Adobe CAPTIVATE 2, Use Manual

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Creating accessible projects 63
Creating accessible projects
You can create Adobe Captivate projects that are in compliance with Section 508 of the United
States Rehabilitation Act for users who have visual or hearing impairments, mobility
impairments, or other types of disabilities.
Worldwide accessibility standards
Many countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and countries in the
European Union, have adopted accessibility standards based on those developed by the World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C publishes the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a
document that prioritizes actions designers should take to make web content accessible. For
information about the Web Accessibility Initiative, see the W3C website at
www.w3.org/WAI.
In the United States, the law that governs accessibility is commonly known as Section 508, which
is an amendment to the U.S. Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 prohibits federal agencies from
buying, developing, maintaining, or using electronic technology that is not accessible to those
with disabilities. In addition to mandating standards, Section 508 allows government employees
and the public to sue agencies in federal court for noncompliance.
For additional information about Section 508, see the following websites:
•
The US government-sponsored website at www.section508.gov .
•
The Accessibility page on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/accessibility .
Understanding screen reader technology
Screen readers are software programs designed to navigate through a website and read the web
content aloud. Visually impaired users often rely on this technology. Those viewing your Adobe
Captivate projects must have Flash Player 6 or later, and Internet Explorer on Windows 2000 or
later.
JAWS, from Freedom Scientific, is one example of a screen reader. You can access the JAWS page
of the Freedom Scientific website at
www.hj.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp . Another
commonly used screen reader is Window-Eyes, from GW Micro. To access the latest information
on Window-Eyes, visit the GW Micro website at
www.gwmicro.com . For Windows users,
Microsoft provides a free, downloadable product called Microsoft Reader that contains a text-to-
speech component. For more information, visit the Microsoft website at
www.microsoft.com .
Because different screen readers use varying methods to translate information into speech, the
way your content is presented to users will vary. As you design accessible projects, keep in mind
that you have no control over how a screen reader will behave. You have control only over the
content, not the screen readers. You cannot force screen readers to read specific text at specific
times or control the manner in which that content is read. It is very important, therefore, to test
your projects with a variety of screen readers to ensure that they perform as you expect.