# Presentation: 519194

## Managing Accessibility in an XML Instance

- A Proposal from
- the Internal Revenue Service presented to the Federal CIO XML Working Group

- Department of the Treasury
- Internal Revenue Service

- David W. Heiser, Technical Advisor
- Tax Forms and Publications Division
- April 2003

## Problem Definition

- What is meant by inaccessibility – a visual illustration (pun intended)
- What are the legislative mandates
- How to address with minimal burden on authors
- How to manage solution

## A Graphical Black Hole

## Legislative Mandates

- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Amendments Act of 1998 requires government to provide access to information for persons with disabilities that is comparable to access to others
- The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination and requires equal access to services for persons with disabilities
- The E-Government Act of 2002 requires agencies to make their web sites more efficient and usable using XML

**Notes:**
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Amendments Act of 1998:
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. ‘ 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.
The Americans with Disabilities Act:
Prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation. The ADA requires that reasonable accommodations be provided in meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities.
E-Government Act of 2002:
Its purpose is to improve the methods by which Government information, including information on the Internet, is organized, preserved, and made accessible to the public. 

## IRS Perspective – Some Issues

- Authoring process – minimize complexity
- How do we move the process to the authoring side from post-production
- Maintenance of descriptions
- Research – What standards exist, what nonproprietary solutions are available

## What the Standards Revealed

- Research mostly on web pages; little on dealing with accessibility in the source files.
- XML structure to support accessibility not specifically defined.
- Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) – some answers but don’t specifically address IRS development, production, or web delivery needs. Still too new.
- MathML – some solutions but requires plug-in and hard to use for non-math oriented authors.
- Proprietary solutions don’t reach broadest audience (browser readers are expensive and proprietary).

**Notes:**
Jaws for Windows - $795 ($1,495 for Windows NT and Windows 2000)
Window-Eyes - $495 and doesn’t yet handle Braille
Outspoken for Windows - $595

## Enlightenment

- National Braille Association recommendation from W3C website.
- An accessible graphic is one accompanied by a clearly written description – for aural perception, not from a typical narrative style.
- Thus, for example, to mark up a flowchart, take the reader from decision to endpoint as you might in a conversation. If finished, provide an immediate exit point. Requires rewriting flowcharts to complete one path at a time. Minimal linking moves reader from path to path as necessary.

## Summary of Accessibility Requirements

- Graphics –
- “Alt” attribute on small or less busy graphics
- Description files for information-filled objects
- Tables –
- Summary, title, or caption or combo
- Scoping with location (axis, header information)

## Potential Issues

- Graphic descriptions too long for “alt”
- Description files don’t provide structure for authors – they want neat packages.
- Solution requires easy transformation for HTML display
- Some issues with multiple table models
- Simple portability -- no loose pieces to track

## IRS Structure Solution

- Convert graphics to tables where possible
- Accessorize tables
- Summaries
- Header rows
- Scoping
- New descriptor container element – a subset providing easy import into existing XML/SGML DTDs

## IRS Solution (continued)

- Wrap graphics and their descriptions in container element (<illustration>)
- New description element “<descriptor>” to provide tagged organization
- ID matching of graphic, descriptor, and web page anchor
- Provide navigation (linking points, including exit points) for the text reader (e.g. “end of graphic description”)

## DTD Subset

- <!--***************************** DESCRIPTOR ****************-->
- <!ELEMENT descriptor   (desc-title?, (desc-p | desc-blst | desc-nlst
-                         | desc-slst | table | desc-hd)+)              >
- <!ATTLIST descriptor    linkto        IDREF      #REQUIRED         >
- <!ELEMENT desc-p        (#PCDATA | a | %desc-emph;)+           >
- <!ELEMENT desc-blst     (desc-hd?, desc-li+)                             >
- <!ELEMENT desc-nlst     (desc-hd?, desc-li+)                             >
- <!ELEMENT desc-slst     (desc-hd?, desc-li+)                             >
- <!ELEMENT desc-hd       (#PCDATA)                                         >
- <!ELEMENT desc-title    (#PCDATA  | %desc-emph;)+               >
- <!ELEMENT desc-li       (#PCDATA | a | %desc-emph;)+            >
- <!--***************************** END of DESCRIPTOR ****************-->

**Notes:**

Descriptor subset is part of our modular design. Our COMMON.DTD and COMMON-TABLE.DTD point to five different DTDs. These fragments hold common elements shared by all DTDs in SGML/XML tax form instructions and publications.
Not shown is the <a> link and the link tags which are common elements.

## Two table models

- DTD revised to include two table models
- CALS table for regular production, including print output
- HTML table model for descriptor subset
- Composition output can ignore descriptor table while XSL stylesheet can present same in separate browser window

**Notes:**
We found it useful to allow for a table to be used occasionally. An example might be an illustrated form that isn’t described in the narrative.
IRS.GOV is template-driven. We are working with our web manager to provide XSL stylesheets to transform our SGML/XML products into a styled HTML.
Inline tables fit in context. Wider tables would display in a popup window.
HTML tables inside description may be narrow or wide. Thus, a CGI script would determine their behavior on the web.

## HTML Table Illustration

**Notes:**
This slide displays an HTML table within the descriptor subset.

## Markup illustration with trickery

- Using the concept of tag templates to insert HTML table markup
- <table summary="This is a test Table" border="1">
- <caption>Cups of coffee consumed by each senator</caption>
- <tr><th scope="col">Name</th>
-        <th scope="col">Cups</th>
-        <th abbr="Type" scope="col">Type of Coffee</th>
-        <th scope="col">Sugar?</th></tr>
- <tr><td>T. Sexton</td><td>10</td>
-        <td>Espresso</td><td>No</td></tr>
- <tr><td>J. Dinnen</td><td>5</td>
-        <td>Decaf</td><td>Yes</td>
- </tr> </table>

**Notes:**
The trickery is temporary. We discovered we could use tag templates to insert a second table model under our software vendor can modify our editing software. This is just for illustration.

## IRS Application Solution

- Customized authoring tool
- Built-in validation

## Descriptor Management

- Tools include collection of descriptors throughout file and navigation.
- Author edits descriptor in separate window.

**Notes:**
Go to provides navigation to the selected description.
Edit allows an author to edit that descriptor in a new window.

## Next Steps

- Fine-tune multiple table model issues
- Contract to write and tag descriptor content
- Impress on authors need to own descriptor content
- CGI code to display descriptor in separate browser window

## Some References

- Web Accessibility Initiative - _[http://www.w3c.org/WAI/](http://www.w3c.org/WAI/)_
- GSA Section 508 Initiative -_**http://www.section508.gov/**_
- MathML Recommendation - _[http://www.w3.org/Math/](http://www.w3.org/Math/)_
- Scalable Vector Graphics - _[http://www.w3.org/TR/SVG11/](http://www.w3.org/TR/SVG11/)_

## Acknowledgements

- Joanne LaRose – Plexus Scientific, Inc.
- Meribeth Miller & Albina Delozier – Management Systems Design, Inc.
- Nancy Odell, Brian Connolly, Deborah Durbin -- Arbortext, Inc.
- IRS Alternative Media Center