How We Think - Research

ACCESSIBILITY AND USABILITY TESTING AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TOTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

THE OBJECTIVE

To provide comprehensive accessibility and usability testing of an e-learning interactive training module created for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to determine the level of conformance of sample templates for individuals with visual, cognitive and motor impairments.

IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM

Total Resource Management (TRM) is an asset management consulting and technology solutions provider. During development of the USACE interactive training module, TRM called on The Rodgers Group's specialized resources to assess, test and make recommendations for compliance with U.S. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act § 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications
(See www.section508.gov).

Using the most current access technology:
the following components of the USACE e-learning modules were evaluated:

• Ilearning LMS Demo Site review>
• Macro Media Captivate (1.0) samples
• Embedded audio components and captioning

Additional evaluations included:

• USACE Sample Word Templates reviewed in Microsoft Word for accessibility and usability by content developers.
• USACE Sample Word Templates reviewed in Internet Explorer for accessibility and usability by end users.
• Microsoft Office Section 508 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). This document outlines potential accessibility issues as recorded by Microsoft Corporation for Microsoft Word 2003.

RESULTS

Accessibility recommendations were implemented by Total Resource Management for the USACE e-learning modules, resulting in full compliance with Section 508 guidelines.

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