Presenting Content to Users with Disabilities
The single most important aspect of creating accessible demonstrations and simulations with Macromedia Captivate is understanding how people with disabilities use computers. While almost any Captivate movie can be made accessible, that does not mean all movies will be useful. People who have difficulty using a mouse or who are blind will primarily rely on the keyboard when using the computer. As a result, demonstrations and simulations that explain how to use the mouse to accomplish tasks within an application will be of very little value. A demonstration is only helpful if it is consistent with the way the end user works with their machine.
As an example, consider a demonstration that illustrates how to print a document in a word processor. A version that illustrates clicking on the print icon would be of very little value for someone who is blind. Instead, these users would benefit from a demonstration that explains how to accomplish the same task using the file menu and choosing the print option.
Both versions of this demonstration should be accessible. The version that relies on the mouse may only provide a single description for the entire movie. The version that relies on the keyboard may provide multiple descriptions on a step-by-step basis to ensure that the user understands how to accomplish the prescribed task.
Adding a Description to a Captivate Movie
Every Captivate movie should include a description for the entire movie. In cases where the demonstration is short or the content relies entirely on the mouse and thus would not be relevant to screen reader users, this single description will suffice. For longer movies, the description should be used to provide an overview of the contents of the movie and a general context for the user.
To add a description to your Captivate movie, use the following steps:
- Make sure your movie is open
- Choose Properties from the File menu
- Enter your description in the Description field
- Click OK.
The following demonstration illustrates how to provide a description for an entire movie.
Play the demo: Adding a Description to a Captivate Movie
Adding a Description to an Individual Slide
An individual slide should include a description if it is an important step in the process or if it presents a significant concept visually. Not every slide will require a description in most movies. In fact, most will not require a description. In most cases a single concept is presented over the course of several slides. In these cases, you will want to place the description on the last slide of that group.
When providing a description for an individual slide, it is important to pause the movie on that slide. This provides the user the opportunity to return to the top of the movie and read the description. Otherwise, the movie plays and moves past the slide containing the descriptions.
To make it easier for a screen reader user to understand when a movie is paused, it is recommended that an audio cue, such as a tone, be associated with the continue button.
To add a description to a slide, use the following steps:
- Make sure your movie is open and the appropriate slide is selected
- Choose Properties from the Slide menu
- Click on the Accessibility button
- Enter the slide description in the Slide Accessibility Text dialogue
- Press OK
To add a pause button to a slide, use the following steps:
- Make sure your movie is open and the appropriate slide is selected
- From the Insert menu, choose Button
- Enter ‘Continue’ or other appropriate label as Button Text
- Press the Select Keys button
- Deselect the Mouse Click Only option
- Select Enter as shortcut key
- Press OK
- Select the audio tab
- Press the Import button
- Select Tone.mp3
- Click Open
- Click OK
- Position the button on your screen
The following demonstration illustrates how to add a Continue button to an individual slide.
Play the demo: Adding a Description to an Individual Slide
Adding quizzes
Macromedia Captivate includes a set of accessible question types including multiple choice, true & false, and Likert scale. To ensure that your quiz is accessible, limit questions to these types. The short answer and matching question types are not accessible.
Providing Equivalents for Audio Content
For people that are deaf or hard of hearing, the audio content of a Captivate movie is not accessible. To provide access to this information, place a transcript of the audio content in a caption on each screen. This will ensure access for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Adding Click Areas
Adding click areas to your movie is an easy way to create simulations that make Captivate movies much more than simple demonstrations. However, for people who have difficulty using the mouse, click areas are not meaningful ways of interacting with content. To allow people who rely on the keyboard to navigate content to access simulations containing click areas, these objects have been made keyboard accessible. With the 508 compliance option selected (which is enabled by default), click areas are accessible by default. In addition, they have a text equivalent for screen reader users to let them know that the button is a click area. Moving to the click area and pressing enter will allow keyboard users to advance through a simulation even if they can not use the mouse.
