Software Appendix B(1)

Question-by-Question Responses to the Software Accessibility Checklist:

Statistics by Agency Size

Question 1: Does the software provide keyboard equivalents for all mouse actions, including buttons, scroll windows, text entry fields, and pop-up windows?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1275 (76.1%) 221 (13.2%) 180 (10.7%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 724 (75.5%) 129 (13.5%) 106 (11.1%) 959
All Large Agencies 165 (79.7%) 19 (9.2%) 23 (11.1%) 207
All Medium Agencies 125 (67.6%) 34 (18.4%) 26 (14.1%) 185
All Small Agencies 143 (85.1%) 16 (9.5%) 9 (5.4%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 118 (75.2%) 23 (14.6%) 16 (10.2%) 157

Question 2: Does the program provide clear and precise instructions for use of all keyboard functions as part of the user documentation?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1248 (74.5%) 294 (17.5%) 134 (8%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 709 (73.9%) 158 (16.5%) 92 (9.6%) 959
All Large Agencies 159 (76.8%) 40 (19.3%) 8 (3.9%) 207
All Medium Agencies 131 (70.8%) 43 (23.2%) 11 (5.9%) 185
All Small Agencies 129 (76.8%) 34 (20.2%) 5 (3%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 120 (76.4%) 19 (12.1%) 18 (11.5%) 157

Question 3: Are instructions regarding keyboard use widely available for all users in your component?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1180 (70.4%) 353 (21.1%) 143 (8.5%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 649 (67.7%) 222 (23.1%) 88 (9.2%) 959
All Large Agencies 164 (79.2%) 34 (16.4%) 9 (4.3%) 207
All Medium Agencies 133 (71.9%) 40 (21.6%) 12 (6.5%) 185
All Small Agencies 125 (74.4%) 38 (22.6%) 5 (3%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 109 (69.4%) 19 (12.1%) 29 (18.5%) 157

Question 4: Does the software have a logical tabbing order among fields, text boxes, and focal points?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1444 (86.2%) 84 (5%) 148 (8.8%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 816 (85.1%) 53 (5.5%) 90 (9.4%) 959
All Large Agencies 188 (90.8%) 10 (4.8%) 9 (4.3%) 207
All Medium Agencies 154 (83.2%) 8 (4.3%) 23 (12.4%) 185
All Small Agencies 157 (93.5%) 5 (3%) 6 (3.6%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 129 (82.2%) 8 (5.1%) 20 (12.7%) 157

Question 5: When navigating screens and dialog boxes using the keyboard, does the focus follow a logical tabbing order?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1443 (86.1%) 85 (5.1%) 148 (8.8%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 811 (84.6%) 55 (5.7%) 93 (9.7%) 959
All Large Agencies 191 (92.3%) 7 (3.4%) 9 (4.3%) 207
All Medium Agencies 150 (81.1%) 12 (6.5%) 23 (12.4%) 185
All Small Agencies 158 (94%) 5 (3%) 5 (3%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 133 (84.7%) 6 (3.8%) 18 (11.5%) 157

Question 6: Is there a well-defined focal point that moves with keyboard navigation? (E.g., can you use the arrow keys to navigate through a list followed by pressing the ENTER key or space bar to select the desired item?)
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1376 (82.1%) 142 (8.5%) 158 (9.4%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 776 (80.9%) 86 (9%) 97 (10.1%) 959
All Large Agencies 177 (85.5%) 15 (7.2%) 15 (7.2%) 207
All Medium Agencies 141 (76.2%) 13 (7%) 31 (16.8%) 185
All Small Agencies 155 (92.3%) 13 (7.7%) 0 (0%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 127 (80.9%) 15 (9.6%) 15 (9.6%) 157

Question 7: Are shortcut keys provided for all pull-down menus?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1058 (63.1%) 374 (22.3%) 244 (14.6%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 603 (62.9%) 213 (22.2%) 143 (14.9%) 959
All Large Agencies 84 (40.6%) 91 (44%) 32 (15.5%) 207
All Medium Agencies 118 (63.8%) 36 (19.5%) 31 (16.8%) 185
All Small Agencies 135 (80.4%) 22 (13.1%) 11 (6.5%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 118 (75.2%) 12 (7.6%) 27 (17.2%) 157

Question 8: Does the software support existing accessibility features built into the operating system (e.g., sticky keys, slow keys, repeat keys in Apple Macintosh OS or Microsoft Windows 95)?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1143 (68.2%) 236 (14.1%) 297 (17.7%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 610 (63.6%) 160 (16.7%) 189 (19.7%) 959
All Large Agencies 157 (75.8%) 18 (8.7%) 32 (15.5%) 207
All Medium Agencies 123 (66.5%) 27 (14.6%) 35 (18.9%) 185
All Small Agencies 131 (78%) 21 (12.5%) 16 (9.5%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 122 (77.7%) 10 (6.4%) 25 (15.9%) 157

Question 9: If timed responses are present, does the software allow the user to modify the timing parameters of any required timed responses?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 293 (17.5%) 185 (11%) 1198 (71.5%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 190 (19.8%) 107 (11.2%) 662 (69%) 959
All Large Agencies 15 (7.2%) 27 (13%) 165 (79.7%) 207
All Medium Agencies 20 (10.8%) 36 (19.5%) 129 (69.7%) 185
All Small Agencies 44 (26.2%) 10 (6%) 114 (67.9%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 24 (15.3%) 5 (3.2%) 128 (81.5%) 157

Question 10: Are all descriptions or labels for fields positioned immediately to the left or directly above the control, and do they end in a colon, so that it is easy for screen reading software to associate the labels with the corresponding fields?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 888 (53%) 402 (24%) 386 (23%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 500 (52.1%) 208 (21.7%) 251 (26.2%) 959
All Large Agencies 113 (54.6%) 75 (36.2%) 19 (9.2%) 207
All Medium Agencies 82 (44.3%) 51 (27.6%) 52 (28.1%) 185
All Small Agencies 92 (54.8%) 40 (23.8%) 36 (21.4%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 101 (64.3%) 28 (17.8%) 28 (17.8%) 157

Question 11: Does every window, object, and control have a clearly named label?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1372 (81.9%) 139 (8.3%) 165 (9.8%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 781 (81.4%) 77 (8%) 101 (10.5%) 959
All Large Agencies 171 (82.6%) 15 (7.2%) 21 (10.1%) 207
All Medium Agencies 148 (80%) 14 (7.6%) 23 (12.4%) 185
All Small Agencies 139 (82.7%) 22 (13.1%) 7 (4.2%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 133 (84.7%) 11 (7%) 13 (8.3%) 157

Question 12: Does the software application use standard controls rather than owner-drawn or custom controls?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1427 (85.1%) 129 (7.7%) 120 (7.2%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 801 (83.5%) 73 (7.6%) 85 (8.9%) 959
All Large Agencies 182 (87.9%) 16 (7.7%) 9 (4.3%) 207
All Medium Agencies 157 (84.9%) 13 (7%) 15 (8.1%) 185
All Small Agencies 153 (91.1%) 14 (8.3%) 1 (0.6%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 134 (85.4%) 13 (8.3%) 10 (6.4%) 157

Question 13: Does the software have a user selectable option to display text on icons., i.e., text only icons or bubble help?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1002 (59.8%) 296 (17.7%) 378 (22.6%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 555 (57.9%) 160 (16.7%) 244 (25.4%) 959
All Large Agencies 125 (60.4%) 41 (19.8%) 41 (19.8%) 207
All Medium Agencies 111 (60%) 37 (20%) 37 (20%) 185
All Small Agencies 110 (65.5%) 29 (17.3%) 29 (17.3%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 101 (64.3%) 29 (18.5%) 27 (17.2%) 157

Question 14: Is the use of icons consistent throughout the application?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1286 (76.7%) 76 (4.5%) 314 (18.7%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 712 (74.2%) 49 (5.1%) 198 (20.6%) 959
All Large Agencies 157 (75.8%) 6 (2.9%) 44 (21.3%) 207
All Medium Agencies 142 (76.8%) 10 (5.4%) 33 (17.8%) 185
All Small Agencies 140 (83.3%) 7 (4.2%) 21 (12.5%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 135 (86%) 4 (2.5%) 18 (11.5%) 157

Question 15: Are menus with text equivalents provided for all icon functions or icon selections on menu, tool, and format bars?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1193 (71.2%) 149 (8.9%) 334 (19.9%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 673 (70.2%) 75 (7.8%) 211 (22%) 959
All Large Agencies 140 (67.6%) 24 (11.6%) 43 (20.8%) 207
All Medium Agencies 126 (68.1%) 25 (13.5%) 34 (18.4%) 185
All Small Agencies 131 (78%) 11 (6.5%) 26 (15.5%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 123 (78.3%) 14 (8.9%) 20 (12.7%) 157

Question 16: If there are audio alerts, are visual cues also provided?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 802 (47.9%) 167 (10%) 707 (42.2%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 443 (46.2%) 97 (10.1%) 419 (43.7%) 959
All Large Agencies 113 (54.6%) 17 (8.2%) 77 (37.2%) 207
All Medium Agencies 95 (51.4%) 18 (9.7%) 72 (38.9%) 185
All Small Agencies 91 (54.2%) 19 (11.3%) 58 (34.5%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 60 (38.2%) 16 (10.2%) 81 (51.6%) 157

Question 17: Does the software support the "show sounds" feature where it is built into the operating system?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 743 (44.3%) 305 (18.2%) 628 (37.5%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 442 (46.1%) 151 (15.7%) 366 (38.2%) 959
All Large Agencies 100 (48.3%) 42 (20.3%) 65 (31.4%) 207
All Medium Agencies 78 (42.2%) 42 (22.7%) 65 (35.1%) 185
All Small Agencies 65 (38.7%) 43 (25.6%) 60 (35.7%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 58 (36.9%) 27 (17.2%) 72 (45.9%) 157

Question 18: Can the user disable or adjust sound volume?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 936 (55.8%) 175 (10.4%) 565 (33.7%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 545 (56.8%) 102 (10.6%) 312 (32.5%) 959
All Large Agencies 120 (58%) 13 (6.3%) 74 (35.7%) 207
All Medium Agencies 98 (53%) 19 (10.3%) 68 (36.8%) 185
All Small Agencies 78 (46.4%) 30 (17.9%) 60 (35.7%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 95 (60.5%) 11 (7%) 51 (32.5%) 157

Question 19: If information is provided in an audio format, is it also capable of being displayed by the user in a visual format?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 455 (27.1%) 225 (13.4%) 996 (59.4%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 304 (31.7%) 117 (12.2%) 538 (56.1%) 959
All Large Agencies 26 (12.6%) 28 (13.5%) 153 (73.9%) 207
All Medium Agencies 40 (21.6%) 33 (17.8%) 112 (60.5%) 185
All Small Agencies 46 (27.4%) 27 (16.1%) 95 (56.5%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 39 (24.8%) 20 (12.7%) 98 (62.4%) 157

Question 20: Is the software application free of patterned backgrounds used behind text or important graphics?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1411 (84.2%) 112 (6.7%) 153 (9.1%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 803 (83.7%) 68 (7.1%) 88 (9.2%) 959
All Large Agencies 183 (88.4%) 10 (4.8%) 14 (6.8%) 207
All Medium Agencies 136 (73.5%) 15 (8.1%) 34 (18.4%) 185
All Small Agencies 152 (90.5%) 10 (6%) 6 (3.6%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 137 (87.3%) 9 (5.7%) 11 (7%) 157

Question 21: Can the user override default fonts for printing and text displays?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1204 (71.8%) 345 (20.6%) 127 (7.6%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 688 (71.7%) 187 (19.5%) 84 (8.8%) 959
All Large Agencies 139 (67.1%) 61 (29.5%) 7 (3.4%) 207
All Medium Agencies 130 (70.3%) 40 (21.6%) 15 (8.1%) 185
All Small Agencies 127 (75.6%) 35 (20.8%) 6 (3.6%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 120 (76.4%) 22 (14%) 15 (9.6%) 157

Question 22: Can a user adjust or disable flashing, rotating, or moving displays?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 611 (36.5%) 240 (14.3%) 825 (49.2%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 386 (40.3%) 126 (13.1%) 447 (46.6%) 959
All Large Agencies 73 (35.3%) 36 (17.4%) 98 (47.3%) 207
All Medium Agencies 52 (28.1%) 28 (15.1%) 105 (56.8%) 185
All Small Agencies 54 (32.1%) 33 (19.6%) 81 (48.2%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 46 (29.3%) 17 (10.8%) 94 (59.9%) 157

Question 23: Does the software ensure that color-coding is never used as the only means of conveying information or indicating an action?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1150 (68.6%) 220 (13.1%) 306 (18.3%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 646 (67.4%) 122 (12.7%) 191 (19.9%) 959
All Large Agencies 163 (78.7%) 25 (12.1%) 19 (9.2%) 207
All Medium Agencies 116 (62.7%) 49 (26.5%) 20 (10.8%) 185
All Small Agencies 123 (73.2%) 13 (7.7%) 32 (19%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 102 (65%) 11 (7%) 44 (28%) 157

Question 24: Does the application support user-defined color settings system-wide?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1174 (70%) 294 (17.5%) 208 (12.4%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 682 (71.1%) 147 (15.3%) 130 (13.6%) 959
All Large Agencies 136 (65.7%) 52 (25.1%) 19 (9.2%) 207
All Medium Agencies 110 (59.5%) 51 (27.6%) 24 (13%) 185
All Small Agencies 141 (83.9%) 22 (13.1%) 5 (3%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 105 (66.9%) 22 (14%) 30 (19.1%) 157

Question 25: Is highlighting also viewable with inverted colors?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 1155 (68.9%) 260 (15.5%) 261 (15.6%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 675 (70.4%) 134 (14%) 150 (15.6%) 959
All Large Agencies 128 (61.8%) 54 (26.1%) 25 (12.1%) 207
All Medium Agencies 116 (62.7%) 39 (21.1%) 30 (16.2%) 185
All Small Agencies 130 (77.4%) 8 (4.8%) 30 (17.9%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 106 (67.5%) 25 (15.9%) 26 (16.6%) 157

Question 26: If the software application draws its own screen elements, does it pick up the size settings that the user has selected in the Control Panel?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 972 (58%) 247 (14.7%) 457 (27.3%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 566 (59%) 136 (14.2%) 257 (26.8%) 959
All Large Agencies 112 (54.1%) 35 (16.9%) 60 (29%) 207
All Medium Agencies 92 (49.7%) 25 (13.5%) 68 (36.8%) 185
All Small Agencies 111 (66.1%) 33 (19.6%) 24 (14.3%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 91 (58%) 18 (11.5%) 48 (30.6%) 157

Question 27: Are all manuals and documentation provided in electronic format as well as ASCII text files, including text descriptions of any charts, graphs, pictures, or graphics of any nature?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 896 (53.5%) 612 (36.5%) 168 (10%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 513 (53.5%) 354 (36.9%) 92 (9.6%) 959
All Large Agencies 97 (46.9%) 93 (44.9%) 17 (8.2%) 207
All Medium Agencies 100 (54.1%) 67 (36.2%) 18 (9.7%) 185
All Small Agencies 93 (55.4%) 52 (31%) 23 (13.7%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 93 (59.2%) 46 (29.3%) 18 (11.5%) 157

Question 28: Can a user choose to have any report generated by the software made available in a "print to ASCII file" format?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 989 (59%) 430 (25.7%) 257 (15.3%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 541 (56.4%) 270 (28.2%) 148 (15.4%) 959
All Large Agencies 129 (62.3%) 62 (30%) 16 (7.7%) 207
All Medium Agencies 96 (51.9%) 44 (23.8%) 45 (24.3%) 185
All Small Agencies 113 (67.3%) 33 (19.6%) 22 (13.1%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 110 (70.1%) 21 (13.4%) 26 (16.6%) 157

Question 29: Is special training provided for users with disabilities that will enable them to become familiar with the software and learn how to use it in conjunction with assistive technology provided as an accommodation?
Type of Agency Yes No Not Applicable Total
Overall (All Agencies) 794 (47.4%) 560 (33.4%) 322 (19.2%) 1676
Cabinet Level Agencies 495 (51.6%) 311 (32.4%) 153 (16%) 959
All Large Agencies 87 (42%) 101 (48.8%) 19 (9.2%) 207
All Medium Agencies 93 (50.3%) 64 (34.6%) 28 (15.1%) 185
All Small Agencies 58 (34.5%) 58 (34.5%) 52 (31%) 168
All Very Small Agencies 61 (38.9%) 26 (16.6%) 70 (44.6%) 157


1. This document is available on the Department of Justice's section 508 Web site (www.usdoj.gov/crt/508). People with disabilities may request copies in Braille, large print, or on computer disk by calling 1-800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY).


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