U.S.
Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section
P.O. Box 66738
Washington, DC 20035-6738
Software Accessibility
Checklist 1
This Checklist should serve as a tool for evaluating the extent to which software applications are
accessible to most people with disabilities. This document is based on the U.S. Department of
Education's "Requirements for Accessible Software Design," including the technical guidance that
appears as Appendix A to the "Requirements." The "Requirements" document and the appendix
are available at:
http://ocfo.ed.gov/coninfo/clibrary/software.htm
More specific recommendations for how to design accessible software can be obtained from Joe
Tozzi or others on the Assistive Technology Team in the Department of Education's Office of the
Chief Information Officer Technology Center, (202) 708-7298 (voice), (202) 401-8510 (TTY),
Internet: Joe_Tozzi@ed.gov.
Although the Department of Education's guidelines may differ from the legally-enforceable
standards that the Access Board will promulgate by February 7, 2000, they are among the most
helpful
references currently available to assist your agency in determining the extent
to which your
software applications are accessible to and useable by persons
with disabilities.
When evaluating your software applications, be sure to test them under the same circumstances
under which employees or members of the public with disabilities would be using them. For
instance, if you use off-the-shelf software on a network environment, test the software on the
same network, not in a stand-alone environment.
NOTE:
In addition to filling out this "Software Accessibility Checklist,"
you must also test each
1.For persons with disabilities, additional
copies of this document are available on
computer disk and in alternate formats including large print, Braille, and audio cassette, by calling
the U.S. Department of Justice at the following numbers:
Section 508 Coordinators: 1-202-305-8304 (voice)
1-202-353-8944 (TTY)
ADA Information Line: 1-800-514-0301 (voice)
1-800-514-0383 (TTY)
Alternate format copies for persons with disabilities may also be requested via e-mail to:
This document is available on the Section 508 Home Page of the Civil Rights Division, U.S.
Department of Justice
Software Accessibility
Checklist
page 2 of 5
application by running it with assistive technologies commonly used by persons with disabilities,
including, at a minimum, screen readers, and, if possible, alternate input devices, screen
enlargement software, and voice recognition software and devices. Make a note of any problems
encountered during this exercise in the space provided on page 5.
Person filling out this
Checklist:
Component/Agency: ____________________________________________________________
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Title: _________________________________________________________________________
Telephone: ____________________________________________________________________
Fax number: ___________________________________________________________________
E-mail address: _________________________________________________________________
Software application under
review:
Title/Version: __________________________________________________________________
Developer (give full name, no acronyms): ____________________________________________
Customization: choose the most appropriate description:
(a) commercial off-the-shelf software (used "as is")
(b) commercial software, but modified for agency use
(c) custom software developed under contract
(d) custom software developed in-house
Description: choose the most appropriate:
(a) word processor
(b) spreadsheet
(c) database
(d) groupware
(e) e-mail
(f) Internet browser
(g) other Internet access
(h) online database access
(i) other (describe): ____________________
Used by approximately ____ members of the public and _____ Federal employees on a weekly
basis.
Software
Accessibility Checklist
page 3 of 5
Category |
Question |
Y |
N |
N/A |
Keyboard
Access |
1. Does the software provide keyboard equivalents for all mouse actions, including buttons, scroll windows, text entry fields, and pop-up windows? |
|
|
|
Keyboard
Access |
2. Does the program provide clear and precise instructions for use of all keyboard functions as part of the user documentation? |
|
|
|
Keyboard
Access |
3. Are instructions regarding keyboard use widely available for all users in your
component? |
|
|
|
Keyboard
Access |
4. Does the software have a logical tabbing order among fields, text boxes, and focal
points? |
|
|
|
Keyboard
Access |
5. When navigating screens and dialog boxes using the keyboard, does the focus follow a logical tabbing order? |
|
|
|
Keyboard
Access |
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)? |
|
|
|
Keyboard
Access |
7. Are shortcut keys provided for all
pull-down menus? |
|
|
|
Keyboard
Access |
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)? |
|
|
|
Timing |
9. If timed responses are present, does the software allow the user to modify the timing parameters of any required timed responses? |
|
|
|
Screen
Elements |
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? |
|
|
|
Screen
Elements |
11. Does every window, object, and control have a clearly named label? |
|
|
|
Any "no" answer may indicate a
problem with accessibility.
Software Accessibility
Checklist
page
4 of 5
Category |
Question |
Y |
N |
N/A |
Screen
Elements |
12. Does the software application use standard controls rather than owner-drawn or custom
controls? |
|
|
|
Icons |
13. Does the software have a user selectable option to display text on icons, i.e., text only icons or bubble help? |
|
|
|
Icons |
14. Is the use of icons consistent throughout the application? |
|
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|
Icons |
15. Are menus with text equivalents provided for all icon functions or icon selections on menu, tool, and format bars? |
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Sounds |
16. If there are audio alerts, are visual cues also provided? Note: Most operating systems handle this issue in the client/server environment; the question is most relevant in a dumb terminal
environment . |
|
|
|
Sounds |
17. Does the software support the "show sounds" feature where it is built into the
operating system? |
|
|
|
Sounds |
18. Can the user disable or adjust
sound volume? |
|
|
|
Sounds |
19. If information is provided in an audio format, is it also capable of being displayed by the user in a visual format? |
|
|
|
Display |
20. Is the software application free of patterned backgrounds used behind text or important graphics? |
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|
Display |
21. Can a user override default fonts for printing and text displays? |
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|
Display |
22. Can a user adjust or disable flashing, rotating, or moving displays? |
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Color |
23. Does the software ensure that color-coding is never used as the only means of conveying information or indicating an action? |
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Color |
24. Does the application support user-defined color settings system-wide? |
|
|
|
Any "no"
answer may indicate a problem with accessibility.
Software Accessibility
Checklist
page 5 of 5
Category |
Question |
Y |
N |
N/A |
Color |
25. Is highlighting also viewable with
inverted colors? |
|
|
|
Size |
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? |
|
|
|
Documentation |
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? |
|
|
|
Documentation |
28. Can a user choose to have any report generated by the software made available in a "print to ASCII file" format? |
|
|
|
Training |
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? |
|
|
|
30. After you have evaluated this application using the Checklist, test it by running the
application with a sampling of the common assistive technologies used by persons with
disabilities (including, at a minimum, screen readers, and, if possible, alternate input
devices, screen enlargement software, and voice recognition software and devices).
Describe the accessibility successes and problems you encountered during these testing
exercises, as well as your plans for addressing any problems:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Any "no" answer
may indicate a problem with accessibility.