Contribute 3 Accessibility FAQ

Yes. Contribute 3 provides a range of features to help make your web site’s content accessible and meet the design requirements set forth in Section 508. Web designers or administrators can specify accessibility settings that require content contributors to use CSS, or supply image or table heading descriptions. In addition, there are features that are built into the product—such as support for Microsoft OS high-contrast screen settings, screen readers, and mouseless navigation options—that can help designers, developers, and content contributors deliver accessible web content easily. Contribute 3 contains upgrades that make it more accessible so that web content can be made even more accessible for all individuals with disabilities.

The following Contribute 3 features help you design for accessibility:

• Both third-party (e.g., Freedom Scientific’s JAWS, or GWMicro’s WindowEyes) or OS-based (e.g., Microsoft Narrator or Apple’s VoiceOver) text-to-speech or screen readers can be used to read the Contribute 3 application and the web content it creates.
• Keyboard navigation of web sites, application dialogue boxes, and tables using keyboard keys, shortcuts, and menus.
• Pre-designed accessible templates that automatically prompt for accessibility information.
• Accessibility settings such as prompts enforcing text equivalents for images and identifying headers for tables can be activated by web administrators or designers to require content contributors to create accessible content.
• Customizable contributor role settings that web administrators or designers can set to require content contributors to create accessible content.

In addition to these built-in features of Contribute 3, Macromedia provides support for designers and developers at the Macromedia Accessibility Resource Center at www.macromedia.com/macromedia/accessibility.

Your web administrator or designer is able to customize the Contribute 3 content update process for increased accessibility by defining a contributor’s "role" and specifying particular accessibility settings. For example, s/he can specify that content contributors use accessible HTML or CSS web page templates. These templates can be created in Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 to be used in both Dreamweaver and Contribute. As well, the administrator can specify specific accessibility features such as requiring image or table description information when such items are added to a website. The result is that content contributors are prompted for accessibility information as they update content, thus ensuring that the website is as accessible as possible from its very creation.

Contribute 3 is supported by JAWS from Freedom Scientific and Window Eyes from GW Micro.

Yes. Macromedia is committed to enabling our customers to comply with Section 508 in their sites by helping them to meet the Section 508 standards. In addition, Macromedia is continually working to exceed the requirements of Section 508 by making Contribute 3 the tool of choice for designers and content contributors with disabilities. For information on our compliance with industry accessibility standards for authoring tools, consult the Macromedia Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).

No. Contribute 3 does not include a built in content accessibility validation tool. However, Dreamweaver MX 2004 does have such a tool which your web administrator or designer can easily access for you. The Dreamweaver MX 2004 validation report feature allows you to validate web pages for compliance with Section 508 standards and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Priority One checkpoints. It identifies all areas with obvious errors, such as missing ALT text, as well as areas that require a manual evaluation, such as color combinations. Dreamweaver MX 2004 also includes built-in accessibility reference that explains each of the rules used to check pages for accessibility issues and includes links to more detailed information about each issue, making it easier for you to master accessibility issues relevant to your site.

As a content contributor, you can both accomplish your business objectives and design for accessibility to meet Section 508 requirements. Contribute 3 offers integrated tools that provide templates and automatic prompts to ensure the information on your website is as accessible as possible. While a wide range of design possibilities can be made to comply with the Section 508 guidelines using these tools, in some rare cases, Contribute 3 content may not be accessible and other accessibility strategies and techniques should be employed (e.g., developing alternate content or developing an alternate text-based page).