Addressing SharePoint 2010 Framework Accessibility

The optional Accessibility Foundation Module (AFM) provides users with a set of tools to create an accessible platform/framework for a SharePoint 2010 or 2007 portal or intranet site. AFM is integrated into the Compliance Sheriff offering to provide a more complete and easy-to-deploy method of addressing SharePoint framework accessibility. The most significant advantage of AFM is the enterprise-friendly installation method that allows a SharePoint Server Administrator to easily apply a master configuration to multiple SharePoint Applications.

What does AFM do?

AFM significantly reduces the time, knowledge, and effort required to implement a SharePoint-based site.

It allows developers to design a SharePoint environment that meets accessibility requirements for the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 Priority 1 and 2 checkpoints that are collectively known as WCAG 1.0 AA and the newest WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines. AFM uses techniques that are part of the Accessible Rich Internet Applications specification (ARIA) to make SharePoint even easier to utilize for users of assistive technologies.

Furthermore, AFM can be used to address the exceptions that have been identified in the US government’s Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act’s Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) documents for SharePoint 2007. AFM integrates with Compliance Sheriff for SharePoint, allowing users to create reports before and after its application to demonstrate that content has actually improved in compliance. AFM gives developers a report showing whether or not they have correctly implemented the components. Any additional work required to make a SharePoint site compliant can be easily achieved using the AFM.

Many SharePoint sites contain custom code or custom Web Parts. By using Compliance Sheriff to evaluate the content in combination with AFM, HiSoftware provides a way for developers to assess and remediate their SharePoint infrastructure no matter what configurations have been applied.

Key capabilities of AFM:

• Automatically associate visual labels with controls

• Add alternate text to images that are missing this valuable information

• Mark tables that are used for presentation only using ARIA markup

• Mark required fields with ARIA markup

• Enable text to be resized using standard internet browser functions

• Adapt keyboard functionality for drop down menus

• IFRAMEs identified with descriptive text

• NOSCRIPT tags added for pages that require JavaScript

What Does AFM Include?

• Feature as WSP

• Installation tool for deployment of accessible functionality

• Visual Studio Solution for deployment of accessible master page and style sheet

• Visual Studio Solution for creation of control adaptations to a site based off of XPATH, and Regular Expressions allowing for easy integration with Compliance Sheriff

• An optional module that integrates with Compliance Sheriff for SharePoint, enabling developers to easily determine which accessibility modifications need to be applied – taking out the guesswork

Learn more about AFM and SharePoint Compliance:

Start your SharePoint Compliance initiative today. Contact a HiSoftware solutions expert to discuss your compliance needs.

Download the HiSoftware AFM Data Sheet (70K) PDF

Go to the HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff for SharePoint Data Sheet