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Oncourse accessibility information

This page is provided for persons using adaptive technology.

On this page:

Note: The  -  (hyphen) used in the instructions below signifies that keys should be pressed simultaneously.

Known accessibility issues

Oncourse contains some accessibility issues yet to be resolved, for some of which there are workarounds:

  • When using Internet Explorer or Opera, pressing the up or down keys in some unopened drop-down menus (announced as "combo box" by JAWS) will automatically select the next item and reload the page. To prevent this, first press the Alt-down arrow key to open the menu, and then use the arrow keys to explore the choices.

  • The WYSIWYG editor used to edit rich text within Oncourse has many accessibility issues. In many cases, workarounds are available. For instance, instructors can allow students to submit assignments as attachments.

  • Oncourse does not work well with the built-in Microsoft Windows High Contrast display mode. We recommend using the page zoom features in the browser or the contrast tools found in third-party screen magnifiers (like AiSquared's ZoomText or Freedom Scientific's MAGic screen magnifiers).

  • Class-related materials posted to Oncourse may be in inaccessible formats. If you find material that is inaccessible to you, the Adaptive Technology and Accessibility Centers can convert it to an accessible format for you. Email  iuadapts@indiana.edu  or call 812-856-4112 (IUB) or 317-274-6482 (all other campuses) for more information.

Visit the KB Comments link at the bottom of any Knowledge Base document to report any additional accessibility problems.

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General tips and tricks for navigation

Here are some tips for navigating:

Accesskeys

Accesskeys follow the UK e-commerce standards wherever possible, and are mnemonic otherwise. If an accesskey is available for a given link or button, the accesskey will be announced by a screen reader when that link or button receives focus. To invoke accesskeys:

  • In Internet Explorer, use Alt plus the indicated letter or number.
  • In Firefox for Windows, use Alt-Shift plus the indicated letter or number.
  • In Safari or Firefox for Mac OS X, use Ctrl plus the indicated letter or number.
  • Global accesskeys

    Accesskeys available throughout the application include:

    • Help tool: Accesskey-6
    • Skip to content: Accesskey-c
    • Skip to tools list: Accesskey-l
    • Skip to worksites: Accesskey-w

  • Tool-specific accesskeys

    Accesskeys are available for most form-based tools.

    • Delete, remove, or cancel: Accesskey-x
    • Edit or revise: Accesskey-e
    • Refresh: Accesskey-u
    • Save: Accesskey-s
    • View or preview: Accesskey-v

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Miscellaneous navigation tips for non-mouse users

  • You can avoid having to tab through all the navigation and move the focus to tool content with Accesskey-c.

  • If you get lost, press Accesskey-c to return the focus to the top of the selected tool.

  • If you get stuck in the WYSIWYG editor, and need to get past it, use Accesskey-w to return focus to the worksites list, and then press Shift-Tab repeatedly till focus wraps around to the bottom of the page. Continue pressing Shift-Tab as needed to reach the desired control.

  • Browsers differ in how they handle keyboard access. If a certain feature doesn't work in a given browser, try another browser.

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Additional navigation tips for screen-reader users

  • Use headings to navigate. The major sections of each page, such as the worksites list, the tools list, and content within tools, are marked with headings and well structured hierarchically using heading levels (level 1, level 2, level 3, etc.). Pressing  h  moves to the next heading. Pressing Shift-h moves to the previous heading.

  • To get a list of all the headings on a page:

    • In JAWS, press Insert-F6 for a list, and then scroll using the up and down arrows.
    • In Window-Eyes, press Insert-Tab, Alt-h, Alt-s, and then scroll using the up and down arrows.

  • To go to the bottom buttons (e.g., Cancel) on a page:

    • In JAWS, press Insert-F5 to open the forms list dialog. Then, press Ctrl-End .
    • In Window-Eyes, press Insert-Tab to open the page navigation dialog, Alt-c to list controls, Alt-s to go to the list, and then press End .

    Note: JAWS and WindowEyes users can use first letter navigation while in the list of forms or headings to easily navigate to the desired element. For example, to easily locate the cancel button in the list of forms, press  c .

  • To have the page contents read again:

    • In JAWS, press Insert-down arrow.
    • In Window-Eyes, press Ctrl-Home , and then press Ctrl-Shift-r .

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Settings for recommended screen readers

Recommended screen readers

The following versions are highly recommended:

  • JAWS versions 12.0, 11.0, or 10.0
  • Window-Eyes version 7.0 or later

Download the latest JAWS version at:

http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/jaws/jaws-downloads.asp

Check for Window-Eyes upgrades at:

http://www.gwmicro.com/Window-Eyes/Upgrades/

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How to configure JAWS and Window-Eyes settings

  • JAWS

    You can make temporary changes for most of the recommended settings while in the browser by pressing Insert-v to bring up the Adjust JAWS Options dialog. The dialog will present a tree view of options that can be changed. Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate the list. Press the letters used as Navigation Quick Keys to jump to relevant settings (such as  f  for forms,  h for headings,  l  for links, and  t  for text).

    To make permanent changes to the HTML settings, use the JAWS Configuration Manager in JAWS versions 10 and 11. JAWS 12 users should use the Settings Center within the Run JAWS Manager.

    • To change default HTML settings for JAWS 12:

      Note: Whichever browser you use, the settings that are changed will apply to that browser unless a specific program is selected from the Application combo box. The Application combo box can be found by tabbing past the OK and Cancel buttons. Then, use the down arrow key to choose whether the settings should be applied to one or all of the programs.

      1. Open the JAWS Manager by pressing Insert-F2.

      2. Press  s  to navigate to the Settings Center and press Enter.

      3. Press down arrow to the Web/HTML/PDFs option, and then press right arrow to open the tree view.

      4. Press down arrow to scroll through the different options, such as headings and frames.

      5. Press right arrow to open the tree view, and then down arrow to the different options.

      6. Tab to the OK button, and then press Enter.

      You can make changes for one specific page or web site domain by adjusting settings in the Personalized Settings menu, which is accessed by pressing Insert-Shift-v .

    • To change default HTML settings for JAWS 10 and 11:

      1. Switch to the JAWS window by pressing Alt-Tab.

      2. Go to Utilities by pressing Alt-u .

      3. Select JAWS Configuration Manager by pressing  c .

      4. Select Set Options by pressing Alt-s .

      5. Choose HTML Options by pressing  h .

      6. Press Ctrl-Tab to move between pages in the HTML Options dialog.

      7. Make changes as desired.

      8. Press Enter to save the changes.

  • Window-Eyes

    To access HTML settings within Window-Eyes:

    1. Choose Control panel by pressing Ctrl-backslash .

    2. Select the Global Menu by pressing Alt-l .

    3. Choose the Verbosity Menu by pressing  v .

    4. Select MSAA by pressing  m .

    To save page-specific settings in Window-Eyes, go to the General Document Settings option in the control panel.

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Recommended screen reader settings by page element

  • Headings

    It is recommended to have headings announced with the heading's level. You can navigate easily using headings. The major sections of each page such as the worksites list, the tools list, and the content within tools are marked with headings and well structured hierarchically using heading levels (level 1, level 2, level 3, etc.).

    JAWS and Window-Eyes announce headings with level as the default.

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  • Screen refresh

    Users control page refreshes. To refresh page content, press F5.

    To set JAWS to turn off page refresh:

    • For JAWS 12:

      1. Press Insert-F2 to open the Run JAWS Manager.

      2. Press  s  until you hear "Settings Center", and then press Enter.

      3. Type Refresh in the search box. Tab to the one search result listed.

      4. Open the Page Refresh option from the HTML/Web/PDFs menu, and press Enter.

      5. Press the Spacebar to toggle the page refresh option to off.

    • For JAWS 10 and 11:

      1. While in the web browser, press Insert-v to go to the Adjust JAWS Options dialog.

      2. Type  p  for "page refresh", adjust the setting by pressing the Spacebar as needed to reach off, and then press Alt-e to execute.

    To turn off page refresh in Window-Eyes, press Alt-Shift-m until you hear "suspend all".

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  • Graphics announced by title attributes

    Title attributes can aid in comprehension of buttons and links by providing additional information.

    To set JAWS to announce title attributes on graphics:

    • For JAWS 12:

      1. Press Insert-F2, and then  s  until you hear JAWS say "Settings Center". Press Enter.

      2. Type the word graphic in the search box. Then press Tab to go to the search results.

      3. Press Enter to open the Web/HTML/PDFs menu.

      4. Press down arrow to the Images/Graphics options, and then press right arrow to open it.

      5. Press down arrow or  f  until you hear JAWS say "for an image", and then press right arrow to open it.

      6. Down arrow to the five options that indicate how HTML graphics are announced, and press Spacebar until you hear JAWS say "title".

      7. Tab to the OK button and press Enter.

    • For JAWS 10 and 11:

      1. While in the web browser, press Insert-v to go to the Adjust JAWS Options dialog.

      2. Type g g g g for "graphics recognize by", adjust the setting by pressing the Spacebar as needed to reach "title", and then press Alt-e to execute.

    Window-Eyes enables announcement of title attributes for graphics by default.

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  • Links announced by title attributes

    Title attributes on links can aid in comprehension of buttons and links by providing additional information.

    To set JAWS to announce title attributes on links:

    • For JAWS 12:

      1. Type text link in the search box, and then press Tab to go to the search results.

      2. Open the HTML/Web/PDFs option with the right arrow key.

      3. Press down arrow or  f  until you hear JAWS say "For a link text", and then press the right arrow key to open the menu.

      4. Press the down arrow key once, and press Spacebar to toggle between the three options, one of which is "title".

      5. Tab to the OK button, and press Enter.

    • For JAWS 10 and 11:

      1. While in the web browser, press Insert-v to go to the Adjust JAWS Options dialog.

      2. Type t t for "text links show using", adjust the setting by pressing the Spacebar as needed to reach "title", and then press Alt-e to execute.

    Window-Eyes enables announcement of title attributes for graphics by default.

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Summary of recommended JAWS settings

The first column of the table below contains page elements, the second column provides suggested screen reader settings, and the third column contains shortcut keys used while in Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox to configure the settings.

JAWS settings by element
Element Suggested screen reader setting Shortcut keys while in Internet Explorer or Firefox
Headings Headings announce - Heading and level Press Insert-v . Press h h for "Headings announce", and then press the Spacebar as needed to reach "Heading and level". Press Alt-e to execute.
Links Text links show using - Title Press Insert-v . Press t t for "Text links show using", and then press the Spacebar as needed to reach "Title". Press Alt-e to execute.
Graphics Read title attribute Press Insert-v . Press g g g g for "Graphics recognize by", and then press the Spacebar as needed to reach "Title". Press Alt-e to execute.
Frames Frames show start and end - Off Press Insert-v . Press f f f f f f f (7 times) for "Frames show start and end", and then press the Spacebar as needed to reach "Off". Press Alt-e to execute.
Tables Layout tables - Off Press Insert-v . Press l l l l l l l (7 times) for "Layout tables", and then press the Spacebar as needed to reach "Off". Press Alt-e to execute.
Refresh Page refresh - Off Press Insert-v . Press  p  for "Page refresh", and then press the Spacebar as needed to reach "Off". Press Alt-e to execute.

Summary of recommended Window-Eyes settings

The first column of the table below contains page elements, the second column provides suggested screen reader settings, and the third column contains shortcut keys used in Internet Explorer or Firefox to configure the settings.

Window-Eyes settings by element
Element Suggested screen reader setting Shortcut keys in Internet Explorer and Firefox
Headings Indicate heading level - Checked Press Insert-v . Press  h  for "Headings", and then press Tab for the Indicate Heading Level checkbox. Press the Spacebar as needed to check the box, and then press Enter to execute.
Frames Insert beginning/end message (forms) - Unchecked Press Insert-v . Press  f  for "Forms", and then press Tab for the Insert Beginning/End Message (Forms) checkbox. Press the Spacebar as needed to uncheck the box. Press Enter to execute.
Tables Recognize data tables only Press Insert-v . Press  t  for "Tables", and then press Tab for the currently selected "Insert Beginning/End Message" radio button. Use the up arrow or down arrow as to select the Insert Beginning/End Message (Smart) radio button. Press Enter to execute.
Refresh Suppress refreshes Press Alt-Shift-m until you hear "suspend all".

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Accessibility compliance

The continuing objective of developers is to make the application compliant with Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria, and as usable as possible for persons using adaptive technology. Most tools follow W3C accessibility guidelines for headings, forms, tables, links, and images, but do not include non-script alternatives to JavaScript, or user messages for pop-ups or completed actions. Tools following most guidelines include:

  • Announcements
  • Assignments
  • Chat Room
  • Gradebook
  • Home
  • My Workspace--Membership
  • My Workspace--Preferences
  • News
  • Original Test and Survey
  • Permissions
  • Resources
  • Site Setup
  • Syllabus
  • Web Content
  • Worksite Setup

Some tools are being worked on to improve their accessibility. These include the following:

  • Administrative Tools (Users, Aliases, Sites, Realms, M, On-Line, Memory, Site Archive)
  • Assignments 2
  • Calendar
  • Drop Box
  • Forums
  • My Workspace--Profile
  • Roster
  • Wiki

Oncourse has been tested with current versions of JAWS using both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Compliance has also been evaluated using manual code inspection, the Firefox Accessibility Extension add-on, the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation tool, and W3C Validator in order to continually improve accessibility.

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This is document arkn in domains all, oncoursecl, sakai-all, and sakaiht.
Last modified on July 07, 2011.

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