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HostBridge and Section 508
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template
The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template
is to assist Federal contracting officials in making preliminary assessments
regarding the availability of commercial Electronic and Information Technology
products and services with features that support accessibility. It is assumed
that offerers will provide additional contact information to facilitate more
detailed inquiries.
The first table of the Template provides a summary view
of the Section 508 Standards. The subsequent tables provide more detailed
views of each subsection. There are three columns in each table. Column one
of the Summary Table describes the subsections of subparts B and C of the
Standards. The second column describes the supporting features of the product
or refers you to the corresponding detailed table, "e.g., equivalent facilitation."
The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding
the product. In the subsequent tables, the first column contains the lettered
paragraphs of the subsections. The second column describes the supporting
features of the product with regard to that paragraph. The third column contains
any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product
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Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems - Detail
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| (a) When software is designed to run
on a system that has a keyboard, product functions shall be executable from
a keyboard where the function itself or the result of performing a function
can be discerned textually. |
HostBridge accepts input that specifies keyboard actions, such as pressing AID keys. |
Any action, such as mouse clicks or pressing keys, can be programmed to send keyboard input to HostBridge. |
| (b) Applications shall not disrupt
or disable activated features of other products that are identified as accessibility
features, where those features are developed and documented according to
industry standards. Applications also shall not disrupt or disable activated
features of any operating system that are identified as accessibility features
where the application programming interface for those accessibility features
has been documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is available
to the product developer. |
HostBridge does not interfere with any other application's or operating system's accessibility features. |
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| (c) A well-defined on-screen indication
of the current focus shall be provided that moves among interactive interface
elements as the input focus changes. The focus shall be programmatically
exposed so that Assistive Technology can track focus and focus changes. |
N/A |
Focus is determined by interface developers who use HostBridge output. |
| (d) Sufficient information about a
user interface element including the identity, operation and state of the
element shall be available to Assistive Technology. When an image represents
a program element, the information conveyed by the image must also be available
in text. |
HostBridge provides both basic and extended attributes for CICS application fields. |
Interface developers can use the attributes to present information to users. |
| (e) When bitmap images are used to
identify controls, status indicators, or other programmatic elements, the
meaning assigned to those images shall be consistent throughout an application's
performance. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not generate bitmap images; all output is text-based XML. |
| (f) Textual information shall be provided
through operating system functions for displaying text. The minimum information
that shall be made available is text content, text input caret location,
and text attributes. |
HostBridge provides text content, cursor location, and text attributes for all fields returned by a CICS transaction. |
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| (g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes. |
HostBridge does not override interface display characteristics. |
Interface developers control all aspects of the interface, HostBridge merely supplies data. |
| (h) When animation is displayed, the
information shall be displayable in at least one non-animated presentation
mode at the option of the user. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not generate animated images; all output is text-based XML. |
| (i) Color coding shall not be used
as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting
a response, or distinguishing a visual element. |
Color coding is not the only information conveyed HostBridge. |
HostBridge provides color, highlighting, intensity, and outline information for each field returned by a CICS transaction. |
| (j) When a product permits a user to
adjust color and contrast settings, a variety of color selections capable
of producing a range of contrast levels shall be provided. |
N/A |
Interface developers can allow users to control the display of HostBridge data. |
| (k) Software shall not use flashing
or blinking text, objects, or other elements having a flash or blink frequency
greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not generate flashing or blinking text, objects, or other elements. |
| (l) When electronic forms are used,
the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information,
field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission
of the form, including all directions and cues. |
N/A |
Interface developers can design forms to use any Assistive Technology. |
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Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet information and applications - Detail
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| (a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). |
HostBridge provides XML descriptions of all fields returned by a CICS transaction. |
HostBridge provides information about non-display fields not normally visible to CICS application users. |
| (b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not generate multimedia presentations. |
| (c) Web pages shall be designed so
that all information conveyed with color is also available without color,
for example from context or markup. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not display web pages. |
| (d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet. |
HostBridge XML documents conform to industry-standards and do not use proprietary formatting. |
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| (e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map. |
N/A |
Interface developers are responsible for presentation of HostBridge output. |
| (f) Client-side image maps shall be
provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot
be defined with an available geometric shape. |
N/A |
Interface developers are responsible for presentation of HostBridge output. |
| (g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables. |
N/A |
HostBridge output is an XML document and does not contain data tables. |
| (h) Markup shall be used to associate
data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical
levels of row or column headers. |
N/A |
HostBridge output is an XML document and does not contain data tables. |
| (i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation |
N/A |
HostBridge output is an XML document and does not contain frames. |
| (j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not affect screen performance.. |
| (k) A text-only page, with equivalent
information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply
with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished
in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever
the primary page changes. |
HostBridge output is text-only and updates with each CICS transaction. |
XML element and attribute names are descriptive to facilitate recognition by humans. |
| (l) When pages utilize scripting languages
to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided
by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by
Assistive Technology. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not user scripting languages or create user interface elements. |
| (m) When a web page requires that an
applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret
page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies
with §1194.21(a) through (l). |
N/A |
HostBridge does not use or require applets or plug-ins to view XML documents. |
| (n) When electronic forms are designed
to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology
to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for
completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues. |
N/A |
HostBridge is not a web-based application. |
| (o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not use navigation links. |
| (p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required. |
HostBridge provides the ability to configure timeout values for bridge facilities following a completed transaction. |
HostBridge does not control application timeouts. |
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Note to 1194.22: The Board interprets paragraphs
(a) through (k) of this section as consistent with the following priority
1 Checkpoints of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0)
(May 5 1999) published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide
Web Consortium: Paragraph (a) - 1.1, (b) - 1.4, (c) - 2.1, (d) - 6.1, (e)
- 1.2, (f) - 9.1, (g) - 5.1, (h) - 5.2, (i) - 12.1, (j) - 7.1, (k) - 11.4.
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Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products - Detail
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| (a) Telecommunications products or
systems which provide a function allowing voice communication and which do
not themselves provide a TTY functionality shall provide a standard non-acoustic
connection point for TTYs. Microphones shall be capable of being turned on
and off to allow the user to intermix speech with TTY use. |
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| (b) Telecommunications products which
include voice communication functionality shall support all commonly used
cross-manufacturer non-proprietary standard TTY signal protocols. |
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| (c) Voice mail, auto-attendant, and
interactive voice response telecommunications systems shall be usable by
TTY users with their TTYs. |
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| (d) Voice mail, messaging, auto-attendant,
and interactive voice response telecommunications systems that require a
response from a user within a time interval, shall give an alert when the
time interval is about to run out, and shall provide sufficient time for
the user to indicate more time is required. |
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| (e) Where provided, caller identification
and similar telecommunications functions shall also be available for users
of TTYs, and for users who cannot see displays. |
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| (f) For transmitted voice signals,
telecommunications products shall provide a gain adjustable up to a minimum
of 20 dB. For incremental volume control, at least one intermediate step
of 12 dB of gain shall be provided. |
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| (g) If the telecommunications product
allows a user to adjust the receive volume, a function shall be provided
to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use. |
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| (h) Where a telecommunications product
delivers output by an audio transducer which is normally held up to the ear,
a means for effective magnetic wireless coupling to hearing technologies
shall be provided. |
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| (i) Interference to hearing technologies
(including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assistive listening devices)
shall be reduced to the lowest possible level that allows a user of hearing
technologies to utilize the telecommunications product. |
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| (j) Products that transmit or conduct
information or communication, shall pass through cross-manufacturer, non-proprietary,
industry-standard codes, translation protocols, formats or other information
necessary to provide the information or communication in a usable format.
Technologies which use encoding, signal compression, format transformation,
or similar techniques shall not remove information needed for access or shall
restore it upon delivery. |
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| (k)(1) Products which have mechanically
operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: Controls and Keys
shall be tactilely discernible without activating the controls or keys. |
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| (k)(2) Products which have mechanically
operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: Controls and Keys
shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching,
twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate controls and keys shall
be 5 lbs. (22.2N) maximum. |
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| (k)(3) Products which have mechanically
operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: If key repeat
is supported, the delay before repeat shall be adjustable to at least 2 seconds.
Key repeat rate shall be adjustable to 2 seconds per character. |
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| (k)(4) Products which have mechanically
operated controls or keys shall comply with the following: The status of
all locking or toggle controls or keys shall be visually discernible, and
discernible either through touch or sound. |
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Section 1194.24 Video and Multi-media Products - Detail
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| a) All analog television displays 13
inches and larger, and computer equipment that includes analog television
receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry
which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from
broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals. As soon as practicable, but
not later than July 1, 2002, wide screen digital television (DTV) displays
measuring at least 7.8 inches vertically, DTV sets with conventional displays
measuring at least 13 inches vertically, and stand-alone DTV tuners, whether
or not they are marketed with display screens, and computer equipment that
includes DTV receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption
decoder circuitry which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed
captions from broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals. |
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| (b) Television tuners, including tuner
cards for use in computers, shall be equipped with secondary audio program
playback circuitry. |
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| (c) All training and informational
video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless
of format, that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the
comprehension of the content, shall be open or closed captioned. |
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| (d) All training and informational
video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless
of format, that contain visual information necessary for the comprehension
of the content, shall be audio described. |
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| (e) Display or presentation of alternate text presentation or audio descriptions shall be user-selectable unless permanent. |
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Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Products - Detail
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| (a) Self contained products shall be
usable by people with disabilities without requiring an end-user to attach
Assistive Technology to the product. Personal headsets for private listening
are not Assistive Technology. |
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| (b) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required. |
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| (c) Where a product utilizes touch
screens or contact-sensitive controls, an input method shall be provided
that complies with §1194.23 (k) (1) through (4). |
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| (d) When biometric forms of user identification
or control are used, an alternative form of identification or activation,
which does not require the user to possess particular biological characteristics,
shall also be provided. |
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| (e) When products provide auditory
output, the audio signal shall be provided at a standard signal level through
an industry standard connector that will allow for private listening. The
product must provide the ability to interrupt, pause, and restart the audio
at anytime. |
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| (f) When products deliver voice output
in a public area, incremental volume control shall be provided with output
amplification up to a level of at least 65 dB. Where the ambient noise level
of the environment is above 45 dB, a volume gain of at least 20 dB above
the ambient level shall be user selectable. A function shall be provided
to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use. |
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| (g) Color coding shall not be used
as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting
a response, or distinguishing a visual element. |
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| (h) When a product permits a user to
adjust color and contrast settings, a range of color selections capable of
producing a variety of contrast levels shall be provided. |
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| (i) Products shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. |
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| (j) (1) Products which are freestanding,
non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable
controls shall comply with the following: The position of any operable control
shall be determined with respect to a vertical plane, which is 48 inches
in length, centered on the operable control, and at the maximum protrusion
of the product within the 48 inch length on products which are freestanding,
non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable
controls. |
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| (j)(2) Products which are freestanding,
non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable
controls shall comply with the following: Where any operable control is 10
inches or less behind the reference plane, the height shall be 54 inches
maximum and 15 inches minimum above the floor. |
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| (j)(3) Products which are freestanding,
non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable
controls shall comply with the following: Where any operable control is more
than 10 inches and not more than 24 inches behind the reference plane, the
height shall be 46 inches maximum and 15 inches minimum above the floor. |
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| (j)(4) Products which are freestanding,
non-portable, and intended to be used in one location and which have operable
controls shall comply with the following: Operable controls shall not be
more than 24 inches behind the reference plane. |
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Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers - Detail
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| (a) All mechanically operated controls and keys shall comply with §1194.23 (k) (1) through (4). |
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| (b) If a product utilizes touch screens
or touch-operated controls, an input method shall be provided that complies
with §1194.23 (k) (1) through (4). |
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| (c) When biometric forms of user identification
or control are used, an alternative form of identification or activation,
which does not require the user to possess particular biological characteristics,
shall also be provided. |
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| (d) Where provided, at least one of
each type of expansion slots, ports and connectors shall comply with publicly
available industry standards |
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Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria - Detail
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| (a) At least one mode of operation
and information retrieval that does not require user vision shall be provided,
or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are blind or visually
impaired shall be provided. |
N/A |
HostBridge XML output is searchable and digestible by applications that use XPath. |
| (b) At least one mode of operation
and information retrieval that does not require visual acuity greater than
20/70 shall be provided in audio and enlarged print output working together
or independently, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who
are visually impaired shall be provided. |
HostBridge does not support audio. |
Interface developer can add auditory functions as needed.
Text can be displayed at various sizes, colors and weights without affecting document usability.
HostBridge XML documents can be printed at enlarged settings.
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| (c) At least one mode of operation
and information retrieval that does not require user hearing shall be provided,
or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are deaf or hard of
hearing shall be provided |
N/A |
HostBridge does not require user hearing to operate. |
| (d) Where audio information is important
for the use of a product, at least one mode of operation and information
retrieval shall be provided in an enhanced auditory fashion, or support for
assistive hearing devices shall be provided. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not generate audio.
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| (e) At least one mode of operation
and information retrieval that does not require user speech shall be provided,
or support for Assistive Technology used by people with disabilities shall
be provided. |
N/A |
HostBridge does not require user speech to operate. |
| (f) At least one mode of operation
and information retrieval that does not require fine motor control or simultaneous
actions and that is operable with limited reach and strength shall be provided. |
N/A |
HostBridge XML output is usable by any accessible applications that digest XML input. |
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