Validating websites for accessibility
Adobe® Dreamweaver® CS4 software makes it easier than ever to validate sites for accessibility. With reporting tools for accessibility and valid code, designers and developers can quickly identify problems on a single page, a collection of pages, or even an entire site. Dreamweaver CS4 checks the selected pages for compliance with Section 508 standards or World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines and then generates a list of problems, so you can quickly find and repair the areas that need attention.
Here's a basic overview of website accessibility validation using Dreamweaver CS4.
Accessibility standards
Accessibility standards vary at the national, state, local, and institutional levels. Before developing a website, it's important to identify and understand the applicable policy and its implications for your design. Most policies around the world are based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines of the W3C. In the United States, these guidelines are the basis of the standards mandated under Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 standards affect all federal government websites.
Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act also affects websites developed or maintained by the U.S. government. University websites are not required to conform to Section 508 standards, although some universities may adopt these standards as the basis of an institutional policy. Outside of the United States, the W3C guidelines serve as the basis of most accessibility policies. Australia, Canada, Japan, and the European Union all have accessibility policies based on the W3C guidelines.
Creating reports
Instead of waiting until you've completed a website to validate its accessibility, it's better to validate your work frequently throughout the building process. This helps identify issues before they become too problematic or widespread.
To validate a site for accessibility in Dreamweaver CS4, start by opening a page from the site you wish to evaluate. Be sure this page is saved before continuing. Select Site > Reports. The Reports dialog box appears:
Select the Accessibility category and click the Settings button. The Report Settings dialog box appears:
This dialog box allows you to select the standards used to evaluate a site. You can choose to validate based on Section 508 standards or the W3C guidelines or to examine only a single set of elements, such as images. To use only Section 508 standards, select the ALL category and click Disable. This turns all reporting off. Then select the 508 accessibility category and click Enable. This activates only rules pertaining to Section 508 standards. Click OK to close the dialog box.
To run a report on a single page, be sure to use the Current Document pull-down menu at the top of the dialog box. To run a report on an entire site, simply select Entire Current Local Site. It is also possible to specify individual folders or files for evaluation. When the pages to be evaluated have been selected, click Run on the Reports menu.
Working with report results
After the report has been run, the Results panel appears at the bottom of the Dreamweaver CS4 workspace with a list of results from both automatic and manual tests. The automatic tests look for obvious errors on the page, such as a missing alt attribute. The manual tests require you to review the indicated content and consider such points as deciding whether a long description is needed for an image. Failed automatic tests are indicated by a red "X" next to the item. Required manual tests are indicated by a gray question mark next to the item.
Each item listed in the Results panel cites the relevant rule according to Section 508 and W3C standards. If you need more information about a standard, click the More Info icon in the far left column of the Results panel to open the Reference panel. The Reference panel provides explanations of the rules used and contains links to more detailed information about Section 508 standards and W3C guidelines.
To repair a problem listed in the Results panel, simply double-click the item. The corresponding page opens with the area that needs attention highlighted, so you can quickly repair the problem. After repairing a page, it's wise to run the report again to verify that all issues have been resolved.
