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.
Date: April 26, 2011
Name of product: Adobe® Photoshop® CS5.5
Contact for more information: access@adobe.com
Summary Table
| Guideline | Applicable | Compliance |
|---|---|---|
Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems |
Applicable |
Supports with exceptions |
Section 1194.22 Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Systems |
Not applicable |
— |
Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products |
Not applicable |
— |
Section 1194.24 Video and Multimedia Products |
Not applicable |
— |
Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Products |
Not applicable |
— |
Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers |
Not applicable |
— |
Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria |
Applicable |
Supports with exceptions |
Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation, Support |
Applicable |
Supports |
| 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. |
Does not support |
Customizable keyboard navigation is provided for all menu commands, as well as for selecting and invoking tools, commands, and functions in Photoshop CS5.5. However, some commands and functions are not usable with the keyboard alone. For example, within most panels, such as the Brush and Layers panels, keyboard shortcuts to display them are provided, but the shortcut does not place focus on the panel. Most drawing and selection tools require the use of a mouse. For example, the Eraser and Brush tools cannot be operated using the keyboard. Interacting with most objects on the canvas requires a mouse. Some controls in dialog boxes are not operable using a keyboard alone. For example, in the Trim dialog box it is not possible to change the settings without a mouse. |
(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. |
Supports |
Photoshop CS5.5 does not interfere with or deactivate accessibility features of the operating system. |
(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. |
Supports with exceptions |
Focus is well defined visually and is exposed programmatically in most areas of the Photoshop CS5.5 interface, with some exceptions, including:
|
(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. |
Supports with exceptions |
Most controls in the Photoshop CS5.5 interface provide sufficient information to assistive technology with some exceptions, including:
|
(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. |
Supports |
|
(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. |
Supports with exceptions |
Textual information is programmatically exposed to assistive technologies with some exceptions, including: Text content created on the Canvas, is not exposed to assistive technologies. |
(g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes. |
Supports with exceptions |
With the exception of menus and some controls in panels and dialog boxes, Photoshop CS5.5 does not support Windows High Contrast Mode. |
(h) When animation is displayed, the information shall be displayable in at least one non-animated presentation mode at the option of the user. |
Supports |
Photoshop CS5.5 does not use animation in the user interface. |
(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. |
Supports with exceptions |
The Photoshop CS5.5 user interface does not use color as the only means of conveying information, with the exception of tools that explicitly involve color such as the Histogram and Swatches panels. |
(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. |
Supports with exceptions |
Photoshop CS5.5 allows for some customization of canvas and menu colors but there is no option to set a range of contrast levels for the interface as a whole. |
(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. |
Supports |
The Photoshop CS5.5 user interface does not use 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. |
Supports with exceptions |
Most form controls in Photoshop CS5.5 expose information programmatically and allow the user to access field elements to complete and submit the forms. There are some exceptions, including:
|
| 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. |
Does not support |
Many controls in the Photoshop CS5.5 interface provide full keyboard access and sufficient information to assistive technology. However, some functions such as interacting with panels, manipulating objects on the canvas and editing text on the canvas are not fully supported for screen readers. |
(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. |
Supports with exceptions |
Photoshop CS5.5 supports the use of screen magnifiers. However, there is not a well defined on-screen indication of focus in panels in Photoshop CS5.5 and focus is not programmatically exposed. In some dialog boxes, such as File Info., focus is not programmatically exposed for all controls. |
(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 |
Not applicable |
Photoshop CS5.5 does not use sound to present information. |
(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. |
Not applicable |
Photoshop CS5.5 does not use audio to present information. |
(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. |
Not applicable |
Photoshop CS5.5 does not require user speech. |
(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. |
Supports with exceptions |
Photoshop CS5.5 contains some functions requiring the use of the mouse and simultaneous keyboard selections. |
| Criteria | Supporting Features | Remarks and explanations |
|---|---|---|
(a) Product support documentation provided to end-users shall be made available in alternate formats upon request, at no additional charge. |
Supports |
Adobe provides electronic versions of all product support documentation. |
(b) End-users shall have access to a description of the accessibility and compatibility features of products in alternate formats or alternate methods upon request, at no additional charge. |
Supports |
Adobe provides information on accessibility features in the documentation. Electronic versions of all product support documentation are provided. |
(c) Support services for products shall accommodate the communication needs of end-users with disabilities. |
Supports |
Product support for Adobe products is available in a variety of formats and from a number of online sources available from Adobe Systems. |
