accessibility supported questions

A highly experienced screen reader user and I recently reviewed a couple of
PDF forms for compliance with WCAG 2. We started with the assumption that
Adobe Reader 9.0 and Acrobat 8.1.2 are Accessibility Supported and then
looked to see how well we could use the forms with JAWS 9.0 and Window Eyes
7.01. 

 

The way these screen readers handled the forms threw up some interesting
issues or questions. 

 

WCAG 2 contains "testable" Success Criteria, which are normative, and there
is a general belief that all testers will obtain the same or very similar
results for the different Criteria. However we found considerable
inconsistencies in the way some components of the forms behaved. For
example, sometimes a particular button or checkbox would be reported and
sometimes the same button/checkbox would be ignored. And often the status of
buttons/checkboxes would not be correctly reported. In cases of inconsistent
or unreliable performance what yardstick do you use to determine compliance?


 

And then, there is the problem of ensuring the 'testable' results are
repeatable. If something does not perform consistently, I might test it and
experience no problems but the next person might not be so lucky.

 

When it comes to determining Accessibility Supported technologies, who or
how do we decide which version of a technology should we use as the
reference point? 

 

And, what happens when there are competing determinations about which
technologies and technology versions should be deemed supported? This could
be within a jurisdiction and across jurisdictions. 

 

More information is available at
http://www.dingoaccess.com/accessibility/accessibility-supported/ 

 

Thanks

 

Roger Hudson

Web Usability

Ph: 02 9568 1535

Mb: 0405 320 014

Email:  <mailto:rhudson@usability.com.au> rhudson@usability.com.au

Web:  <http://www.usability.com.au/> www.usability.com.au 

Blog: www.dingoaccess.com   

 

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