Accessibility skin design

[stalwart]

Just had this email from existing client - due to book in a reshoot early summer to add more scenes into a campus-wide university virtual tour - and they've come back with this statement - most of which I don't understand or think isn't even easily feasible in Pano2VR - your collective thoughts?

"The other challenge we have is that we need to ensure our website and all assets are accessible, with the new accessibility guidelines for the public sector we need to ensure the tour meets these guidelines which need to be in place for September (if not ready we may need to remove the tour until it is ready). Our webteam have provided the following must-have features for the tour.

• Make sure everything works for keyboard-only users
• Use descriptive titles for pages and frames
• Use descriptive links so users know where the link will take them
• Implement ACTIVE FOCUS for keyboard users
• Make it easy for users to disable and change shortcut keys
• Provide ALT TEXT for non-text content
• Make sure content can be navigated and read by a screen reader
• Use the proper mark-up for every feature, so the relationship between content are defined properly
• Use text colours that show up clearly against the background colour
• Make sure user can resize the text
• Make sure every feature can be used when text size is increased by 200%
• Make sure the user can navigate using voice commands
• Not use images of text
• Use valid HTML so assistive technologies can accurately interpret and parse content
• Make sure the code lets assistive technologies know what every user interface component is for, what’s state is currently in and if it changes

I'm thinking it'll be easier to walk away from the whole project!!!

Stu

[360Texas]

The list reads like should be designed for ADA accessibility (American Disability Act) . Other countries probably have similar guidelines for seeing, hearing, and touching. I know websites should be designed for various red-green color blind disability.

Here is a Personal UK website for design criteria [Equality Act 2010 or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995]

https://www.hobo-web.co.uk/design-website-for-blind/

[stalwart]

It is - it's for DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliance here in the UK. Question is more along the lines of - how much is easily implementable in Pano2VR - just looks like too much complex work for me.....!

[360Texas]

Question: Are your clients going to be using Pano2vr program to build their DDA tours.... OR

Are they talking about DDA viewer viewing a tour you created. Like screen readers actually use the ALT Text... so the blind visitor can hear what the tour is about.

[stalwart]

The client wants me to ensure the Pano2VR UI incorporates these accessible functionalities - which I think are impossible to implement for such a visual medium - esp. when viewing on mobile / touchscreen devices.

[Hopki]

OK,
Getting on my soapbox.
Knowing this industry as I do, it irritates me no end when I see things like the list of must haves.

The person laying down the rules is often not disabled and just writes, or in many cases “copies” a wish list who has no idea of what is actually practical.

There are many companies making equipment to allow accessibility to computers and other day to day equipment, be it track balls, track pads, etc, etc.

As an example, car manufacturers do not make cars for amputees, but there are plenty of mods for hand controls, left foot throttles, etc.
If your visually impaired then you can not drive, so it’s also understanding limits.

Pano2VR offers keyboard mapping, so it is possible to have arrow keys to pan and tilt the pano and use the space bar to activate the hotspot in focus. This is far easier then tab and alt + tab which is the go to way of accessing software which has not changed for years.

I will now get off my box.
Regards,