The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template is to assist Federal contracting officials in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial Electronic and Information Technology products and services with features that support accessibility. It is assumed that offerers will provide additional contact information to facilitate more detailed inquiries. GSA’s Buy Accessibility.
The first table of this Template provides a summary view of the section 508 Standards. The subsequent tables provide more detailed views of each subsection. There are three columns in each table. Column one of the Summary Table describes the subsections of subparts B and C of the Standards. The second column describes the supporting features of the product or refers you to the corresponding detailed table, “e.g., equivalent facilitation.” The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product. In the subsequent tables, the first column contains the lettered paragraphs of the subsections. The second column describes the supporting features of the product with regard to that paragraph. The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product.
Date: November 15, 2004
Name of Product: netECHO
Contact for more Information: emdad@internetspeech.com
Criteria | Supporting Features | Remarks and explanations |
---|---|---|
Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | Web-based customization of service features may be performed on behalf of the client by customer support representatives |
Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet Information and Applications | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | Service fully supports interactive voice interface and keyboarding |
Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products | Not Applicable | |
Section 1194.24 Video and Multi-media Product | Not Applicable | |
Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Products | Not Applicable | |
Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers | Not Applicable | |
Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria | Supports with Exceptions | Service does not provide hearing impairment mode but supports assistive technology |
Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation and Support | Supports with Exceptions | TTY customer support is not provided |
Criteria | Supporting Features | Remarks and explanations |
---|---|---|
(a) When software is designed to run on a system that has a keyboard, product functions shall be executable from a keyboard where the function itself or the result of performing a function can be discerned textually. | Supports | |
(b) Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of other products that are identified as accessibility features, where those features are developed and documented according to industry standards. Applications also shall not disrupt or disable activated features of any operating system that are identified as accessibility features where the application programming interface for those accessibility features has been documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is available to the product developer. | Supports | |
(c) A well-defined on-screen indication of the current focus shall be provided that moves among interactive interface elements as the input focus changes. The focus shall be programmatically exposed so that Assistive Technology can track focus and focus changes. | Supports | |
(d) Sufficient information about a user interface element including the identity, operation and state of the element shall be available to Assistive Technology. When an image represents a program element, the information conveyed by the image must also be available in text. | Supports | |
(e) When bitmap images are used to identify controls, status indicators, or other programmatic elements, the meaning assigned to those images shall be consistent throughout an application's performance. | Supports | |
(f) Textual information shall be provided through operating system functions for displaying text. The minimum information that shall be made available is text content, text input caret location, and text attributes. | Supports | |
(g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes. | Supports | |
(h) When animation is displayed, the information shall be displayable in at least one non-animated presentation mode at the option of the user. | Supports | |
(i) Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element. | Supports | |
(j) When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast levels shall be provided. | Supports | |
(k) Software shall not use flashing or blinking text, objects, or other elements having a flash or blink frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. | Supports | |
(l) When electronic forms are used, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues. | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | Provided by customer support representatives |
Criteria | Supporting Features | Remarks and explanations |
---|---|---|
(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | All Web-based content is delivered by voice |
(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation. | Not Applicable | |
(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup. | Not Applicable | |
(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet. | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | All Web-based content is delivered by voice |
(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map. | Not Applicable | |
(f) Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape. | Not Applicable | |
(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables. | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | All Web-based content is delivered by voice |
(h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers. | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | All Web-based content is delivered by voice |
(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | All Web-based content is delivered by voice |
(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. | Not Applicable | |
(k) A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes. | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | All Web-based content is delivered by voice |
(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by Assistive Technology. | Supports through Equivalent Facilitation | All Web-based content is delivered by voice |
(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with 1194.21(a) through (l). | Not Applicable | |
(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues. | Supports | Voice interface |
(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links. | Supports | Navigation by voice |
(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required. | Supports |
Criteria | Supporting Features | Remarks and explanations |
---|---|---|
(a) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user vision shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are blind or visually impaired shall be provided. | Supports | Interactive voice recognition and text-to-speech translation |
(b) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require visual acuity greater than 20/70 shall be provided in audio and enlarged print output working together or independently, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are visually impaired shall be provided. | Supports | Interactive voice recognition and text-to-speech translation |
(c) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user hearing shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing shall be provided | Supports when combined with Compatible AT | |
Where audio information is important for the use of a product, at least one mode of operation and information retrieval shall be provided in an enhanced auditory fashion, or support for assistive hearing devices shall be provided. | Supports when combined with Compatible AT | |
(e) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user speech shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people with disabilities shall be provided. | Supports | Voice commands supported by keyboard entry |
(f) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require fine motor control or simultaneous actions and that is operable with limited reach and strength shall be provided. | Supports when combined with Compatible AT | Interactive voice recognition and text-to-speech translation |
Criteria | Supporting Features | Remarks and explanations |
---|---|---|
(a) Product support documentation provided to end-users shall be made available in alternate formats upon request, at no additional charge | Supports | Documentation is available on audio cassette and by online audio help |
(b) End-users shall have access to a description of the accessibility and compatibility features of products in alternate formats or alternate methods upon request, at no additional charge. | Supports | Supported by marketing collateral |
(c) Support services for products shall accommodate the communication needs of end-users with disabilities. | Supports | Web-based customization of service features may be performed on behalf of the client by customer support representatives |
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