Frequently asked questions and answers
Please choose from the list below the area in which you are interested.
Evaluation and repair of sites
Who can use the program / how to install the program?
Requirements, restrictions and installation of AccVerify Professional
About Accessibility
Why should educators worry about Web accessibility?
As educators, the need to ensure electronic accessibility for ALL learners becomes an ever increasing practical, legal and moral obligation.
- Nearly 20 % of the US population has some type of disability, and as we age our chances of having a disability increase (34.4 % for people ages 55-64; 42.3 % for people ages 65-74 and 64% for people ages 75 and above). Caring about accessibility will benefit us all sooner or later.
- It’s the law. The Section 508 Guidelines of the Electronic Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998 mandate that all public institutions receiving Federal funds be in compliance with these regulations. This applies to all public institutions of higher education in the US.
- Students must have the same opportunities and access to information, communication and learning experience in the classroom—and outside of it.
- Internet has so empowered many with disabilities that for us to take a few simple steps toward accessibility will, quite literally, change their abilities to acquire knowledge and thereby helping them to grow as a learner and fully-functioning member of our society.
- It’s the right thingto do.
- Be part of the progressive group of researchers and staff that are making a difference in creating a better university for all.
About AccVerify Professional
What is HiSoftware?
HiSoftware is a company that provides software products to evaluate Web standards for accessibility, privacy, searchability, usability and custom guidelines and policies. *
What is AccVerify software?
AccVerify is software designed to verify compliance with international and U.S. federal accessibility standards for Web content.*
What is the purpose of AccVerify?
The purpose of the program is to validate and repair your website for accessibility, privacy and searchability.*
What are the advantages of AccVerify compared with other software used for evaluating accessibility?
There are many advantages of using AccVerify. These include its ability to move through secure sites/passwords, save time by reducing steps in the checking process, and the accessibility of the software itself to users with disabilities.
Evaluation and repair of sites
Will the program help me to evaluate my current websites?
Yes and it will also help you repair inaccessible features of your website.
Could AccVerify help me to do manual checks (visual checks) on my website?
Yes. The Accessibility Interview Wizard assists in these tests.*
Will the program provide tools to correct accessibility problems?
Yes, the program contains features to:
- Check and repair tables (e.g. table html, edit, add headers, add attributes, apply styles, set table type, etc)*
- Check and repair repetitive anchors that link to different locations in the website
- Check and repair alt-text quality (size of text)*
- Validates content for proper quality as related to privacy, intellectual property policy guidelines, usability guidelines and general corporate policy*
- Check and repair forms (e.g. field label, field properties, spelling )*
- Check for link errors (e.g. http errors “File Not Found”)*
- Check for link phrase problems (e.g. “Click here”)*
- Perform tests on web pages using a list of browsers to detect accessibility problems arising from server-side script delivering different web content for different web browsers*
- Skip verification of files greater than 100 kb to save you time. (according to your preference)*
- Check if linked pages exist*
- Make custom check points*
Can AccVerify validates more than one page at a time?
In the full version (AccVerify Professional), the program allows the user to specify how many files to get at once. New computers can check between 50 to 100 very easily. *
How long does it take to repair a website?
This will depend of the size of your website (e.g. how many pages it contains) and the number of inaccessible features to repair.
How the results of validation displayed?
The results are presented in a report. There are different types of reports that you can generate such as one for each page or a group report. You can also print a “report detail” that shows all checkpoints and the details of all automated checks that are selected for verification. These reports can be stored as a summary report along with detail and checklist reports with all the information from the recorder database. *
Can I view all results of passed or failed files?
Yes, all reports are built into the Interaction Test Result Section of the screen. From there you can view all results of passed or failed files for a specific test.*
Can I repair the website immediately after running the validation?
Yes. By indicating in the AccVerify Settings you can choose whether you want to run the AccRepair Wizard after you test Web Files for accessibility. *
What files can I repair?
In order to repair Web files, the files must be stored locally, on a network or on an FTP site to which you have write access. Web files on the Internet that are tested for accessibility cannot be repaired.
Can I keep track of the accessibility status of a website at different points in time?
Yes, with the “history database” feature you can track the accessibility status of a specific web project over time. *
Once I have the program, there will be any updates for the software?
Yes. The Web Accessibility for All team will notify you about updates via email.
Who can use the program / how to install the program?
Who can use the program?
Faculty, staff and students of any UW or Wisconsin Technical College System campus that has chosen to participate in the UW-System purchase of HiSoftware suit.
How do I know if my campus participate in the UW-System purchase of HiSoftware suit?
For information of whether your campus is participating in this system purchase please contact Anne Gravel Sullivan at: agsullivan@education.wisc.edu
How can I get the software for my campus or work-unit?
You can either go to accessibility/hisoftware/ and enter your email address. If is accepted, that means that your campus is one of the campuses participating, or contact Anne Gravel Sullivan at: agsullivan@education.wisc.edu for information about how your campus could participate in this system purchase.
What would a campus gain from purchasing this site license?
Every campus would be provided with a unified set of tools with which staff and administrators could perform accessibility checks, then repair problems on campus Web pages. Also you would receive free training on how to use the products (in addition to other accessibility training) for the next 16 months through the Web Accessibility for All project.
Each campus choosing to participate will receive unlimited site licenses for the AccVerify/Repair and HiCaption accessibility checking & repair tools for every staff, faculty and student at that campus. One site license to the Web accessibility monitoring program, AccMonitor, would be given to an appropriate stakeholder on that campus (e.g. the CIO, Web Coordinator, Informational Technology Director). This stakeholder, should they choose to use the AccMonitor program, could create auto-generated accessibility reports for all their departments’/units’ Web sites on campus.
If my campus chooses to participate, how will I be able to learn to use the AccVerify & Repair products?
The Web Accessibility for All project is developing and will make available:
- Training on the use of HiSoftware products, beginning with AccVerify & Repair at: accessibility/hisoftware/quickstart.htm
- Webcast and/or Video Network Conferencing training sessions in HiSoftware product use. Subsequent trainings will be scheduled regularly and information on their availability will be sent out via email lists and other formats.
- Online & print tutorials in how to use AccVerify's accessibility-checking features, AccRepair's editing features, and with HiSoftware's tutorials on AccMonitor and HiCaption
- Video archives of its HiSoftware product training for download to user desktops.
- Web Accessibility for All will continue to respond to requests for customized training and training at local sites on a first-come, first-serve basis for Wisconsin public institutions of higher education. Services are provided without cost as long as they fall within the mission and means of the Web Accessibility for All project. For detailed information about the goal & resources of the project, visit:
Is there technical support available if I have questions?
Yes, the Center on Education and Work provides technical support for AccVerify users participating in the Web Accessibility for All project at: accessibility/hisoftware/
or send us an email with your concerns at: jhusmoe@education.wisc.edu
Requirements, restrictions and installation of AccVerify Professional
What are the requirements for AccVerify?
To download the HiSoftwareDS2 (2004 version) you will need 34 MG and administrative rights for your computer.
You should also check that the system on which you are installing AccVerify meets the following requirements:
- Processor: PC with Pentium ®, 75 MHZ (or equivalent) or greater. *
- Operating System: Windows® 95, 98, 2000 Professional, ME, XP, or Windows NT® 4.0 Workstation Service Pack 5 or greater.*
- RAM:
- For Windows® 95 or 98: 16 MB RAM for the operating system plus an additional 8 MB RAM for each application running simultaneously.*
- For Windows® Millennium and Windows® NT 4.0: 32 MB RAM for the operating system plus an additional 8 MB RAM for each application running simultaneously.*
- For Windows® 2000 and XP: 64 MB RAM for the operating system plus an additional 8 MB RAM for each application running simultaneously.
- Hard Disk Drive: 25 MB for product installation, plus an additional 10-300 MB for data files.*
Are there any restrictions to install the program?
There are three restrictions. The first restriction is that your campus needs to be in the system purchase. For information of whether your campus is participating in this system purchase or if you want your campus to participate, please contact Anne Gravel Sullivan at: agsullivan@education.wisc.edu. The second is that you need to install and use the software on a campus computer. Third is that you need to be a faculty, staff or student of one of the UW or Wisconsin Technical College System campus with an email from the institution.
Once I have the program, there will be updates for the software?
Yes. The Web Accessibility for All team will notify you about updates via email.
Note:
* Identifies text that was taken from HiSoftware manual available free on-line