Week 4 - Double and Tripe A Ratings

I used the Client Content page from my Website Mainz Press, LLC. The Bobby Before evaluation showed that the page did not have any priority 1 problems but did have one Priority 2 problem (Make sure event handlers do not require use of a mouse. (1 instance)) and two Priority 3 problems (Separate adjacent links with more than whitespace. (7 instances) Line 57, Line 59, Line 61, Line 63, Line 65, Lines 196-197, Lines 199-201. Provide a summary for tables. (1 instance)).

• I added the special character · in front of each Quick Link to separate the list of links.
• I also added a   between the validation images.
• I added a summary to the table at the bottom of the page that contained the standards validation information.
• One of my links to a client site has a JavaScript alert message. This script was activated by the onClick event handler so I added an onKeyDown event handler for users who do not use a mouse.

The Bobby After evaluation shows the page to be Triple A compliant. It still reports the onClick event handler, but as mentioned above, I did add another event handler for users who do not use a mouse.

Week 4 Q& A

1. How can you make a Java application more accessible to people with disabilities?

   Our text says that most specialized Web clients like HomePage Reader and pwWebSpeak ignore scripts and programming constructs like Java applications. The book states that the real solution is to build applications and Web content that is inherently accessible using software architectures and API's that support accessibility.

   Sun Microsystems has incorporated accessibility into their Java platform: the Java Accessibility API, Java Accessibility Utilities, and the Java Accessibility Bridge to Native Code.

   Microsoft Corporation has developed the Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) program which integrates into the computer's operating system. Developers who want to implement MSAA into their Java programs need the Active Accessibility Software Development Kit (SDK) and the run-time components that are packaged with as the Redistribution Kit (RDK).

2. What is the difference between the "Core Techniques", "HTML Techniques" and "CSS Techniques" documents for WCAG 1.0? When and how would you use each as a reference?

   Core Techniques - "accessibility themes and general techniques that apply across technologies".

   HTML Techniques - "provides examples and strategies for authoring accessible Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) content."

   CSS Techniques - "provides examples and strategies to help authors write Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) as part of accessible content design."

3. You were asked to determine what changes would be necessary to bring your web page to Double-A and Triple-A compliance, in the Hands-On Exercise. Which specific tasks would you say were the easiest to accomplish, and which were the hardest? Were there any show-stoppers that would prevent you from achieving Double-A or Triple-A WCAG ratings?

   • I think the most difficult was adding all the link separators, but now that I am more aware of that particular problem, I can incorporate them in the beginning.
   • I also was not sure if having two event handlers on a link (onclick and onkeydown) was going to fly according to XHTML/HTML standards, but it did.