Accessibility Solution Services
Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind provides consulting services and accessibility solutions to employers that include large and small business as well as government agencies. These solutions can encompass a broad range of issues and technology including, ADA and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as a wide array of assistive and non assistive technology hardware and software. The primary focus of these solutions is to provide accessibility to individuals with low vision or who have no vision that will allow them achieve successful outcomes with regard to their employment and educational objectives. Services are provided at the client company location and via remote access within the continental U.S.
Accessibility Solution Services available:
Implementation and Support
Job Access With Speech (JAWS) Scripting
Training
Help Desk
Employment Services
Staffing, Job Retention
Service Contracts
Accessibility Consulting
Lighthouse Technology Services (LTS) consultants meet with your management and technical staff to assess how best to meet your accessibility goals. We work with your staff to understand your business issues and prioritize your needs in terms of services to be delivered, schedule, and costs. These services can be provided in support of an existing assistive technology solution, on an as needed basis, or they may be used to provide a new assistive technology solution. The Assistive Technology Consultant works with your organization to resolve any technical barriers that may be preventing your staff from accessing the system and performing the responsibilities of their position as required.
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Accessibility Audits and Testing
Accessibility Audits and Testing are conducted for the primary purposes of identifying existing barriers with regard to the accessibility of your organizations existing and planned IT/Web products and services and providing recommendations for eliminating those barriers. We have established ourselves as an innovative leader in this field by partnering with fortune 500 companies in order to include accessibility in the design and development processes of their product development, implementation and support. The details of the Accessibility Audit and Testing are documented in a detailed, comprehensive report that is provided to your organization and includes post audit consultation with the Accessibility Consultant conducting the audit and testing. The report provides your organization with detail of the methods and tools we used in identifying accessibility barriers. The report also separates critical accessibility issues that must be corrected and suggested improvements that will help develop and maintain solid accessibility practices going forward.
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Section 508 Consulting and Technical Assistance
Our experienced staff is knowledgeable about automated testing tools, software code analysis and standards associated with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. We can work together with your organization to provide the technical services necessary to achieve Section 508 compliance for existing documents or systems or, if you prefer, we will provide consultation and training in order to help your team develop and implement a successful organizational plan that assures compliance with Section 508 standards. Either way, our services are provided with a complete and comprehensive analysis report so that your organization will be able to identify existing problems and locate resources that will assist in achieving this important requirement.
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Accessibility Technology Solutions
Our accessibility solutions are provided by the most experienced team of technicians in the field today. Our strategy for providing solutions starts with the least invasive approach to your current business model. Our twenty years of experience in working with companies has proven that this is the best approach to follow. Our expertise with current accessibility and non accessibility products and our knowledge of current accessibility practices and standards provides us with a wide array of tools which has resulted in a long history of achieving successful accessibility solutions. Upon successful implementation of the Accessibility Solution, your organization will receive all supporting documentation for the services provided that will include a detailed report of the initial survey, technical services provided, current accessibility approval and, if software modifications or scripting was provided, a user-friendly electronic and Braille or print training manual that will provide users and staff with easy to follow instructions for using the scripts.
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Website Assessment
Our experienced staff is knowledgeable with automated testing tools, software code analysis and standards associated with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. We can provide you with a comprehensive assessment of your website and we can be available to discuss any existing problem areas that prevent your website from being Section 508 compliant. In addition to the initial website assessment, we can be available to work together with your organization to provide the technical services necessary to achieve Section 508 compliance for your website. We can also provide consultation and training in order to help your team develop and implement a successful organizational plan that assures compliance with Section 508 standards. This assessment includes a complete and comprehensive analysis report so that your organization will be able to identify existing problems and locate resources that will assist in achieving this important requirement.
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Document and Form Assessment
We can provide a detailed assessment of all electronic forms and documents and also evaluate paper forms in order to convert them to accessible electronic formats using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Once the form has been converted to an accessible format as required by Section 508 standards we can provide a detailed report of what was done to support the conversion.
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Accessibility Training and Awareness
Our experienced training staff is knowledgeable in a wide range of accessibility software and hardware products, including state of the art as well as legacy technology. Our instructors offer specialized assistive technology training that is tailored to meet the accessibility goals of your organization. By developing customized training materials and using innovative teaching methods, our staff can provide individualized or group instruction for your employees so that they will be able to perform their job duties efficiently. Tampa Lighthouse offers both onsite and remote training so that your organization can decide the methods that will best meet your timelines and accessibility objectives.
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Technical Support Services
These services include consulting, and support services or recommendations for employee accessibility needs. These services can be provided in support of an existing assistive technology solution, on an as needed basis, or they may be used to provide a new assistive technology solution. The Assistive Technology Consultant works either on-site or remotely with the individual in order to provide support services and resolve any technical barriers that are preventing the individual from accessing the system and performing the responsibilities of their position as required.
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W3C HTML Accessibility Certification
Section 508 is a government standard that provides the direction on how to make information technology accessible. It requires all US federal agencies to make their information technology accessible to their employees and customers with disabilities. Starting in June 2001, all new IT equipment and services purchased by federal agencies must be accessible. Customers must be able to access information available to the public. Section 508 also applies to Web sites that are produced for government agencies. All state agencies and vendors, whether US or foreign, that receive federal funds under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 are also required to comply with Section 508 requirements. A W3C Accessibility validation test verifies the compliance of the page code with the W3C HTML standards using the W3C HTML Validator. Upon completion of the validation testing of your page content, we will provide you with a detailed analysis of the result along with comprehensive recommendations for addressing any issues identified. We can then assist you with correcting any errors and you will be provided with a certification by Lighthouse Technology Services showing that your page(s) have passed validation testing.
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Job Access With Speech (JAWS) Scripting
JAWS is a software program, referred to as a screen reader, which is developed and distributed by Freedom Scientific Inc. It is referred to as a screen reader because it allows a person who is blind to read what is on the screen by listening to the audio output created by JAWS. JAWS includes a programming language that allows it to be customized to work any Windows application. This programming language is commonly referred to as JAWS Scripting and is a programming language that is proprietary to JAWS. Once developed, the JAWS scripts act as a bridge between the screen reader and the software application.
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MAGic Scripting
MAGic is a software program, referred to as a screen magnifier that is developed and distributed by Freedom Scientific Inc. It is referred to as a screen magnifier because it allows a person who has low vision to read what is on the screen by magnifying the information and listen to audio output feature included with MAGic. MAGic includes a programming language that allows it to be customized to work any Windows application. This programming language is commonly referred to as MAGic Scripting and is a programming language that is proprietary to MAGic. Once developed, the MAGic scripts act as a bridge between the screen magnifier and the software application.
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Acrobat Accessibility
After an initial analysis to determine if your PDF documents meet all the applicable Section 508 requirements, the documents receive a careful review in order to identify and, if necessary, correct the most common accessibility problems, including the proper tagging of images, tables, forms and other non-textual objects. A compliance report is provided so that you will get detailed information on the accessibility problems and the corrective actions taken.
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Flash Accessibility
As Flash content is integrated more widely throughout the internet and within many corporate and educational training departments, the need for identifying and correcting accessibility issues with flash content has become more critical. Upon contacting our office, we will conduct a full analysis of your web and eLearning content so that you will have an idea of your products current accessibility status. Upon completion of the analysis, a comprehensive report is provided in order to help you identify areas that are not accessible and get recommendations for resolving accessibility issues. Our technical staff can also work directly with your content developers in order to provide guidance and recommendations for best practice while creating Section 508 compliant materials.
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Help Desk
Visit our Help Desk to get answers to your questions or receive technical support services. Lighthouse Technology Services are currently available by appointment only. If you have a broadband internet connection we can provide technical support services via your internet connection. You can submit your request by sending an email or by contacting us directly by phone.
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Java Accessibility
Java accessibility means building the services and supports into an application that enable people with disabilities to use the software. Java accessibility technologies are implemented in the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) and they comprise two separate packages: Java Accessibility API and Java Accessibility Utilities. Accessibility technologies such as the Java Access Bridge for the Microsoft Windows Operating System makes it possible for a Windows based Assistive Technology to get at and interact with the Java Accessibility API. The Java Accessibility API is implemented in the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) Project Swing user interface components. The Accessibility APIs let you write programs that are compatible with hardware and software designed for people with special needs such as limited sight or the inability to operate a mouse.
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Web Accessibility
Web accessibility allows people with disabilities to use the Web. By developing and maintaining accessibility standards and practices, such as those defined within the scope of Section 508, web developers and content providers of internet and intranet sites enable people with disabilities to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the their web pages.
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Citrix and Remote Access Solutions
In Windows, Remote Access can be handled by any number of software programs (remote clients). Many of these clients are required as part of a company’s technical infrastructure. For example, work at home jobs and positions that are part of a mobile work force such as sales and IT support positions. As these remote technologies have become more prevalent in today’s workforce, it has become more important to create and maintain remote solutions that will provide for continued access to the job market. A common method of remote access with Citrix allows users to connect to the Windows desktop, called an ICA Connection. Another method is to connect through Published Applications. In this method, when you open the Citrix Program Neighborhood, you see your programs such as Word, Outlook, Notes, and so on. The application can also be configured on the client computer to be a "seamless application." This means that it truly looks as though the application is running on the client's desktop, complete with a taskbar icon. The administrator publishes the application on the Citrix server and then sets up the connection through the program neighborhood. Lighthouse Technology Services has worked with the most popular manufacturers of accessibility technologies in order to facilitate accessibility solutions for remote access.
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Remote Access
Remote Access is a method used to access your work computer or company network from a remote location or computer. Remote access can be possible using dial-up access, Broadband access or wireless access. Laptop computers, PDAs and Smartphones can be used to take advantage of remote access. Remote access solutions can be Internet-based or a software program. Some examples include: Mobile professionals can use remote access to connect to corporate networks or their work computer from another location using another computer or mobile device. For more information on accessibility for remote access see Citrix and Remote Access Solutions
American with Disabilities Act (ADA)-http://www.ada.gov/
Section 508- www.section508.gov