tutorial on 508 compliance?

Here are a couple of postings that discuss the pros and cons of Storyline's 508 compliance.

http://community.articulate.com/forums/p/13607/80146.aspx#80146

http://community.articulate.com/forums/p/13607/80146.aspx#80187

There are a couple of minor annoyances with the screen reader and some organization's compliance checklists may have a problem with these items. The output is usable and most of the cons on Dianne's list can be worked around.

One thing to note, as I alluded to above with our 2 classifications of accessibility, is that perfect compliance isn't attainable - compliance is a balance. The rules are intentionally open to some level of interpretation and the ultimate test is 1) whether or not the target user can actually use the solution and 2) whether it was actually worth it.

A published output can completely meet each compliance requirement and still be completely unusable (inconveniently frustrating to the point of giving up) or useless (compromised to the point that a document would be just as effective).

Test it to see how it will work for your target population. This is also an early version of the tool, so if you find something that really doesn't work that well for your audience, report the issue so the folks at Articulate can take a look. 

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Here's some verbiage from our internal operating procedures that explains what I mean by sensible accessibility rules. Sadly, very few folks actually read what the requirements say, very few take the rules all the way back to the root of law, and fewer still apply good sense to design decision-making. The rules aren't intended to circumvent good design as draconian law, merely to provide some semblance of autonomy and fairness for those that don't have the same physical advantage as the majority. This stuff doesn't need to be a difficult battle.

"Government agencies providing services and information through any channel are 

obligated to provide universal access to all citizens and employees. Policy, checklists, 

and guidelines exist at the agency level and shall be followed. This section defines a 

model for practice that provides usability while considering the task being trained.

Universally Accessible - Provides a positive experience and complete access to information

regardless of the physical abilities of the user. 

Principles of universal access apply to all ADL products. Much of the discussion 

surrounding accessibility is focused on narrow cases. This relegates Section 508 

compliance testing to “works in a screen reader” or “is closed captioned”. While these 

features are important, this narrow focus ignores a larger audience with disabilities that 

include color blindness, partial vision, motor control and learning disabilities. This 

focus can also lead to unnecessary compromises in the design of the experience.

42 U.S.C. § 12182(b)(2)(A)(iii)

(iii) a failure to take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that no individual with a 

disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other 

individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services, unless the entity can 

demonstrate that taking such steps would fundamentally alter the nature of the good, 

service, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation being offered or would 

result in an undue burden;

The law indicates that a person with a disability cannot be excluded or treated 

differently than a person without the disability. The law also implies that fundamentally 

altering the nature of the service being offered is considered unacceptable. While we 

must pursue universal accessibility at each opportunity, we must also consider the task

represented in the training product. 

If the task requires abilities to perform a task, we must authentically represent these 

tasks in practice. In other words, making design compromises that alter the authenticity 

of the performance of a task defeats the purpose of the training tool. In such cases, 

partial compliance or exclusion from compliance is reasonable; but only for the 

activities that represent the task. All other elements of the product will be universally 

accessible.

This model of accessibility is sensible and considerate. The key to providing a 

sensible level of support for universal accessibility is in determining the performance 

requirements for the task being trained. For example, if a task requires sight or hearing

to perform, this activity will not, necessarily, provide an authentically accessible 

alternative. However, the solution will let the disabled user know that the specific task 

and associated activity require these abilities. The solution will also provide the 

opportunity to skip the activity. This is the considerate component of the model. This 

provides a best of both worlds experience for all users without making inauthentic 

compromises or confusing impaired users. This model for construction provides a clear 

set of principles that make products work for everyone, every time and should eliminate 

waiver requests.  This does not provide an excuse to make technology choices that make 

accessibility difficult. Nor does it provide permission for developers to avoid 

accessibility all together."