FEATURED TECH EXPERT

About Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

BACKGROUND

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT)

accessible to people with disabilities. The law (29 U.S.C § 794 (d)) applies to

all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic

and information technology. Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled

employees and members of the public access to information comparable to

the access available to others.

Some examples of assistive technologies are:

Mobility aids (such as wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes, crutches, prosthetic devices, and orthotic devices).
Hearing aids to help people hear or hear more clearly.
Cognitive aids, including computer or electrical assistive devices, to help people with memory, attention, or other challenges in their thinking skills.
Computer software and hardware, such as voice recognition programs, screen readers, and screen enlargement applications, to help people with mobility and sensory impairments use computers and mobile devices.
Tools such as automatic page turners, book holders, and adapted pencil grips, to help learners with disabilities participate in educational activities.
Closed captioning to allow people with hearing problems to watch movies, television programs, and other digital media.
Physical modifications in the built environment, including ramps, grab bars, and wider doorways, to enable access to buildings, businesses, and workplaces.
Light-weight, high-performance mobility devices that enable persons with disabilities to play sports and be physically active.

INTRODUCING MICHAEL CLARK & RESILIENT COMMUNICATION

Michael Clark is GLOREHE's featured ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERT.

In layman’s terms, he opens windows towards resiliency and independent living for the handicapped and others limited by advanced age and infirmities such as blindness, low vision, deafness, traumatic brain injury, motor impairment, etc.

He was born in Maryland to African-American parents and trained since childhood to overcome his legal blindness by his licensed clinical social worker mother, Deborah Guled. His resume reveals a wholistic education and experience in the work place, ranging from store management to training in technology from computer assembly to IT technology and Federal training in assistive technology and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that protects the handicapped.

Michael’s service and product is never more crucial than today, when the COVID-19 Pandemic’s social distancing requirements make his expertise a key ingredient to economic resurgence: His work will allow more people to buy and sell products online. His expertise will promote skills, products and services, allowing the disabled to participate on their own in E-commerce.

Michael’s expertise is also a solution to loneliness brought by social distancing because his product and services allow people to communicate long distance in ways that foster closeness, camaraderie, learning etc., even to those who suffer from the impediments of blindness, deafness, traumatic brain injury, old age, etc.

MICHAEL'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISABLED:

EASING LIFE AND COMMUNICATION DESPITE COVID-19

Michael dedicates himself to the disabled, by using his expertise to make electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to this group, in websites, electronic devices like phones, home security systems, digital personal assistants etc.

Michael desires to empower the disabled to shop online; manage their everyday tasks; communicate with loved-ones, doctors, pharmacists, and others in their top lists; and enjoy entertainment, whether or not there are others to help them.

Michael’s solution is founded on Section 508 technology, primarily through assistive technology which is designed for the use by the disabled in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible.

FAQ'S: how Michael makes websites accessible to the disabled

Q: What is the first step in building a website with accessibility for the disabled?

A: Michael’s first step is to perform Analysis to determine if the website is perceivable, by everyone, including those with disabilities. He determines whether or not:

Analysis to determine if the website is perceivable, by everyone including those with disabilities.
The website is operable by everyone by using more than one method, including use of mouse and keyboard access.
The website is usable and functional; Meaning all the links, all the pages, and everything in it can be opened;
The website is robust. Meaning as technology changes, the website remains functional.

Q: What are some of the Illustrative Examples of Manual testing?

A: For example Michael uses a cell phone to test a website. He would find the “talk-back” feature of the phone, and navigate the website opening each page, each link and each element of the website.

The goal is to test the four criteria:

Is the website is perceivable? For example, if you type google.com, you want to see the google.com website and not whitehouse.gov, etc.
Is it operable? Can navigate, and give the service or information that is expected on the page. For example, will it show text and images that are expected to be seen, etc.?
Is the website is usable? Can the website provide the utilization it was intended for? For example, the GOOGLE website is intended to search for information, If it yields the proper information that is connected to the key-word typed, then, the website is usable.
Is the website robust? Does it survive as technology changes?

Q: What are the criteria to ensure website conformity to Section 508 requirements for accessibility

A: The answers to the following questions must be “yes”:

Does it provide text alternatives for non-text content?
Does it provide an alternative to “video-only” and “audio-only content”?
Does it provide captions for videos with audio?
Does the video with offer a second alternative such as a transcript or close captioning?
Does the website have a logical order?

Examples of key questions

Is the title of the website on the top of the landing page?
Is every link’s purpose is clear from its context?
Does the page have a language assigned?
Do elements not change when they receive focus?
Do elements not change when they receive input?
Does the website clearly identify input errors?
Does the website label elements and give instructions?
Are there no manor code errors and all elements are built for accessibility?
Does it have meaningful structure? For example, does the user move from left to right and not right to left; and from top to bottom and not bottom to top?
Does it present content in a meaningful order? For example, does the website use more than one sense for instructions?
Does the presentation depend solely on color?
Does the audio play automatically?
Is there an accessible keyboard available? Does it trap keyboard users?
Are there time limits and user controls?
Does it provide user controls for moving content?
Are there content flashes more than three times per second?
Does it provide a ‘Skip to Content’ link?
Does the website use helpful and clear page titles?

strategic communication ignites & fuels your business goals and operatiONS

resilient communication: website accessibility

FEATURED EXPERT: MICHAEL CLARK & HIS SERVICES --