Research Reports

AN ACCESSIBILITY EVALUATION OF THE CENSUS LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Lawrence Malakhoff

KEY WORDS: accessibility, Learning Management System, web-based training, Internet.

ABSTRACT

Annually, Census Bureau employees must take web-based training for mandatory topics such as Title 13 and IT Security Awareness. These training courses reside in a web-based application known as a Learning Management System (LMS), which keeps records on course completion and knowledge check scores. In order for all users to be able to access the LMS, the application must conform to Federal accessibility regulations. This evaluation of LMS accessibility was performed in May 2007 using the Job Access With Speech (JAWS) screen-reader, software used by people with visual disabilities. According to the federal regulations, 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, that the horizontal navigation bar does not have a skip link for screen reader users to bypass it and access screen content quickly. The calendar function does not provide a means for screen reader users to hear whether the date is the current date and what type of event or events are scheduled. Both of these omissions violate the Federal regulations. This report uses screen shots to illustrate how compliance with Federal regulations can be accomplished, and it includes recommendations to improve the accessibility of the user interface.

CITATION:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Research Division

Created: September 20, 2007
Last revised: September 20, 2007