[CATO] Examsoft VPAT, YIKES!
Lattin, Zachary
ZLattin at clark.edu
Tue Feb 7 11:45:25 PST 2023
Greetings CATO,
I just tested assessment software Examplify for our institution and it was a particularly egregious accessibility failure, so I figured I would share some of my findings. Attached is the first red flag ... I mean VPAT, which is a completely inaccessible and untagged pdf. After I OCRed it with ABBYY Finereader I found the following concerns in the "Partially Supports" and "Does not support" columns, which I then verified in subsequent testing of the windows and IOS Apps:
* Hotspot questions using images cannot be used with VoiceOver.
* Some controls have accessible labels. Some form fields such as edit fields do not have accessible names.
* Some functions are keyboard operable. The Spreadsheet tool is not keyboard operable and the text editor used in Essay questions does not support keyboard shortcuts for formatting functions when using a physical keyboard.
* iOS devices are intended for touchscreen use. The home menu and PDF attachments traps VoiceOver focus when focus is moved to the menu.
* Programmatic focus that VoiceOver follows does not follow reading order on exam question pages or when opening a PDF pop out.
* Some user interface components with labels contain the text that is presented visually. Some "Next" buttons do not have an accessible name that matches the visible text.
* Some components (e.g., input fields) do not provide some required information (e.g., names).
* Application restricts content to landscape orientation.
* Minimum contrast ratios are used with some exceptions.
* Operating system functions for changing text size are not supported. Functions to bold text are supported.
* Visual focus is shown where there is keyboard functionality.
The first deal-breaker for me was the completely inaccessible text editor for composing essay questions. I will point out that inaccessible text editors in products like this stem from a particularly ablest assumption that AT users don't need to create content, they just need to consume it. if you're testing a product, please remember to test its ability to create content inside itself!
I could go on and on about these issues but I think you get the gist. Clark will need to work on finding an alternative to using Examsoft.
--Zach
Campus IT Accessibility Coordinator and Assistive Technology Specialist
IT Services
Phone (call or text): (360) 992-2016
Email: zlattin at clark.edu
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