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=Accessibility - Essentials=
==Disabilities Defined==
A disability in web accessibility terms is a condition or barrier that limits a person from interacting with or accessing information or functionality of a web application.
[[File:a11y-tech.jpg|thumb|none|500px|Assistive devices: eye tracking, a switch, sip and puff device, refreshable braille keyboard]]
==Screen readersReaders==
The most commonly used screen readers are:
Visit [https://www.aoda.ca/ aoda.ca (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act)] and [https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11 ontario.ca (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005)] to learn more.
==Testing for accessibilityAccessibility==
The SmartSimple Cloud platform is tested for accessibility regularly by internal teams and on demand by 3rd party testers. Primary testing is done with the '''JAWS''' screen reader on desktop computers. Meeting accessibility guidelines is a shared responsibility. How you choose to configure your system and the content you enter into the system affects how accessible your system will be.
[https://www.smartsimple.com/trust-center-agreements Download our Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (PDF)]
===Automated testingTesting===
There are a number of tools you can use to test your system.
[https://color.a11y.com/ '''a11y Web Accessibility Contrast Checker'''] - Check the contrast ratio of content on a web page (colored text over a colored background).
==Beyond automated testingAutomated Testing==
Automated tools may present false positives and may not catch usability errors. As such you may want to:
If you are a System Administrator you need to pay special attention to ensuring the configuration of your system remains accessible. Here is some important information to note when you modify your system.
===Define alternate text Alternate Text for the logoLogo===
The system logo appears in the top left of the header in your system. You must provide equivalent alternative text for this logo. Typically, your alternative text for this image would be your organization name or the name you have given your system.
Modify the alternate text for your logo by going to '''Menu''' icon > '''Global Settings''' > '''Branding''' tab > and enter your desired text into the '''Logo Text''' input.
===All links Links and buttons must be descriptiveButtons Must Be Descriptive===
If you are adding a link or a button inside your system never say '''click here'''! A user with a screen reader tabs from link to link and will have no idea what will happen when the link is read out of context.
Keep link text short and precise lengthy descriptions are difficult to understand and increase cognitive load. Strive to select a few words that best describe your link, and avoid using the same text for links that go to the same locations.
===Title tags Tags on custom templatesCustom Templates===
In some scenarios, you may wish to define the title for a specific page in the system. For example, if you use the '''Page Layout''' option of '''Custom''' on a signup page, you can manually edit the title found between the title tags in the HTML.
===Table Syntax and adding Adding HTML===
If you are entering HTML into your system and adding a table for display purposes, consider indicating it with '''role=presentation'''. Tables headers should use '''TH''' and table data should use '''TD'''. You may also wish to consider adding '''scope''' (col, colgroup, row, rowgroup) to headers. Ensuring you are using proper semantic structures will ensure your content is machine readable by assistive technologies.
Visit [https://webaim.org/techniques/tables/data WebAIM's page on creating accessible tables] to learn more.
===The BR tagTag===
Don't use '''BR''' tags to create visual space. Wrap your text in a '''P''' tag or a block level element such as a '''DIV''' and add a class or style if needed to control the visual space. The only appropriate place to use a '''BR''' tag would be for poetry, song lyrics and arguably address fields. When a screen reader encounters a '''BR''' tag it will stop reading, requiring the user to move forward to the next line manually. Using a double '''BR''' tag is therefore very cumbersome for users of assistive technology. Visit [https://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-html5-author-20110809/the-br-element.html w3.org (the BR Element)]
[[File:A11y-br.png|thumb|none|800px|Don't use BR tags to create visual space.]]
===Nested tagsTags===
HTML tags should be '''nested''' in a proper order, meaning that the tag opened most recently is always the next tag to close. Example if you open a '''SPAN''' inside a '''DIV''' make sure you close the '''SPAN''' before you close the '''DIV'''.
[[File:A11y-bold.png|thumb|none|800px|Use Strong and EM tags not B and I tags.]]
===Underlined textText===
Generally don’t underline text on the web that is not a link. Underlines are strongly perceived to be a clickable link which will confuse and frustrate users. Use '''strong''' or '''em''' or header tags to denote importance and avoid the '''u''' tag. The U tag is not intended to convey semantic meaning. According to [https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_u.asp w3schools.com] underline text should only be used for things like misspelled words or proper names in Chinese.
===Font tagTag===
The font tag is not supported in HTML5 its use should be avoided. Visit [https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_font.asp w3schools.com]
===Declare languageLanguage===
Your system will automatically declare the language on system generated pages, but if you add a static content or a page in a [[Smart Folder|SmartFolder]] you will need to declare the language.
Visit [https://www.w3docs.com/learn-html/html-language-codes.html ISO Language Codes] to learn more.
===Use title bars Title Bars (headingsHeadings) and tabsTabs===
Chunk like content under the '''Layout – Title bar''' custom field to make it easier to navigate to sets of content. The '''layout – title bar''' custom field is '''H2''' (heading level 2). In contrast the name field at the top of object pages is an '''H1''' (heading level 1). By using the title bar field, people using assistive technology can quickly jump or skip content to get from one header (section of content) to another.
[[File:2020-a11y-home.png|thumb|none|800px|How the <strong>H1</strong> and <strong>H2</strong> headers look when using the white paper theme in a portal with <strong>Display As Title</strong> toggled on.]]
===Contrast ratio Ratio of text Text and backgroundBackground===
The contrast ratio of text to background color must be 4.5 or more to meet WCAG guidelines. You can check color combinations with these tools: [http://leaverou.github.io/contrast-ratio/ Contrast Checker] or [https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/ WebAIM's Contrast Checker]
Be extra careful if you are placing text over an image as the same rules apply. System colors can be modified by changing the [[Branding|branding]].
===Never use color alone Use Color Alone to convey meaningConvey Meaning===
When adding content to your system be mindful you cannot use color alone to convey meaning as a color-blind or visually impaired user may not be able to detect the difference. Make sure content you add has accompanying text, icons or divide the content up in a meaningful way.
[[File:A11y-color-alone.png|thumb|none|800px|Do not use color alone to convey meaning.]]
===Include text alternatives Text Alternatives for mediaMedia===
When you upload media such as images to the '''Upload - Multiple Files Storage''' custom field set to '''Enable Media library'''. The '''Alt''' tag will be the title which the user can edit after the upload. By default, the '''title''' and '''Alt''' tag use the file name. Screen readers and other assistive technology rely on this '''Alt''' text to describe an image for the visually impaired. It’s also useful to have if the image fails to load.
[[File:A11y-alt-tag.png|thumb|none|400px|An image as displayed on a record using the Upload - Multiple Files Storage set to Media Library.]]
===Write for web applicationsWeb Applications===
When writing text instructions or captions or any other text-based content that will appear in your system, keep the following in mind:
* [https://www.nngroup.com/topic/writing-web/ Writing for Web Articles & Videos- Nielson Norman Group]
===Layout considerationsConsiderations===
Do not use location, text size or color alone to mark important information or secondary information. A user with a screen reader is not going to know the second column with smaller text is less important.
Visit [https://baymard.com/blog/avoid-multi-column-forms baymard.com (Avoid Multi-Column Layouts)] for more details on the design issues surrounding multiple column layouts and why they are best avoided.
===Session timeoutTimeout===
If you choose to set up a '''Session Timeout''' to ensure connections are not left open, remember assistive technology users may take three times longer to complete a task than other users. As such you might want to consider a timeout of 90 minutes or something between 30 minutes and 3 hours depending on your users and the type of data in your system. If you do not set a session timeout the system will automatically timeout users after 24 hours.
The session timeout settings are located Menu '''Icon''' > '''Global Settings''' > '''Security''' Tab.
===Playing media Media and photoPhoto-sensitivity===
If you are using the '''Upload - Multiple Files Storage''' custom field with the media library functionality enabled, your users can choose to play that video and audio. Videos and music intentionally do not play automatically. Screen-readers navigate by listening, so any sound playing when the page loads will interfere immensely. An exception to this is, if the user specifically requested the video.
