How to Use Automated Solutions to

Improve Accessibility of College and University Websites

and SharePoint Workspaces

Web Conference at Penn State Jeff Singleton, HiSoftware

Your Speaker Today

• Jeff Singleton Sr. Accessibility ConsultantHiSoftware Inc.

Agenda

• Introduction• Changes to Web accessibility

summarized• What it all means to you• Automating Compliance• Purdue University Calumet Case

Study• About HiSoftware • Q&A

Setting the Scene

“College Web pages are ‘widely inaccessible’ to people with disabilities, according to a recent National Science Foundation-backed study that looked at 127 institutions in the Northwest over five years. A recent study of 183 colleges, nationwide, found similar problems.”

- Source The Chronicle of Higher Education Dec 2010

Web Accessibility Summarized

IT and Web Content

IT & Web Content

Program Based

Section 504 ADA

Standards Based

Section 508 WCAG 2

Examples of Lawsuits

• DOJ settled a complaint by NFB against the University of Arizona under Title II of the ADA – suite was known as “Kindle”

• The NFB complaint against Penn State regarding Web and other IT used on campuses

Changing Legislation and Policies• Updating Section 508

standards–WCAG 2.0 level AA

• DOJ issued four ANPRMs; two of relevance:1. Web accessibility 2. Applicable Web standard

What These Changes Mean to You• Consider ALL of the IT

used by your college or university

• Web content should conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA

• Do it Now!

3 Proactive Web Accessibility Steps1. Benchmark Your Web Properties

Audit current sites to benchmark compliance and assess where improvements can be made.

2. Consider an Automated SolutionScan content to identify and remediate issues with both online content and documents like Word and PDF to achieve compliance and maintain it moving forward.

3. Consider OutsourcingIf you just don’t have the staff resources to address accessibility consider having a third party help you get up and running.

How Automated Solutions Improve Accessibility

10

Who’s Contributing to Your Content?• Multiple content

contributors within an organization

• Content changes on day to day basis:– Documents

uploaded / edited– Email

communications sent

– Social collaboration through blogs / wikis

– External and Internal website content is added / edited

How can all content contributors be aware of

regulations like Section 508 & 504, ADA and WCAG 2?

• Why Automate?– Among adult computer users in the United States:

• 57% of computer users are likely or very likely to benefit from the use of accessible technology. *

• 44% of computer users use some form of accessible technology. *

• According to the Pew Internet Project, survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, Jan. 2011, 54% of adults living with a disability go online.

– Manual check = 20 min per page– Human error– No tracking of manual checks

Automating Accessibility Compliance

* http://www.microsoft.com/enable/research/

• Scan digital properties for inaccessible content– Public websites, intranets, applications– Files attached to web pages (PDF, XLS, DOC…)– File shares– SharePoint sites

• Provides ongoing auditing & reporting• Sends automatic issue notifications via email• Pinpoints the location of issues for

remediation• Measure progress over time

Common Accessibility Issues & How Automation Helps

Accessibility: Image ALT text

• ALT text needed for images to provide information for blind users

• ALT is “breakdown of gas prices”

• What should it be?

Identify Problem: Rendered Browser

Identify Problem: Code View

Accessibility: Color Contrast• Vision impairments

are very common. The Web content accessibility guidelines include clear rules for color contrast settings  

• The Compliance Sheriff check scan lets the document creator know if the content will be difficult to see for users with vision impairments

Accessibility Contrast

All information conveyed with color is also available without color

Table Issues

Address Other Accessibility Concerns

• Ability to skip navigation• Using online forms• Links to plug-ins• Auditory and visual alternatives• Flicker, blink, marquee• Relative vs. absolute fonts• Documents attached to Web pages

(PDF, Office)

Automated Auditing & Reporting

Drill Down Reporting for Remediation

+

Automating Compliance in SharePoint Workspaces Integrated SharePoint Solutions to automatically:• SCAN & AUDIT content at rest or in motion to detect non-compliant data and

violations: Section 508/WCAG 2.0, plus privacy issue including PII, PHI, COPPA, GLBA...

• REPORT on the compliance status of the site(s) and incidences, measure progress, and pinpoint issues for remediation with detailed reports and dashboards.

• PREVENT users from publishing, distributing, or emailing confidential and sensitive documents. Stop users from adding non-compliant content.

• CONTROL content using workflows to alert users to fix issues, get manager approvals and quarantine documents.

• Address SharePoint Framework Accessibility with AFM

About Purdue University Calumet• Founded in 1946• Purdue University

satellite campus (one of four)

• Enrollment approx 10,000

• Semi-autonomous with regard to academics & some policies

About Purdue University Calumet• Centralized Web Administration• University Relations

responsible for– Design, Look & Feel– Navigational philosophy – Functionality of the site – Oversight of content

About Purdue University Calumet• Web Accessibility Policy– Formally adopted March 2010– Based on Section 508– Set guidelines, goals, responsibilities

and a timeline• 100% compliance by March 15, 2014

– Applies to:• Websites• Multimedia• Learning management systems • Documents delivered online • Software & applications

Purdue’s Web Accessibility Challenge

• Over 200 WordPress sites to monitor

• 300 content editors to educate

• Thousands of Web pages to remediate

• Need for documentation• Manual evaluation taking too long• Need for an automated solution

Requirements

• Need for a comprehensive solution– Easy to understand interface– Not intimidating – Not overly technical–Minimal learning curve– Explains the issues

and how to remediate– Can compare site progress to other

sites

Methodology for Finding a Solution• Researched automated

tools– Effectiveness – Ease of use – Cost

• HiSoftware selected on – Capabilities of tool – Pricing model – Outstanding support

Roll Out of Compliance Sheriff • Installed March 2012• Content editors granted limited

access• Used default settings initially• HiSoftware’s support helped

customize server settings and scans• One-on-one training/group training

Overall Benefits of HiSoftware• Automated Web accessibility compliance

across:– websites, multi-media, learning

management systems, and online documents and applications

• Benchmarked compliance against policy guidelines

• Prioritized remediation efforts• Documentary evidence of remediation

efforts available

End-User Benefits of HiSoftware• Content editors:– Better understand accessibility issues– Able to remediate problems,

immediately– Competitive spirit to improve– Software takes sting out of critique

Outcome

Purdue University Calumet now has a proactive Web accessibility solution that has become part of the institutional culture of IT accessibility helping to promote openness.

About HiSoftware

• Award-winning solutions for content-aware compliance & information security

• Founded in 1998 • More than 750 public sector

and corporate customers globally

• Global Presence• Boston (Nashua, NH) / Melbourne,

AUS/Redmond, WA / Washington, DC / Sofia, Bulgaria

Some Higher Education Customers

Questions?

Want More Information?

• White Paper: The Changing Legal Landscape of Web Accessibility in Higher Education

Thank You

• Jeff SingletonSr. Accessibility ConsultantHiSoftware Inc.j.singleton@hisoftware.com

• For more information go to: www.hisoftware.com