Test for accessibility

The following techniques are the minimum required to meet Checkpoint 3 from the IBM Documentation Accessibility Checklist:

• Test using the keyboard. The mouse should never be used during accessibility testing.
• Test using a screen reader for Windows Help, PDF or Java documentation.
• Test using a screen reader and a Web checking tool for HTML documentation.
• Test using the testing techniques provided for each checkpoint.

The techniques above are required; the following techniques are recommended to enhance accessibility:

• Test using a screen magnifier.
• Test using accessibility test tools such as Inspect Objects. Inspect can be used to determine whether there is an accessibility problem with your application or with the screen reader. If your application is coded correctly, but the screen reader does not read the application, use Inspect to verify that the right information is available to the screen reader. If Inspect provides accurate information in the Name, Value, Role and State fields, but the screen reader does not read the information, it is probably a screen reader issue and not a problem with your application.
• Include people with disabilities in the beta and usability tests of the product.

The following table summarizes the tools available to test documentation for accessibility. There are two tools currently available to verify on-line documentation. The Adobe Accessibility Full Check tool can verify several specific PDF guidelines. A Web checking tool can verify some accessibility checkpoints for HTML documentation. Since these checkers cannot verify all checkpoints, it is still necessary to test documentation with assistive technology.