Purchasing Web based products - a checklist for accessibility
Below is a list of questions to ask when evaluating a product for accessibility. These questions should be used in your department's product review process when making a purchasing decision regarding a new information technology (IT) product. It is important to find out what products in the array of choices meet accessibility standards. If the product is not accessible, it is important to find out if there are ways to make it more accessible. You may need to partner with the manufacturer of the product to encourage them to build in accessibility features. If you are not sure how accessible the product is, please contact the ATIC lab. We can help you in your efforts to evaluate accessibility.
An IT product that is to be used Institute-wide or by a large number of students or employees must have a plan in place to provide access to persons with disabilities. Consult with the ATIC Lab or Disabilities Services to help you develop such a plan. The plan should be in place at the time of purchase.
IT products purchased by departments for specific individuals need not be evaluated for accessibility unless that individual needs accessibility features.
If you have other questions, contact the ATIC Lab via e-mail to atic@mit.edu or call x3-7808.
Checklist
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Images & animations
Does the product provide a text name (alt tag) for an image/animation if someone is using a text browser or screen reader?
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Image maps
Do the hotspots on a client-side MAP have text labels for links? (Use client-side MAP and text for hotspots.)
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Multimedia
Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
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Hypertext links
Do links in text make sense when read out of context? Avoid ambiguous links such as "click here."
Example: the links on the MIT home page use meaningful words, e.g.," news."
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Page organization
Is the structure of a page consistent in headings and lists as a user moves from page to page?
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Graphs & charts
Does the product summarize graphs and charts with a text description?
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Scripts, applets, & plug-ins
Does the product provide text alternatives for information contained in Javascript, applets, or other non-standard formats?
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Frames
Ideally the product should not use frames; if it does, check to be sure the frames are labeled.
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Tables
Are tables labeled with column and row titles?
