Operation Manual

652
Last updated 3/28/2012
Chapter 23: Accessibility
Dreamweaver and accessibility
About accessible content
Accessibility refers to making websites and web products usable for people with visual, auditory, motor, and other
disabilities. Examples of accessibility features for software products and websites include screen reader support, text
equivalents for graphics, keyboard shortcuts, change of display colors to high contrast, and so on. Dreamweaver
provides tools that make it accessible to use and tools that help you author accessible content.
For Dreamweaver developers who need to use accessibility features, the application offers screen reader support,
keyboard navigation, and operating system accessibility support.
For web designers who need to create accessible content, Dreamweaver assists you in creating accessible pages that
contain useful content for screen readers and comply with federal government guidelines. For example, dialog boxes
prompt you to enter accessibility attributes—such as text equivalents for an image—when you insert page elements.
Then, when the image appears on a page for a user with visual disabilities, the screen reader reads the description.
Note: For more information about two significant accessibility initiatives, see the World Wide Web Consortium Web
Accessibility Initiative (
www.w3.org/wai) and Section 508 of the U.S. Federal Rehabilitation Act (www.section508.gov).
No authoring tool can automate the development process. Designing accessible websites requires you to understand
accessibility requirements and make ongoing decisions about how users with disabilities interact with web pages. The
best way to ensure that a website is accessible is through deliberate planning, development, testing, and evaluation.
Using screen readers with Dreamweaver
A screen reader recites text that appears on the computer screen. It also reads non-textual information, such as button
labels or image descriptions in the application, provided in accessibility tags or attributes during authoring.
As a Dreamweaver designer, you can use a screen reader to assist you in creating your web pages. The screen reader
starts reading from the upper-left corner of the Document window.
Dreamweaver supports JAWS for Windows, from Freedom Scientific (www.freedomscientific.com), and Window-
Eyes screen readers, from GW Micro (www.gwmicro.com).
Support for operating system accessibility features
Dreamweaver supports accessibility features in both the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. For example, on
the Macintosh you set the visual preferences in the Universal Access Preferences dialog box (Apple
> System
Preferences). Your settings are reflected in the Dreamweaver work space.
The Windows operating system’s high contrast setting is also supported. You activate this option through the
Windows Control Panel and it affects Dreamweaver as follows:
• Dialog boxes and panels use system color settings. For example, if you set the color to White on Black, all
Dreamweaver dialog boxes and panels appear with a white foreground color and black background.
• Code view uses the system and window text color. For example, if you set the system color to White on Black, and
then change text colors in Edit
> Preferences > Code Coloring, Dreamweaver ignores those color settings and
displays the code text with a white foreground color and black background.