Making Flash Accessible – US Section 508 Compliance
Throughout the years of working with flash I have been asked if Flash can be made accessible to support the U.S. Government Standards for Accessibility (Section 508). I’ve found some great resources I would like to share.
Adobe has made some great strides in making Flash more accessible. Accessibility with Flash has been a challenge over the years and had prevented many organizations, especially U.S. Government agencies, from using Flash.
The first thing I do it go to the source: Adobe Accessibility Blog
Creating Accessible Sites in Flash – Here’s an Adobe presentation provides a great introduction on how to make Flash accessible to users with disabilities. It is also a good example of an accessible Flash site.
Adobe – Accessibility Resource Site – a collection of products information, examples
The Double Div Method – Some logistics and samples of how to nest HTML content on the same page as Flash to provide accessibility navigable and SEO leaders.
Flash Accessibility Tips – DoodleDoo’s practical tips for making Flash accessible.
Flash Accessibility Requirements and Methods (FARM) – DoodleDoo’s requirements guide along with an “Accessible Flash Checklist.”
Frustration with accessibility and Flash – A blog post with some good information for those of you using Flex and Flash ActionScript 3.
Of course, the obvious question I don’t ask is, if it needs to be 508 Compliant, why are you using Flash?
Flash is for multimedia, audio and video. 508 Compliance requires web applications to be accessible with controls OTHER then the mouse… although not impossible; it may be impractical to navigate through animated content with the keyboard… just a thought.
-Lenny
