© 2005 IBM Corporation IBM Printing Systems IBM OUTPUT ENVIRONMENT Evaluating the Accessibility of Laser Printers Michael A. Rodriguez IBM Printing Systems

© 2005 IBM CorporationIBM Printing Systems

IBM OUTPUT ENVIRONMENT

Evaluating the Accessibility of Laser Printers

Michael A. RodriguezIBM Printing Systems Division, Boulder, CO

Ron Van BuskirkIBM Systems and Technology Group, Tucson, AZ

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society – 49th Annual MeetingSeptember 29, 2005 – Orlando, Florida

OUTPUT SOLUTIONS FOR AN ON DEMAND WORLD

2 IBM OUTPUT ENVIRONMENT

Why Make Accessible Products?

According to the World Health Organization, more than 750 million people worldwide have a disability and more than 54 million of those are in the United States (U.S. Department of the Census, 1997; World Health Organization, n.d.). The primary reason to produce accessible products is to make them usable by millions of people with disabilities



Other Reasons to Make Accessible Products

Almost everyone needs accessibility - Most people during their lifetime will experience some kind of temporary or permanent disability or limitation

Millions of people with disabilities are potential customers - Additionally, products designed for use by people with disabilities are more usable for people as they get older

Compliance with worldwide regulations and standards - Many countries are adopting regulations and standards to meet the needs of people with disabilities

Accessible products benefit everyone - Generally, products designed with accessibility in mind are easier to use for everyone, partly because they have a more consistent user interface and are easier to learn



IBM is committed to supporting accessible technology. IBM Printing Systems Division and the IBM Accessibility Center have developed checklists, guidelines and methodologies for evaluating printers with respect to the Section 508 Accessibility Requirements

The US Rehabilitation Act was amended by Congress in 1998 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities

IBMs Commitment and The Law



Typical Laser Printers



Accessibility Tools

There are general methodologies for evaluating hardware and specific software applications to evaluate the accessibility of software, web pages and PDF documents



Methods and Tools Available

Checklist Evaluation tools available Tool type

Hardware General ergonomic/human factors guidelinesWheelchair reach/clearance guidelinesForce gauge

General guidelinesStandard guidelinesMechanical force -measurement tool

Software(printer drivers)

JAWS® (Freedom Scientific)Windows-Eyes® (GW Micro)Inspect Objects (Microsoft®)ZoomText® - optional (Al Squared™)MAGic® - optional (Freedom Scientific)

Screen readerScreen readerObject inspectorMagnifierMagnifier

Web pages Home Page Reader™ (IBM®)JAWS® (Freedom Scientific)Windows-Eyes® (GW Micro)WebKing™ (Parasoft®)

HTML Screen readerScreen readerScreen readerWeb syntax analyzer

Documentation Acrobat® Reader® for PDF (Adobe®)Home Page Reader™ (IBM®)JAWS® (Freedom Scientific)Windows-Eyes® (GW Micro)WebKing™ (Parasoft®)Inspect Objects (Microsoft®)

PDF Screen readerHTML Screen readerScreen readerScreen readerWeb syntax analyzerObject inspector



Accessibility Evaluations

In order to assist developers in meeting accessibility requirements IBM has developed checklists for evaluating accessibility in the following areas: Hardware Peripherals Accessibility* Software Accessibility* Web Accessibility* Documentation Accessibility* Java Accessibility Hardware Accessibility Lotus Notes Accessibility

* Applicable to laser printers



Process for Evaluating Accessibility

Determine which checklists are necessary for the product

Evaluate each checklist item using the appropriate tools

Repeat the evaluations for each additional checklist

Combine and summarize the accessibility information



Hardware Peripherals Accessibility Checklist

Controls and latches Keys and Keypads Color and Contrast Audio Timing



Controls and Latches



Software Accessibility Checklist (printer drivers)

Keyboard access Object information Sound and multimedia Display Timing Verify accessibility



Printer Driver Accessibility



Web Accessibility Checklist

Images and animations

Image mapsGraphs and chartsMultimediaScriptsApplets, plug-ins and

non-HTML contentFormsSkip to main content

FramesTable headersCascading style

sheetsColor and contrastBlinkingTimed responsesText-only pageVerify accessibility



Printer Web Page



Documentation Accessibility Checklist

Provide documentation in an accessible formatProvide documentation on all accessibility features

including keyboard accessTest for accessibility using available tools



Page from User’s Guide File



Accessibility and Usability

Meeting accessibility requirements and designing an easy-to-use product does not necessarily make the product easy to use for people with disabilities

Ease of use and ease of access efforts during product design should be performed concurrently

Usability studies and evaluations should include people with disabilities to improve overall ease of use



Prioritizing Accessibility Fixes

1. Look at the target audience of your product. Your target audience may consist of more users with certain types of disabilities than others and those areas should be a higher priority

2. Fix all problems for a given barrier before fixing problems for another. For example, fix all of the problems that are a barrier for visually-impaired users, before fixing all of the barriers for mobility-impaired users

3. Fix all problems associated with a checkpoint before fixing other problems associated with other checkpoints. For example, remove all barriers to one-handed usage before removing reach limitation barriers



Conclusion

Although this information has specifically addressed laser printers similar methodologies can be employed to evaluate other types of hardware and software products. Products designed for accessibility enhance the ability for millions of people to participate in a world where they may not otherwise have the opportunity



Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the work of IBM's Accessibility Center. Their creation of the IBM-customized checklists and evaluation techniques has provided education and guidance to all IBM usability professionals for conducting accessibility evaluations. Additionally, their continuous drive to make accessibility an integral part of IBM's culture has made our job as human factors practitioners much easier



Resources

Section 508 Home Page: http://www.section508.gov

IBM Accessibility Center Checklists: http://www 306.ibm.com/able/guidelines

ADA Accessibility Guidelines Drawings: http://www.Access-by-design.com



Questions?



Backup slides



Checklist Application

WebUse this checklist for: Web sites Web applications Portals and Portlets - For information on accessibility testing and development of portal applications, see the portal accessibility information page. DocumentationUse this checklist for: Product and Web site documentation. Domino Web ApplicationUse this checklist for: Web applications created with Domino Designer HardwareUse this checklist for: personal computers computer monitors server hardware



Checklist Application (continued)

Hardware Self Contained, Closed Product (formerly Peripherals)Use this checklist for: copiers printers fax machines similar types of products which are designed such that the user cannot attach or install assistive technology JavaUse this checklist for: Java 2 or later applications Important: Do not use this checklist for an application written completely with Eclipse Controls. For such applications use the Software Accessibility Checklist Java based tools that create output that a user would interact with, such as a document, Web page, or application user interface. The output, as well as the tool's user interface, must also be accessible. For example, if a Java based Integrated Development Environment creates Java application widgets as output, those widgets must also be accessible. Lotus Notes ApplicationUse this checklist for: Notes applications that will be deployed on the Notes Client Notes applications that will be deployed on both the Notes Client and the Web



Checklist Application (continued)

SoftwareUse this checklist for: general software products and applications that have a user interface Software based tools that create output that a user would interact with, such as a document, Web page, or application user interface. The output, as well as the tool's user interface, must also be accessible. For example, if a Software based Integrated Development Environment creates Eclipse application widgets as output, those widgets must also be accessible. Java 1.1.x applications that use standard AWT components and are designed to run only on Windows platforms software used by system administrators to control and monitor servers or other remote equipment Eclipse applications written with Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT) controls. Note: SWT controls do not use the Java Access Bridge. software with a command line interface see Frequently Asked Questions #12 for additional guidance.

Documents

© 2005 IBM Corporation IBM Printing Systems IBM OUTPUT ENVIRONMENT Evaluating the Accessibility of Laser Printers Michael A. Rodriguez IBM Printing Systems