Accessibility information

This page is provided for persons using assistive technology and includes the following topics:

Note: Suggested screen reader settings for JAWS and Window-Eyes follow each description.

Note: The  -  (hyphen) used in the instructions below signifies to press the keys simultaneously.


Known accessibility issues

Sakai 2.2 contains a number of accessibility issues yet to be resolved:

Please notify the Sakai Accessibility Team Lead at elledge@msu.edu if you find other problems. Use the subject line, "Sakai 2.2 Accessibility Issues".

Also, please note that it is highly recommended that JAWS version 6.1 and Window-Eyes version 5.5 or later be used, as performance will be significantly better.

Download the JAWS upgrade at:

http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_downloads/jaws.asp

Check for Window-Eyes upgrades at:

http://www.gwmicro.com/Window-Eyes/Upgrades/

Tips and tricks for navigation

Here are some tips for navigating:

How to configure JAWS and Window-Eyes settings

You can execute most of the recommended settings in Internet Explorer through the Insert-v command, followed by the relevant letter for MSAA commands (such as  h for headings), and then using the up arrow or down arrow.

To access HTML settings within JAWS itself (for example, to change default settings for JAWS), follow the steps below:

  1. Go to Utilities by pressing Alt-u .

  2. Select JAWS Configuration Manager by pressing  c .

  3. Select Set Options by pressing  s .

  4. Choose HTML Options by pressing  h .

  5. Press Ctrl-Tab to move between pages.

To access HTML settings within Window-Eyes, follow the steps below:

  1. Choose Control panel by pressing Ctrl-\ .

  2. Select the Global Menu by pressing Alt-l .

  3. Choose the Verbosity Menu by pressing  v .

  4. Select MSAA by pressing  m .

Headings

Use headings to navigate. Links to worksites, tools, and content appear as headings to facilitate navigation. Content within tools is also structured hierarchically using <h1>, <h2>, and <h3> tags.

To set JAWS to read "Headings with Level", follow the steps below:

  1. While in Internet Explorer, press Insert-v to go to the MSAA menu.

  2. Press  h  for Headings, and then  e  to execute.

Window-Eyes enables headings by default.

Frames

Because frame titles are frequently repeated, it is recommended that you do not have them announced by screen readers unnecessarily. The default setting for JAWS is not to say frame names.

If you wish to set JAWS to "Say Frame Name at Beginning and End" anyway, follow the steps below:

  1. While in Internet Explorer, press Insert-v to go to the MSAA menu.

  2. Type  f f , and then  e  to execute.

Window-Eyes enables frame names by default.

Accesskeys

Accesskeys follow the UK e-commerce standards wherever possible, and are mnemonic otherwise. On a PC, use Alt to invoke accesskeys; on a Macintosh, use Ctrl. Accesskeys are announced in the title tag for each link.

Portal-based accesskeys

Tool-specific accesskeys

Accesskeys are available for most form-based tools.

Screen refresh

Users control page refreshes. To refresh page content, press F5.

To set JAWS to turn off page refresh, follow the steps below:

  1. While in Internet Explorer, press Insert-v to go to the MSAA menu.

  2. Type  r r , and then  e  to execute.

To set Window-Eyes, press Alt-Shift-m until you hear "suspend all".

Title tags

Title tags help comprehension of action buttons and links by providing additional information.

To set JAWS to "Use Title", follow the steps below:

  1. While in JAWS, go to Utilities by pressing Alt-u .

  2. Go to Configuration Manager by pressing  c .

  3. Select Set Options by pressing Alt-s .

  4. Choose HTML Settings by pressing  h .

  5. Select Graphics Verbosity by pressing Ctrl-Tab Ctrl-Tab.

  6. Press Tab once, and then press the up arrow until you hear "Use title".

  7. Press Enter.

Window-Eyes enables title tags by default.

Form tags

Forms contain common accessibility elements, including fieldset, legend, label for, and id tags.

Table tags

To set JAWS to ignore layout tables, follow the instructions below:

  1. While in JAWS, go to Utilities by pressing Alt-u .

  2. Select Configuration Manager by pressing  c .

  3. Choose Set Options by pressing Alt-s .

  4. Select HTML Settings by pressing  h .

  5. Select Lists and tables by pressing Ctrl-Tab Ctrl-Tab Ctrl-Tab.

  6. Choose Data tables by pressing Alt-y .

  7. Press the Spacebar to check this option if not already checked. By default, it is checked already.

Window-Eyes ignores layout tables by default.

Recommended JAWS and Window-Eyes settings

The first column of the table below contains page elements, the second column provides suggested screen reader settings, and the third column contains shortcut keys in Internet Explorer to create settings.

JAWS and Window-Eyes Settings by Element
Element Suggested screen reader setting Shortcut keys in Internet Explorer
Headings Headings with level Press Insert-v . Press  h  and then  e  to execute.
Titles Read title tag Press Insert-v . Press  l l l  and then  e  to execute.
Frames Announcement off Default. Press Insert-v . Press  f  and then  e  to execute.
Tables (JAWS) Recognize data tables only Press Alt-u for Utilities, and then press  c  for Configuration Manager. Select Alt-s for Set Options, and then press  h  for HTML Options. Press Ctrl-Tab to go to Lists and Tables, and then press Alt-y for Detect Table Type.
Tables (Window-Eyes) Recognize data tables only Press Insert-v to to go to Verbosity Settings. Press  t . Press Tab to go to the radio button. Use the up arrow or down arrow until "insert beginning/end message" is selected. Note that this is enabled by default.
Refresh Suppress refreshes Press Insert-v . Press  r r , and then  e  to execute.

Compliance

The continuing objective of developers is to make the application compliant with Section 508 and WCAG 1.0 Priorities One and Two, and as usable as possible for persons using adaptive technology. Most tools follow W3C accessibility guidelines for headings, forms, tables, links, and images, but do not include non-script alternatives to JavaScript, or user messages for pop-ups or completed actions. Tools following most guidelines include:

JSF (Java Server Faces) tools have not been revised to include all accessibility elements. These include the following:

Compatible adaptive technology

Sakai 2.2 has been tested with JAWS version 6.1 and Window-Eyes version 5.5. Compliance has been evaluated using A-Prompt, WebXACT, and W3C Validator, but is not guaranteed.