Background

§1194.21(b) of Section 508 states that:

"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."

Some operating systems provide accessibility options that can be turned on and off by the user. These options are available to all programs through the Application Programming Interface (API). Having software that recognizes and utilizes the accessibility features selected by the user is necessary in order for the user to properly understand and anticipate a response from the software.

Features such as those found in the accessibility options included with Microsoft’s Windows applications provide the user with the capability to implement sticky keys, filter keys and/or toggle keys to make use of their keyboard easier and faster. Installation of software, such as a printer driver, that is necessary for the operation of the product should not interfere with those options. Accessibility options for Macintosh based computers can be located at http://www.apple.com/education/k12/disability/.

Select the Next button to find out how to assess whether your application conforms to this provision.