Consulting Services
Accessibility means something different for each industry, organization, audience, and product. With that in mind, NCAM tailors its services to meet a broad range of trends, needs, and expectations. Simply match your goals with one or more of NCAM’s services to learn about the accessibility possibilities.
Consulting Services in detail:
Image Description
In order to make any media accessible, images require thoughtful and discoverable text descriptions to provide a comprehensive experience to your user. NCAM has an in-house editorial unit of subject matter experts and disability specialists prepared to create image descriptions and complete a visual bias review.
NCAM’s editorial team, with a targeted background in accessibility, educational publishing, teaching, and test item writing, is trained and experienced in assessment image description.
If you need alternative text for images, NCAM can support you in the following ways.
• NCAM can create guidelines and descriptions for your images.
• NCAM can train your team of editors, writers, or content specialists to create accessible content including effective and efficient image descriptions.
• NCAM can review image descriptions created by another agency or vendor as part of the quality assurance process.
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Compliance Review
Regulations regarding accessibility for technology are notoriously vague, especially as technology continues to change at such a rapid pace. NCAM can advise your technology team and evaluate your delivery platform against accessibility guidelines and policies, including Section 508 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0).
After decades of helping to shape and implement accessible media standards and federal regulations, we consider digital media to be accessible and compliant when it meets these general criteria.
• All HTML markup is accessible, using native HTML 5 and add ARIA markup where appropriate.
• The interface is usable and efficient with a keyboard only, with assistive technologies, such as screen readers or screen magnifiers, and has proper visual contrast.
• All content (including images, audio, and video) has accessible alternatives as necessary and efficient navigation paths to access that alternative content.
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Assistive Technology Review
NCAM can test your website, software application, or delivery platform with commonly used AT, media players, mobile devices, operating systems, and browsers to advise you on how to ensure smooth and unhindered access to your content.
NCAM will test your products and interfaces with the following to determine optimal accessibility.
-Windows and Mac OS
-Safari, Chrome, Explorer
-Keyboard controls
-JAWS, NVDA, Voice Over, Window Eyes, Chrome Vox, and Zoom Text
Results can be shared in a format that fits your needs, such as a polished written report, an email summary and punch list, or an interactive video conference with screen sharing. If problems are found during the review, solutions and remediation are available.
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Messaging
Whether you are just getting started with a strategic initiative or you already have an accessible product, NCAM can help you shape and share your story both internally, to your staff and business partners, and externally, to your clients and customers.
What it means to be accessible and why it is a worthy effort is often a misunderstood challenge. NCAM is experienced in explaining accessibility as it relates to a specific industry or organization and delivering a compelling argument for accessibility and universal design, whether it is to a team of senior managers, board members, or relevant stakeholders, or to a team of authors, editors, or developers. NCAM can partner with you to message accessibility’s value to your business, your technology, your staff, and your place in the world.
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Accessibility Training
NCAM can provide in-person or online training, offering a primer on how users with disabilities interact with technology and experience different media, and what it means to make that media accessible. NCAM will customize the training to your industry and your staff, vendors, clients, or user group by integrating your content and intellectual property into the training materials.
Training seminars can range from an in-depth, one-day session, to an ongoing engagement with iteration between NCAM and your team. Our long-term client engagements have ranged from a few weeks to many years.
Training can also vary in interactivity, from a lecture-style presentation with a question and answer portion to a hands-on workshop.
Accessibility 101
For organizations new to accessibility, we recommend an Accessibility 101 training session that explains the benefits of making media accessible in all of its environments: schools, homes, offices, museums, conferences, airplanes, amusement parks, and movies. Any combination of the following topics can be covered in this introductory session.
Beyond Accessibility 101
Client-specific training is also available. NCAM can conduct training seminars related to any of the following topics.
Is your content enhanced with images?
Image Description
Do you need to know if your product is accessible or “508 compliant?”
Compliance Review
Are you looking for an assistive technology (AT) compatibility review?
Assistive Technology Review
Do you need support messaging your commitment to accessible products or services?
Messaging
Are you interested in accessibility training for your partners or team?
Accessibility Training
Are you creating high stakes assessments or authoring test items?
Accessible Assessments (A separate NCAM website.)
Consulting Services in detail:
Image Description
In order to make any media accessible, images require thoughtful and discoverable text descriptions to provide a comprehensive experience to your user. NCAM has an in-house editorial unit of subject matter experts and disability specialists prepared to create image descriptions and complete a visual bias review.
NCAM’s editorial team, with a targeted background in accessibility, educational publishing, teaching, and test item writing, is trained and experienced in assessment image description.
If you need alternative text for images, NCAM can support you in the following ways.
• NCAM can create guidelines and descriptions for your images.
• NCAM can train your team of editors, writers, or content specialists to create accessible content including effective and efficient image descriptions.
• NCAM can review image descriptions created by another agency or vendor as part of the quality assurance process.
[Top]
Compliance Review
Regulations regarding accessibility for technology are notoriously vague, especially as technology continues to change at such a rapid pace. NCAM can advise your technology team and evaluate your delivery platform against accessibility guidelines and policies, including Section 508 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0).
After decades of helping to shape and implement accessible media standards and federal regulations, we consider digital media to be accessible and compliant when it meets these general criteria.
• All HTML markup is accessible, using native HTML 5 and add ARIA markup where appropriate.
• The interface is usable and efficient with a keyboard only, with assistive technologies, such as screen readers or screen magnifiers, and has proper visual contrast.
• All content (including images, audio, and video) has accessible alternatives as necessary and efficient navigation paths to access that alternative content.
[Top]
Assistive Technology Review
NCAM can test your website, software application, or delivery platform with commonly used AT, media players, mobile devices, operating systems, and browsers to advise you on how to ensure smooth and unhindered access to your content.
NCAM will test your products and interfaces with the following to determine optimal accessibility.
-Windows and Mac OS
-Safari, Chrome, Explorer
-Keyboard controls
-JAWS, NVDA, Voice Over, Window Eyes, Chrome Vox, and Zoom Text
Results can be shared in a format that fits your needs, such as a polished written report, an email summary and punch list, or an interactive video conference with screen sharing. If problems are found during the review, solutions and remediation are available.
[Top]
Messaging
Whether you are just getting started with a strategic initiative or you already have an accessible product, NCAM can help you shape and share your story both internally, to your staff and business partners, and externally, to your clients and customers.
What it means to be accessible and why it is a worthy effort is often a misunderstood challenge. NCAM is experienced in explaining accessibility as it relates to a specific industry or organization and delivering a compelling argument for accessibility and universal design, whether it is to a team of senior managers, board members, or relevant stakeholders, or to a team of authors, editors, or developers. NCAM can partner with you to message accessibility’s value to your business, your technology, your staff, and your place in the world.
[Top]
Accessibility Training
NCAM can provide in-person or online training, offering a primer on how users with disabilities interact with technology and experience different media, and what it means to make that media accessible. NCAM will customize the training to your industry and your staff, vendors, clients, or user group by integrating your content and intellectual property into the training materials.
Training seminars can range from an in-depth, one-day session, to an ongoing engagement with iteration between NCAM and your team. Our long-term client engagements have ranged from a few weeks to many years.
Training can also vary in interactivity, from a lecture-style presentation with a question and answer portion to a hands-on workshop.
Accessibility 101
For organizations new to accessibility, we recommend an Accessibility 101 training session that explains the benefits of making media accessible in all of its environments: schools, homes, offices, museums, conferences, airplanes, amusement parks, and movies. Any combination of the following topics can be covered in this introductory session.
- An overview of how users with different disabilities interact with content and technology.
- An introduction to captions.
- A summary of policy and regulations specifically related to your industry.
- A brief introduction to code with some samples.
- An overview of assistive technology, including a screen reader demo.
- An introduction to video descriptions and image descriptions, including alt text and long desc, and related guidelines.
Beyond Accessibility 101
Client-specific training is also available. NCAM can conduct training seminars related to any of the following topics.
- Writing accessible HTML code.
- Writing captions and delivering in HTML 5 players.
- Mobile accessibility.
- PDF accessibility.
- Web accessibility, including forms, surveys, bill pay, and online shopping.
- Standards and educational WC3, IMS.
For more information, please contact:
Donna A. Danielewski, Ph.D.
Director, The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family
National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH (NCAM)
(617) 300-2454
Email Donna