[CATO] Examsoft VPAT, YIKES!

[Lattin, Zachary]

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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