| Technical FAQ’s
1. Does
the tool analyze all of the Section 1194.21 paragraphs?
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Why is this important?
Section 1194.21 is the de facto set of criteria
for analyzing the accessibility of software programs.
All 12 of the Section 1194.21 paragraphs (paragraphs
A-L) have a number of detailed “rules”
regarding specific accessibility concerns. In order
to meet the requirements of the Section 508 accessibility
regulations, a software program must satisfy each
of the paragraphs including all of the “rules”.
Does 508 Wizard™ satisfy this criterion?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
analyzes the software program against all of the
Section 1194.21 paragraphs including all of the
detailed “rules”. |
2.
Does the tool let you configure which Section
1194.21 paragraphs and rules are evaluated?
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Why is this important?
Although Section 1194.21 is the de facto set of
criteria for analyzing the accessibility of software
programs, these paragraphs and rules are subject
to some interpretation.
Some organizations interpret these criteria differently,
and decide that certain rules are not necessary
for their organization. Also, in a practical sense,
some of the accessibility guidelines for software
programs are moot as long as the assistive technology
(AT) that is used enables the program to be accessible.
So, some rules can be ignored as long as you know
that your AT utilities will work properly with your
software.
Does 508 Wizard™ satisfy this
criteria?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
allows you to turn off the analysis of your software
programs for any of the Section 1194.21 paragraphs.
Further, 508 Wizard™ lets you selectively turn
on or off each specific rule for each of the Section
1194.21 paragraphs. |
3. Does
the tool require the execution of the software program?
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Why is this important?
Some Section 508 analysis tools require the actual
execution of the software program in order to perform
the Section 508 accessibility analysis for the program.
Requiring the execution of the software program
has several disadvantages. First, this means that
either someone must spend time running the program,
or automated test programs must be developed and
run for this purpose. Second, it is usually very
difficult to ensure that all parts of a computer
program have been executed. Third, this assumes
that the computer program is complete and functional.
In contrast, a Section 508 analysis tool that scans
the source code (i) can be executed very quickly,
(ii) provides complete coverage, and (iii) can be
used on partially developed code.
Does 508 Wizard™
satisfy this criterion?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
does not require that the software be executed in
order to thoroughly analyze the program for accessibility
problems. Because 508 Wizard™ scans the source
code without running the target program, this accessibility
analysis is much quicker and much less labor intensive.
Also, 508 Wizard™ scans all of the source code so
that comprehensive evaluation is ensured. Additionally,
508 Wizard™ can be executed on programs that are still
in the early development stage. |
4.
Does the tool cover the complete program functionality?
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Why is this important?
Testing the complete functionality of a computer
program is required to ensure that it satisfies
the Section 508 mandate. If you use a Section 508
analysis tools that requires the program to be executed,
then you would need to have test scripts that executed
the complete functionality of the program. Such
comprehensive testing procedures are very difficult
if not impossible to achieve. Rather, a Section
508 analysis tool that analyzes the source code
directly can very easily evaluate the entire functionality
of the program.
Does
508 Wizard™ satisfy this criterion?
Yes. Since 508 Wizard™
scans all of the source code for a computer program,
the complete functionality of the program is analyzed.
This is in contrast to Section 508 analysis programs
that require the program to be executed thereby
requiring the complete functionality of the program
be executed in order to ensure full analysis. |
5. Does
the tool enable you to select all of the code for a
program easily?
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Why is this important?
Modern programming languages and development environments
– such as Java™, Visual Basic®,
C++, C#, etc. – enable software developers
and large software development teams to organize
their source code in multiple directory structures
across multiple machines. Locating and identifying
all of the source code files in a given program
could be a time consuming task. And, some source
code files might be accidentally missed.
Does 508 Wizard™
satisfy this criterion?
Yes.508 Wizard™
has several features that enable you to quickly
and easily locate and identify all of the source
code in a program. For example, for Visual Basic®
programs, you only need to specify the Visual Studio®
project file, and then 508 Wizard™ can identify
and locate all of the necessary source code files.
Also, you can specify a single directory and allow
508 Wizard™ to identify and locate all of the
source code files of specific types that exist anywhere
beneath that directory. This is especially useful
for Java™ programs. |
6. Does
the tool pinpoint the location of the problems in the
source code?
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Why is this important?
Once an accessibility issue is identified, it needs
to be corrected in the source code. Often it is
not easy to know exactly where in the source code
the problem originates. Especially if you need to
remediate legacy code without the benefit of the
original developer, identifying the pertinent location
in the source code can be quite difficult. A tool
that pinpoints the location in the source code saves
a considerable amount of time and development effort.
Does 508 Wizard™ satisfy this criterion?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
provides detailed information about the specific
line of offending source code. 508 Wizard™
displays the source code file and highlights the
offending line of code. 508 Wizard™ also provides
a Developer Report that lists all of the source
code files with problems, the lines of codes with
each type of problem, and other details of interest
to software developers. |
7. Does
the tool provide information to QA staff for verifying
accessibility problems?
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Why is this important?
As mentioned previously, no automated software testing
tools (nor any manual testing procedures) can be
guaranteed to be 100% accurate. Therefore, some
manual testing is warranted even with the use of
an automated testing tool. In fact, the automated
and manual testing procedures should be performed
in a coordinated fashion. If an automated testing
tool can detect an area of suspicion but it cannot
determine if this is a definite problem, then this
information should be made available to the manual
testers. In this way, the tester can be alerted
to suspicious aspects of the program and then use
their expertise and judgment to make the final decision.
Does 508 Wizard™ satisfy this
criteria?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
provides a report specifically for QA staff that
identifies the possible accessibility errors that
require manual verification. Further, 508 Wizard™
enables the QA staff to record whether an area of
concern has been “verified” to be a
problem. Even more importantly, 508 Wizard™
provides instructional information specifically
for QA staff that explains the accessibility guidelines
including graphical examples of both accessible
and inaccessible cases for each rule. |
8. Does
the tool provide instructions for programmers to use
to correct the problems?
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Why is this important?
Identifying the existence of Section 508 accessibility
problems is just the first step in the accessibility
remediation process. Pinpointing the location of
the problem in the source code is another important
step. But, instructing the development staff as
to the best practices for correcting the source
code in another crucial step. Having definitive
instructions for correcting each specific type of
Section 508 accessibility problems is the key for
the quick remediation of these problems. Further,
by instructing the software developers as to the
proper remediation process, they will also learn
to avoid these types of programming errors in the
future.
Does 508 Wizard™
satisfy this criterion?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
provides specific best practice programming instructions
for each type of accessibility problem. A software
developer can use 508 Wizard™ to quickly locate
and identify the programming errors in the source
code, and to then quickly make the necessary corrections.
508 Wizard™ lists and describes each problem,
and displays the source code for each problem. Further,
with the aid of context sensitive help, a developer
can automatically jump to instructions for correcting
each problem. |
9. Does
the tool provide remediation instructions for specific
programming languages?
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Why is this important?
Each programming language – such as Java™,
Visual Basic®, C++, C#, etc. – has distinct
programming constructs and specific APIs of relevance
for accessibility. The details of the Java™
Accessibility APIs (JA APIs) and the Java™
SWING graphical user interface elements are very
important for making Java™ programs accessible.
Similarly, Windows programs need to use specific
Microsoft Accessibility APIs and components in appropriate
manners to ensure accessibility. Remediation instructions
must provide specific details for each programming
language to be useful for software developers.
Does 508 Wizard™ satisfy
this criterion?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
provides specific programming instructions for each
programming language. In the case of Visual Basic®,
not only are the required VB coding constructs detailed,
but the appropriate use of the Visual Studio®
tool is also graphically displayed. In the case
of Java™, both accessible and inaccessible
Java™ code examples are provided for each
accessibility rule. |
10. Does
the tool enable you to easily re-run accessibility reports
on specific sets of code?
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Why is this important?
This is important for at least 2 reasons. First,
during the testing and remediation phase, a developer
and/or QA staff will need to re-test the accessibility
of the software as it is corrected. Being able to
re-test the software quickly and easily is a time
saver, and encourages the full use of the tool.
Second, Section 508 mandates that software programs
be periodically verified to remain consistent with
these accessibility regulations. So, being able
to easily re-test the software at a later date is
valuable.
Does 508 Wizard™ satisfy this
criteria?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
enables you to save collections of software as “tasks”.
You can very easily re-evaluate all of the source
code in a task frequently or periodically. Also,
all of the logs and reports regarding the accessibility
of the “task” are saved. |
11. Does
the tool provide reports for various types of staff?
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Why is this important?
Different types of staff need information about
the accessibility of the software in different formats.
Specifically, management needs a synopsis of the
accessibility status of programs in an easily viewable
format. This enables management to quickly understand
the situation. QA and Audit staffs need information
about the accessibility of the programs organized
by specific regulations and providing accessibility
totals. This enables QA and Audit staff to quickly
understand the extent and nature of the accessibility
problems. Also, software developers need information
showing the specific source code files, line numbers,
and other coding details. This enables the developers
to correct the source code most efficiently. These
reports need to be accessible themselves so that
they are available to everyone.
Does 508 Wizard™
satisfy this criterion?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
provides specific reports for different types of
staff. A Management Report is provided that graphically
shows the overall status of a program with simple
Pass/Fail ratings and summaries. A QA Report is
included that provides the total number of accessibility
problems per paragraph and rule of Section 1194.21,
along with information about these areas of accessibility.
And, a Developers Report is provided that includes
the detailed information that is required in order
for a software engineer to quickly correct the problems.
This includes: the file directory and name; the
line number in the source file; the affected object,
component, or APIs; and, information about the violated
accessibility rule. |
12. Is
the tool itself highly accessible and consistent with
Section 508?
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Why is this important?
This is important for several reasons. First, all
tools that are used within government agencies need
to be accessible. Also, it’s beneficial for
all programs to be accessible even in the private
sector so that more people are able to use them.
Many of the people focusing on accessibility solutions
are those people with accessibility challenges themselves.
Perhaps even more importantly, the tool should be
highly accessible as a means of demonstrating the
accessibility expertise of the vendor. If the tool
itself is not accessible, the credibility of the
vendor regarding their knowledge and concern for
accessibility is questionable.
Does
508 Wizard™ satisfy this criterion?
Yes. 508 Wizard™
is a highly accessible tool. AccessABILITY Software
has strived to ensure that 508 Wizard™ not
only meets this criterion but that it is an example
of best practices for accessibility. The tool is
tested on itself, and we use leading Assistive Technology
(AT) products as part of our standard quality assurance
processes. |
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