Working with Iterators
Iterators is a Certified Trusted Tester by the Department of Homeland Security and provides a code inspection-based test approach for determining software and web conformance to Section 508 standards.
Visit them at: https://iteratorstesting.com/services/accessibility-testing
Trusted Tester Tests: The Section 508 Trusted Tester program groups the WCAG requirements into related groupings that can be tested (and developed) at the same time. With the help of Iterators the VPAT documentation for boston.gov was created. You can read the documentation here.
Test #4) Keyboard and Focus
Purpose:
Many different types of users decide to use a keyboard to navigate a web page. Some
examples are screen reader users that will tab through an interface. Other users have
motor impairments and must control a computer through a switch (such as puffing into a
straw, etc).
People that use a mouse can quickly navigate a website. Additional design features are
needed to allow the same level of access to people that use a keyboard to navigate a user
interface.
Requirements:
1) Users should be able to access all functionality by using only the keyboard.
a. First, use a mouse to identify all functionality (buttons, links, etc)
b. Second, try to utilize all of the same functions using the keyboard, mainly using the tab and enter keys.
c. This also applies if popup features are implemented, such as an informational dialog, etc.
2) Tabbing through a user interface should occur in a logical order that matches the visual pattern on the screen, such as left to right, top to bottom.
3) Tabbing through a user interface should cycle completely through the interface and not be “trapped” in a cycle.
4) Focus is visible when using a keyboard
a. Sometimes a blue border is used to show the currently active element when using a keyboard. This should be easily visible with all elements.
b. Sometimes using a mouse will also highlight an element or reveal some information. These two methods should be compatible with each other.
c. The focus should always be visible and there should not be any invisible elements when using a keyboard.
Test #9) Repetitive Content
Purpose:
It is easy to skip over content using a mouse. However, keyboard navigation users must traverse many repetitive elements such as menus.
Requirements:
1) Identify all areas of a page with repetitive content.
a. A typical example is the navigation menu at the top of web page.
b. Some web pages have multiple sections of different content, such as “news”, “events”, etc. If there are many sections, then a user might like to skip the “news” section and jump to the next section without traverse all of the elements in that section.
2) Provide a “Skip” link, such as “Skip to Main Content” for each of these repetitive areas. This skip link is typically only visible when a user is using a keyboard to navigate through a web page.
Test #6) Links & Buttons
Purpose:
Keyboard users should be able to determine the context for any link or button. Often
users determine the context by visually examining nearby text or graphics.
Additionally, some links and buttons cause a change in content on a website which is
visually observable and also needs to be accessible to keyboard users.
Requirements:
The major requirement is that accessible and unique descriptions are available for each
link and button. For example, a set of links to news events might be labeled as “Read
More…”. However, the user may not be able to determine which news event is
associated with each link. The link may still be labelled as “Read More…” as long as
there is also accessible text that provides more description, such as “Read More about the
City of Boston”.
Any new content that becomes visible with a link or button should be identified with
accessible text before the user clicks on the link or button. An example of this is a
“Learn More…” button that causes a new modal dialog to be shown. Also, the keyboard
navigation should move to the new content.
Environments
Production: https://boston.gov
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