[Me]:- Guruji, what are the accessibility questions that I can ask myself while testing the Accessibility aspect of any application
[Guruji]:- You ask variations of these questions
1. After reading Section 508 (the Rehabilitation Act Amendment [RAA]) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1988, do you notice particulars that apply to your application?
2. Will your application be made Section 508 compliant?
3. Can the application be used without a mouse? This means keyboard-only navigation and the use of the Tab key to navigate. Try placing the mouse behind the computer to force you to try this.
4. Is the tab order through the application logical (TabIndex attribute)?
5. Does the focus default to the most logical place when a user enters a page?
6. Are there any keyboard shortcuts in the product (AccessKey attributes)?
7. Are these shortcuts unique on each page compared to any other access key, browser hotkey, or system command? You cannot have duplicates.
8. Do all pages, tables, columns, frames, forms, graphics, links, animations, applets, and controls have a descriptive real-language label (ALT text and TITLE text)?
9. Do all tables have header attributes? (<TH> with a real-language description.)
10. Do all links, buttons, and graphics have tooltips?
11. Do all images used as anchors for links have a text-based alternative?
12. Is the application able to function with all graphics turned off? With the sound turned off?
13. Can the application function when the user has turned off style sheets in the browser?
14. Is color or sound the only method of communicating information to the user in any place?
15. Are the user's specified colors of fonts, links, and the background applied?
16. Are the user's specified font face and size applied?
17. Can the application be used while in High Contrast mode?
18. Does the application or site provide the appropriate properties for the controls in MSAA?
19. If any text edit boxes are used, can you change the value in the box and have MSAA recognize the new input?
20. What level of MSAA is the application standardized to (v1.3 or v2.0)? The standardization is a good marketing point and worth at least a mention on the Web page. More information on Microsoft Active Accessibility can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/enable/.
21. Do included video or animations have closed captioning, narration, or text equivalents?
Vinay Jagtap
A hard core Technocrat with over a decade of extensive experience in heading complex test projects coupled with real time experience of project management and thought leadership. Extensive experience in Performance, Security and Automation Testing and development of automation frameworks and ability to setup and execute Global service centers and Center of Excellences for testing.
