Help+Manual section 508 - Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is to assist Federal contracting officials in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial “Electronic and Information Technology” products and services with features that support accessibility. It is assumed and recommended that offerers will provide additional contact information to facilitate more detailed inquiries.

The first table of the Template provides a summary view of the section 508 Standards. The subsequent tables provide more detailed views of each subsection. There are three columns in each table. Column one of the Summary Table describes the subsections of subparts B and C of the Standards. The second column describes the supporting features of the product or refers you to the corresponding detailed table, "e.g., equivalent facilitation." The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product. In the subsequent tables, the first column contains the lettered paragraphs of the subsections. The second column describes the supporting features of the product with regard to that paragraph. The third column contains any additional remarks and explanations regarding the product.

Date:October 28, 2021
Product Name:Help+Manual® 8 (Basic, Professional and Floating License)
Product Version Number:Version 8
Vendor:EC Software GmbH
Contact for more information:Alexander Halser, Managing Director, EC Software GmbH

 

Summary Table for Help+Manual

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

Criteria

Supporting Features

Remarks and explanations

Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems

Completed

See Section Detail for 1194.21.

Section 1194.22 Web-based internet information and applications

Completed

See Section Detail for 1194.22.

Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products

Not applicable

Help+Manual is not a Telecommunications Product.

Section 1194.24 Video and Multi-media Products

Not applicable

Help+Manual is not a Video or Multi-media Product

Section 1194.25 Self-Contained,Closed Products

Not applicable

Help+Manual is not a Self-Contained or Closed Product.

Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers

Not applicable

Help+Manual is not a Desktop or Portable Computer.

Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria

Completed

See Section Detail for 1194.31.

Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation, and Support

Completed

See Section Detail for 1194.41.

 

Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems - Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

Criteria

Supporting Features

Remarks and explanations

(a) When software is designed to run on a system that has a keyboard, product functions shall be executable from a keyboard where the function itself or the result of performing a function can be discerned textually.

Criteria fully met.

All actions are executable from the keyboard. Frequently used functions have customizable keyboard shortcuts.

(b) Applications shall not disrupt or disable activated features of other products that are identified as accessibility features, where those features are developed and documented according to industry standards. Applications also shall not disrupt or disable activated features of any operating system that are identified as accessibility features where the application programming interface for those accessibility features has been documented by the manufacturer of the operating system and is available to the product developer.

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual does not disrupt any accessibility features of the operating system.

(c) A well-defined on-screen indication of the current focus shall be provided that moves among interactive interface elements as the input focus changes. The focus shall be programmatically exposed so that Assistive Technology can track focus and focus changes.

Criteria fully met.

 

(d) Sufficient information about a user interface element including the identity, operation and state of the element shall be available to Assistive Technology. When an image represents a program element, the information conveyed by the image must also be available in text.

Criteria fully met.

Information about user interface elements including the identity, operation and state of the element is available to Assistive Technology.

(e) When bitmap images are used to identify controls, status indicators, or other programmatic elements, the meaning assigned to those images shall be consistent throughout an application's performance.

Criteria fully met.

 

(f) Textual information shall be provided through operating system functions for displaying text. The minimum information that shall be made available is text content, text input caret location, and text attributes.

Criteria fully met.

 

(g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes.

Criteria fully met.

 

(h) When animation is displayed, the information shall be displayable in at least one non-animated presentation mode at the option of the user.

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual does not use animations, except for progress bars, where additional textual information about the progress of an operation is available.

(i) Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

Criteria fully met.

The status of a help topic - a user defined attribute - (e.g. "complete", "under construction") is indicated by color highlighting and also available as textual information.

(j) When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast levels shall be provided.

Criteria fully met.

 

(k) Software shall not use flashing or blinking text, objects, or other elements having a flash or blink frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual does not use flashing or blinking text, objects or any other elements.

(l) When electronic forms are used, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

Not applicable.

Help+Manual does not use electronic forms.

 

Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet information and applications - Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

Criteria

Supporting Features

Remarks and explanations

Notes to section 1194.22: this section applies to Help+Manual's HTML based output formats, such as Webhelp and compiled HTML Help. Help+Manual offers user customizable export options for these output formats, which may overwrite the default values set by the program.

(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual by default creates a text equivalent for every non-text element. This option is user customizable.

(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.

Not applicable.

It is the authors (users) responsibility to implement alternatives, if the author uses multimedia presentations in help topics. Help+Manual has no direct influence on user defined content.

(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.

Criteria fully met.

 

(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual creates HTML pages that are readable without an associated style sheet.

(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.

Not applicable.

Help+Manual does not create server-side image maps.

(f) Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual creates client-side image maps with geometric shapes when using links in image. A non-text element ("alt", "title" tag) is provided automatically. This option is user customizable.

(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.

Criteria not met.

Help+Manual cannot distinct between tables with informational content and tables used for layout. It has no direct influence on user defined content.

(h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

Criteria not met.

 

(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation

Criteria fully met.

Frames, when used, are automatically titled with descriptive names such as "navigation frame" and "content frame".

(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

Criteria fully met.

 

(k) A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.

Not applicable.

 

(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by Assistive Technology.

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual does not use scripting languages to display content or create interface elements. It is, however, possible for the author to customize the output with user defined scripts. Help+Manual has no direct influence on user defined content.

(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21(a) through (l).

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual does not require applets or plug-ins to be present on the client system. It is, however, possible for the author to customize the output and extend content with user defined HTML code that may require applets. Help+Manual has no direct influence on user defined content.

(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using Assistive Technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

Not applicable.

Help+Manual does not create electronic forms.

(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.

Criteria fully met.

 

(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

Criteria fully met.

 

 

Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria - Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

Criteria

Supporting Features

Remarks and explanations

(a) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user vision shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are blind or visually impaired shall be provided.

Criteria fully met.

 

(b) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require visual acuity greater than 20/70 shall be provided in audio and enlarged print output working together or independently, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are visually impaired shall be provided.

Criteria fully met.

 

(c) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user hearing shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing shall be provided

Criteria fully met.

Help+Manual does not provide information in audio form. No information retrieval requires hearing.

(d) Where audio information is important for the use of a product, at least one mode of operation and information retrieval shall be provided in an enhanced auditory fashion, or support for assistive hearing devices shall be provided.

Criteria fully met.

Audio information is not required for operation of Help+Manual.

(e) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require user speech shall be provided, or support for Assistive Technology used by people with disabilities shall be provided.

Criteria fully met.

Speech is not required for operation of Help+Manual.

(f) At least one mode of operation and information retrieval that does not require fine motor control or simultaneous actions and that is operable with limited reach and strength shall be provided.

Criteria fully met.

No fine motor control or simultaneous actions are required.

 

Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation, and Support - Detail

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

Criteria

Supporting Features

Remarks and explanations

(a) Product support documentation provided to end-users shall be made available in alternate formats upon request, at no additional charge.

Criteria fully met.

EC Software provides electronic versions the product documentation, with mechanisms available for the conversion of these documents to alternate formats.

(b) End-users shall have access to a description of the accessibility and compatibility features of products in alternate formats or alternate methods upon request, at no additional charge.

Criteria fully met.

EC Software provides electronic versions the product documentation, with mechanisms available for the conversion of these documents to alternate formats.

(c) Support services for products shall accommodate the communication needs of end-users with disabilities.

Criteria partially met .

Support for EC Software products is available in electronic form only (email, user forum).