AN ACCESSIBILITY AND USABILITY EVALUATION
OF THE 2007 ECONOMIC CENSUS ELECTRONIC REPORTING SOFTWARE APPLICATION
Lawrence Malakhoff
KEY WORDS: accessibility, Surveyor 2007, Internet, usability.
ABSTRACT
Business establishments use 2007 Economic Census electronic forms, as implemented in Surveyor 2007, to complete and submit their data via the Internet to the U.S. Census Bureau. In order for all users to be able to access Surveyor 2007 and submit their data, the application must conform to Federal accessibility regulations. This evaluation was performed in June 2007 using the Job Access With Speech (JAWS) screen-reader, software used by people with visual disabilities. Computer users who have visual and or other disabilities are entitled to have the same access as users who do not currently have any disabilities.
The evaluation revealed, for example, keyboard navigation does not function between panels and instructions for form completion are below the “fold” on the “Welcome” tab. This report uses screen shots to illustrate how compliance with Federal regulations can be accomplished, and includes recommendations to improve the accessibility and usability of the interface.
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