508 Compliance of Government Website

Section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. This applies to Web applications, Web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, internet. Here I choose the following website of U.S Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/ and tries to examine if it is 508 compliant. 

A checklist  was applied to this website to identify the common issues related to section 508. The website passed the following tests.

The first group of tests is about accessibility. When we use the keyboard exclusively to navigate through web pages & applications, all areas of the screen are accessible. We can also use the tab key to see if the cursor moves from element to element logically. Here, it does. When we use the return key after selecting a link or control element to check for the appropriate action applied, it does open the link/folder.

The second group of tests is about visual and audio effects. There is ALT text for all non-text elements. Which means, when I place the mouse over the graphic or element, there is a box that appears with the text. The link text explains what the link actually “does”. There are also captions for audio and visual elements or transcripts for audio only elements. Color is the only means of identification of elements on a page. There is identification on any link button with words explaining why one should click the link, instead of using color only. Meanwhile, documents are organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet. A redundant text link will appear to provide access to the page for anyone not able to see or accurately click on the map.

The final group of tests is about codes and scripts. Tables are coded properly on the website. There are no frames on the website. It does not use visuals that produce any vivid light-dark differences that change or flash between these rates. The screen flickers with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. There are text-only pages for information that cannot be made compliant in any other ways. The script language in a readable fashion for assistive technology users. There is a link for software downloads and there are also electronic forms. Users can go straight to the content without using the navigation functions. There are no time-response pages, so users don’t have to worry that time will run out. 

Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that website of U.S Department of Health and Human Services is 508 compliant. 

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