Online Extra: Online resources on accessibility and Section 508

The Daltonizing algorithm, developed at Stanford University and available through the Vischeck site, can pre-process print documents or post-process Web images right in the user’s computer, increasing the contrast for the most common red/green color visual deficit. You can sample this technology online at http://www.vischeck.com/daltonize/runDaltonize.php and license it through VisCheck or http://otl.stanford.edu/contact.html .

Microsoft Corp. also has an informative Web site focusing on color contrast and how designers can deal with it, at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnhess/html/hess10092000.asp .

Other resources on Section 508:

The Section 508 standards themselves are available at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.pdf

and at

http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm .

Microsoft’s MSDN accessibility page is located at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/nhp/Default.asp?contentid=28000544 .

Microsoft also maintains a Web page of accessible products including screen readers at http://www.microsoft.com/enable /.

There is a military-related assistance site at http://www.tricare.osd.mil/cap/services/services_acc_assist_tech.cfm?TechType=23 .

There is a special accessibility wizard for Microsoft PowerPoint at http://www.rehab.uiuc.edu/ppt/index.html .

If you want to know how well your Web site meets Section 508 requirements, you can try one of these Web site compliance-testing sites:

http://www.cast.org/bobby Bobby is used by several federal agencies.

http://wave.webaim.org/index.jsp WAVE (Temple University) provides 508 and other testing functions online.

http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca / A-Prompt identifies and helps repair problems.

http://www.hisoftware.com/access/monitor.html AccMonitor - provides 24x7 508 compliance monitoring.

http://askalice.ssbtechnologies.com:8080/ssb/aa/anon/index.jsp AskAlice is run by SSB Technologies Inc.

http://www.usablenet.com/lift_onsite/los_splash.html Lift is run by UsableNet Inc.

More news on related topics: Section 508