NCAM CD-ROM Access Guidelines

The Guidelines

The guidelines in this section lay out specific ways to make educational software more accessible to students with disabilities. Each general guideline includes a number of checkpoints; checkpoints labeled "Priority 1" are mandatory for creating accessible software. Those labeled "Priority 2" will substantially improve the accessibility of the software. Most checkpoints are followed by techniques, detailing ways the checkpoint may be addressed or options for providing access in different ways. Not every technique must be used to achieve the checkpoint's objective, but in many cases techniques are not mutually exclusive and implementing more than one improves the accessibility of the resulting software.

This document does not contain a comprehensive list of guidelines for accessibility of software in general. That information is available from other sources. Consult the section on access issues for selected development environments for resources. Also consult this excellent general reference:

The Trace R&D Center's Software Accessibility Guidelines
www.trace.wisc.edu/world/computer_access/software

	1	Provide access to images for users who are blind or visually impaired.
	1.1	Allow images and screen layouts to be printed.
	1.2	Provide text equivalents for still images that convey educational content.
	1.3	Provide tactile graphics or three dimensional models for images.

	2	Provide access to multimedia presentations for users with sensory disabilities.
	2.1	Add audio description to multimedia presentations.
	2.2	Add closed captions to multimedia presentations.

	3	Provide access to interactive activities for all users with disabilities.
	3.1	Ensure that all actions can be completed from the keyboard.
	3.2	Present information in ways that are accessible to both blind and deaf users.
	3.3	Allow users to customize any timing of events.
	3.4	Provide features that allow users to access multiple sources of information separately when they are delivered simultaneously.
	3.5	Provide a simpler version of any screen with complex backgrounds.

	4	Provide access to data in tables for all users with disabilities.
	4.1	Design all HTML-based tables in accordance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative.
	4.2	Ensure access to HTML-based tables in accordance with User Agent Accessibility Guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative, or the interaction of a stand-alone user agent with tables.
	4.3	Provide equivalent access to data presented in tables not produced in HTML.

	5	Provide access to graphs for users who are blind or visually impaired.
	5.1	Allow all graphs to be printed.
	5.2	Allow all graphs to be enlarged on screen.
	5.3	Allow users to control the width of lines and characteristics of fonts for viewing and printing graphs.
	5.4	Provide a complete description in text for static graphs.
	5.5	Provide summary information about dynamic graphs.
	5.6	Provide alternate formats for graphs.

	6	Provide access to math equations for all users with disabilities.
	6.1	Allow all equations to be enlarged on screen.
	6.2	Ensure that users with visual impairments can read equations and that users with visual impairments and with physical impairments can write equations.