508 Compliance Testing: Making the Web More Accessible
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Posted On :
Sep-01-2011
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Article Word Count :
729
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As per Section 508 legislation, a revision was made to Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was signed into law by US President Clinton in 1998. It states that the information technology of federal agencies, including websites, should be accessible to all, including ones who are disabled.
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As per Section 508 legislation, a revision was made to Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was signed into law by US President Clinton in 1998. It states that the information technology of federal agencies, including websites, should be accessible to all, including ones who are disabled. As a result, websites that are being developed these days are required to support access to users with sight impairments. Although the experience may not be the same, all users should have access to all the data comprising of images, media files, etc. and capability to perform customary tasks like filling out registration forms, paying bills, etc.
Now-a-days, websites follow one or more design templates; these templates basically outline the interface, navigation flows, and broad layout of the webpages. Every development company ensures that design templates of a website conform to Section 508 standards and pass on various Software Quality Assurance parameters ; thus, having a thorough understanding of accessibility requirements and being well-versed with transformation of requirements into technical solutions is vital while building a 508-compliant website. It necessitates having proficient knowledge of how the disabled people communicate with information technology.
This brings us to the question – why 508 compliance is necessary; the reason can be summed up using the statistics provided on the US Department of Health and Service website, according to which:
• 11,400,000 individuals have visual disorders that cannot be corrected using spectacles
• 6,400,000 individuals are affected by eye disorders each year
• 2,800,000 individuals suffer from color blindness
• 1,100,000 individuals are sightless
As a result, it is quite obvious that a large number of people remain unfortunate in their ability to access information or services available on the Internet.
The 508 standards for website development should be incorporated throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). As a part of Software Quality Assurance for every QA Testing Engineer, it is important to know what kind of testing methodology should be implemented to ensure that your web development project is Section 508 compliant and also meets the client requirements.
An appropriate blend of manual and automated testing of websites for Section 508 compliance is an excellent methodology that helps to ensure accommodation of accessibility measures in the project.
Manual testing can include the following tests:
1. Ensure disparity of the entities on the website is at an appropriate level, especially information vs. its background, and is adequately prominent for people with some sight disabilities and seniors.
2. An additional test can be turning the webpage in grayscale, and evaluating the level of contrast again.
3. Verify the relevance of ‘alt’ attributes of pictures .This is quite biased. You could get disqualified if your website is assessed; hence, it is required to be as explicit as possible. For example, in the alt text, an image of a button should not consist of the word "button". Instead, the emphasis should be on activity of the button.
4. Check to see that order of reading of the webpage is sensible, not by looking at it, but hearing it linearly.
5. Verify whether the page dimensions change accordingly when the browser is resized.
6. Verify that the content is decipherable when the page is zoomed in.
7. Checking content’s appearance in a text-only browser.
Automated testing can include using several online tools to help detect 508 compliance issues for every single page of your website. Some of them are:
1. WAVE– Web Accessibility Evaluation Toolavailable at wave.webaim.org/report.ph
2. Accessibility Check available at etre.com/tools/accessibilitycheck/
3. Access Valet available at valet.webthing.com/access/
4. AccRepair available at hisoftware.com/access/repair.html
5. AccVerify available at hisoftware.com/access/
6. aDesigner available aalphaworks.ibm.com/tech/adesigner
To conclude, section 508 lays down certain principles for developing user-friendly software to empower access to the disabled. Most Software Quality Assurance company hires people with special need to ensure that every step for QA and testing are performed in real environment. Basically, there are no stern rules for affirming whether a particular software section meets 508 compliancy standards or not. Yet, Section 508 does carry some ideas that facilitate us to better realize how software applications can be used by impaired people. Content website visitors return more often and are more probable to appreciate the design of web page. Webpage owners should maintain good connections with their designers, which leads to improved businesses. Therefore, in the long run, it is always beneficial for both your client and you to have a website that is more accessible to all people.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_508 Compliance Testing: Making the Web More Accessible_78584.aspx
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Author Resource :
Knowledge Sharing Team at QA InfoTech is responsible for research on new tools & technologies for effective Software Quality Assurance and Testing services across all industry verticals. QA InfoTech (an ISO 9001:2008 & CMMI III certified) is one of the leading Software Testing Companies with five testing “Centers of Excellence” in the United States and India. It offers end to end software testing services.
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Keywords :
Software Quality Assurance ,
Category :
Computers
:
Software
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