, including screen
> readers and Braille assistive technology. Free demo available.
>
> Window-Eyes by GW Micro
> http://www.gwmicro.com/
> Another popular screen-reader for Windows. Free demo available.
>
> IBM Home Page Reader 3.0
> http://www-3.ibm.com/able/hpr.html
> Easy-to-use talking browser. 30-day free demo available.
>
> National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM)
> http://ncam.wgbh.org
> Provides research and development initiatives on technologies for public
mass
> media.
> Rich Media Resource Center
> for developing accessible multimedia content.
>
> MAGpie
>
> Media Access Generator (MAGpie)
>
> Developers of Web- and CD-ROM-based multimedia need an authoring tool for
> making their materials accessible to persons with disabilities. The CPB/WGBH
> National
> Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) has developed such a tool, the Media
Access
> Generator (MAGpie), for distribution in SDKs, on the Web, CD-ROM and other
> methods. Funding for MAGpie comes from the Trace Research and Development
> Center at the University of Wisconsin, as part of its Information Technology
> Access Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center which itself is funded by
> the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and
> Rehabilitation
> Research.
>
> Microsoft
>
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/nhp/Default.asp?contentid=2
> 8000544
> Provides Web development and design guidelines and HTML code examples.
>
> Sun Microsystems' Accessibility Program
>
> "http://www.sun.com/tech/access/
> Information on Java accessibility, GNOME development, and other advances in
> "enabling technologies."
>
> thanks for any suggestions.
> Mark Rew
>
>
>
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