Guidelines

Checklist for Software Applications

P:	Physical impairments	no significant problems
SP:	Severe physical impairments	minor problems
V:	Impaired vision (inc. colour blindness)	moderate problems
B:	Blind persons	severe problems
H:	Slight to moderate hearing impairments
D:	Deaf (persons with profound to severe hearing impairments)
C:	Cognitive impairments
O:	Other (inc. left handed, different language, ...)

	Impairment Type
	P	SP	V	B	H	D	C	O
Assistive Technologies
Do the applications avoid to disrupt or disable activated features of other products that are identified as accessibility features?
Do the applications use system standard input/output?
Do the operating system provide services for the applications to be accessible?
Can the user select input/output devices?
Can the user switch input/output alternatives?
Can the user perform the task effectively with any single input device?
Do the operating system provide user preference profiles?
Do the applications provide navigation to task appropriate groups of controls?
Do the applications system retain input focus?
Keyboard access
Are all the application functions (including navigation) accessible by keyboard?
Is there a sequential alternative to simultaneous keyboard action?
Does the application respect the operating system keyboard access conventions?
Is the sequence for moving from one item to another in a dialogue box using the keyboard consistent with the screen layout?
Does the application provide well documented accelerator keys?
Does the application avoid to interfere with keyboard accessibility features built into the operating system?
Can the keyboard functions be re-mapped?
Is keyboard navigation separate form keyboard activation?
Is there a method for distinguishing macro input from keyboard Input?
Pointing devices
Is the location of pointing device button functions adjustable?
Is there the possibility to enable multiple clicks with single key press and release?
Is there the possibility to enable button hold with a single button press and release?
Can a delay of pointer button press acceptance be defined?
Can a delay of pointer movement acceptance after mouse down be defined?
Is the multiple-click interval and target area customisable?
Is the speed of pointer movement customisable?
Are there alternatives to chorded pointer-key presses?
Is there the possibility of using an alternate method for achieving input normally done with a pointing device?
Object information
Is there a well-defined on-screen indication of the current focus?
Is semantic information about user interface objects provided?
Are labels associated with controls, objects, icons and images?
If electronic forms are used, is people using assistive technologies allowed to use the forms?
Does the OS provide text or sign language - and fingerspelling - based help systems?
Is the application menu and window navigation circular?
Is event notification available to assistive technologies?
Are object attributes available to assistive technologies?
Are implicit designators (underlined letters in menus, buttons, ...) provided?
Sounds and multimedia
Are there functions that offer the possibility of sending any text information to speech output?
Does the speech output take place immediately after the event that generated it occurs?
Can auditory warnings of alerts be provided in visual form?
Is there the possibility of adjusting the sound frequency of audio warnings?
Are there accessible alternatives to significant audio and video?
Is there an option to adjust the sound volume?
Display
Is textual information provided through operating system functions for displaying text?
Do the applications avoid to override user selected contrast and colour selections and other individual display attributes?
Is there an option to display animation in a non-animated presentation mode?
Are there alternatives to the use of colour as the sole source of information?
Are there colour configuration schemas designed for people who have visual impairments?
Has every displayed text the possibility of having a cursor to navigate the text?
Is it possible to adjust the size and position of the icons and other objects displayed by the operating system?
Do all icons have an attached text label, and can the user chose to display the label only?
In forms, are component labels placed on the left and horizontally aligned with the first line of the corresponding component?
Does the system allow "always on top" windows?
Is it possible to adjust the size and position of the windows on the screen?
Are there options to minimise, maximise and close windows?
Is it possible to switch working windows using the keyboard?
Do the application provide visual information through at least one mode to users with visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/200 without relying on audio
If extensive ASCII art is used, then does the application provided a link to allow a user to jump to the end of the ASCII art
Does the application support settings for high contrast for all user interface controls and client area content?
Do the application windows inherit system settings for font, size, and colour for all user interface controls?
Can the fonts be customised to obtain better legibility?
Is the scale and layout of objects adjusted when font size changes?
Does the application use an appropriate presentation of tables?
Does the application use user determined colour settings?
Does the system provide user control of multiple "always on top" windows?
Has the user choice of effect of input focus on window stacking order?
User notification
Does the operating system use short and simple messages?
Is the display format of messages of the same type always be the same?
Is user notification presented in relevant manner?
Timing
Does the system avoid flashing or blinking text, objects, or other elements having a flash or blink frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz?			</