Talking Communities

Summary Table Talking Communities Voluntary Product Accessibility Template [top]
Criteria	Supporting Features	Remarks and Explanations
Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems	Supported
Section 1194.22 Web-based internet information and applications	Supported
Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products	Not applicable
Section 1194.24 Video and Multi-media Products	Not applicable
Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Products	Not applicable
Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers	Not applicable
Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria	Supported
Section 1194.41 (a) Information, Documentation and Support	Supported
Appendix A: Full listing of Talking Communities Accessibility Features	Supported

Detailed Table Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems [top] Talking Communities 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.	Supported All of the functions of Talking Communities are executable from a keyboard. In addition, Talking Communities provides a hot key setup utility that enables users to change hot key settings in support of fine-tuning the interoperability of Talking Communities with a wide range of third-party assistive technologies;	In addition, Talking Communities provides its users with the ability to easily remap all of the key combination commands of the system. This feature permits users to eliminate any incompatible keystroke between Talking Communities and third-party assistive technology applications.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities should 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. Should an occasion arise when this does happen, Talking Communities provides a hot key setup utility that enables users to change hot key settings in support of fine-tuning the interoperability of Talking Communities with a wide range of third-party assistive technologies; Talking Communities is interoperable with many, popular, commercially available, assistive technologies including: JAWS by Freedom Scientific http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Window-Eyes by GW Micro http://www.gwmicro.com/ ZoomText by Ai Squared http://www.aisquared.com/ BigShot by Ai Squared http://www.aisquared.com/ MAgic by Freedom Scientific http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Dragon Naturally Speaking by NUANCE http://www.nuance.com/ In addition Talking Communities Interoperable and compatible with remote conference captioning services; Talking Communities is interoperable with a third-party: Speech modification application in support of people with speech impairments (interoperable and compatible 3rd-party, application); Graphics equalizer for adjusting frequency to better accommodate people with hearing impairments; Magnifying glass; Speech recognition application for command and control; Shared documents with version control;
(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.	Supported Talking Communities provides a menu selection which enables the user to (track and change focus) navigate to and among all of the different components of the system; These commands are accessible by assistive technology.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities provides sufficient information about its user interface elements to Assistive Technology to enable Assistive Technology to work effectively with the application. When images represents a program element, the information conveyed by the image is available in text format.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities utilizes standard and consistent images throughout the application..
(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.	Supported Talking Communities uses standard system functions to send textual information to the operating systems.
(g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes.	Supported with exceptions Talking Communities maintains user selected contrast and color selections for text chats.
(h) When animation is displayed, the information shall be displayable in at least one non-animated presentation mode at the option of the user.	Not Applicable Talking Communities does not use animation to display information to the user.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities does not use color coding as the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element color to convey 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.	Supported Talking Communities supports operating system settings for high contrast color schemes that make the screen easier to view for some users by heightening screen contrast with alternate color combinations. Talking Communities permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings using a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast levels.	.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities does 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.
(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 Talking Communities does not use electronic forms.

Detailed Table Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet information and applications [top] Talking Communities Voluntary Product Accessibility Template
Criteria	Supporting Features	Remarks and Explanations
(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).	Supported Talking Communities provides a text equivalent for every non-text element.
(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.	Supported Talking Communities provides its users with the ability to record text messaging, audio and presentations in synchronized format. Talking Communities does not have video capabilities at this time.
(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.	Supported In Talking Communities all information conveyed with color is also available without color.
(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.	Supported Documents in Talking Communities are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.
(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.	Not Applicable Talking Communities does not use 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.	Not Applicable Talking Communities does not use image maps.
(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.	Supported Talking Communities supports row and column headers identification in data tables.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities supports association of data cells and header cells in data tables.
(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation	Supported Talking Communities supports use of frame titles.
(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.	Supported Talking Communities pages do not cause flicker.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities supports script information identification via functional text.
(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).	Supported Talking Communities supports links to accessible plug-ins.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities allows people using Assistive Technology to access the information in online forms, their field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.
(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.	Not Applicable Talking Communities does not have any embedded navigation links
(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.	Not Applicable Talking Communities does not use timed responses.

Detailed Table Section 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria [top] Talking Communities 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.	Supported Talking Communities provides modes of operation and information retrieval that do not require user vision. Talking Communities provides support for Assistive Technology used by people who are visually impaired.
(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.	Supported Talking Communities provides support for Assistive Technology used by people who are visually impaired. Talking Communities is compatible with a free, fully-featured, screen magnification application.
(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	Supported Talking Communities provides multiple modes of operation and information retrieval that do not require user hearing. Talking Communities supports Assistive Technology used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Talking Communities is interoperable with a graphics equalizer designed to enable users to adjusting frequency;
(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.	Supports Talking Communities provides for both audio and text-based communications. Talking Communities is compatible and interoperable with inductive loop headsets. Talking Communities is interoperable with a graphics equalizer designed to enable users to adjusting frequency; In addition Talking Communities Interoperable and compatible with remote conference captioning services;
(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.	Supported Talking Communities provides for both audio and text-based communications. Talking Communities is interoperable with a speech modification system for people with speech disabilities
(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.	Supported with exceptions Talking Communities supports operating system tools such as StickyKeys and FilterKeys as well as some other Assistive Technologies. When Window’s StickyKeys feature is on, the user can press a modifier key (SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT) and then another key in sequence rather than at the same time, to enter shifted (modified) characters and other key combinations. Pressing a modifier key once latches the key down until the user presses a non-modifier key or clicks a mouse button. Pressing a modifier key twice locks the key until the user presses the key a third time. When Window’s FilterKeys accessibility feature allows the user to set the keyboard repeat rate, acceptance delay and bounce rate.

Detailed Table Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation, and Support [top] Voluntary Product Accessibility Template
Section 1194.41 (a) Product Support Documentation provided to end-users shall be made available in alternate formats upon request, at no additional charge.	Supported
Section 1194.41 (b) Accessibility and Compatibility Features. 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.	Supported
1194.41 (c) Support Services for products shall accommodate the communication needs of end-users with disabilities.	Supported

Appendix A: Full listing of Talking Communities Accessibility Features [top]

Accessibility features:

Delivers the functionality defined by the Access Board’s Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards;
Though not required by current law... delivers the functionality defined by the Access Board’s Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines;
Supports the spirit and intent of:
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990: Title I – Employment: designed to protect the civil rights of individuals with disabilities who are required to use E&IT in support of their jobs in the private sector and with state and local governments; Title II – State and Local Government Activities and Public Services: requires that state and local governments give people with disabilities equal access to E&IT used in support of the programs, services, and activities they sponsor; Title III – Public Accommodations: requires that E&IT-based services, among other services, offered to the general public by private enterprises be accessible to people with disabilities.
- Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as Amended: Section 501 – designed to help ensure that employees with disabilities and potential employees with disabilities of the executive branch of the Federal government get the accommodations they need to obtain and perform jobs; Section 504 – designed to help ensure that programs and activities funded by the Federal government directly, or by anyone receiving Federal financial assistance, are available to all citizens; and, Section 508 – seeks to ensure the accessibility of E&IT used by Federal government employees with disabilities and individuals with disabilities who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal department or agency.
- Telecommunications Act of 1996: Section 255 – requires companies that manufacture and provide telecommunications products and services to address the needs of people with disabilities at the time that they design, develop, and fabricate those products and services.
All functions are accessible using the keyboard;
Ability to change hot key settings in support of fine-tuning interoperability and compatibility with a wide range of assistive technologies;

Text-to-speech self-voicing (user option) of:
- Public and private text chats;
- User status (active/away);
- Active speaker's name;
- Names of people entering and leaving rooms;
Visual indicator of "active speaker" and active/away status of all participants;
Document conversion and upload center that automatically converts PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents into more accessible formats;
Tested interoperable with popular, commercially available, assistive technologies such as:
- JAWS by Freedom Scientific http://www.freedomscientific.com/
- Window-Eyes by GW Micro http://www.gwmicro.com/
- ZoomText by Ai Squared http://www.aisquared.com/
- BigShot by Ai Squared http://www.aisquared.com/
- MAgic by Freedom Scientific http://www.freedomscientific.com/
- Dragon Naturally Speaking by NUANCE http://www.nuance.com/
Tested interoperable with:
- Speech modification application in support of people with speech impairments (interoperable and compatible 3rd-party, application);
- Graphics equalizer for adjusting frequency to better accommodate people with hearing impairments (interoperable and compatible 3rd-party, application);
- Magnifying glass (compatible 3rd-party, application);
- Speech recognition application for command and control (interoperable and compatible 3rd-party, application);
- Shared documents with version control (interoperable and compatible 3rd-party, application);
Fully-accessible help files;
Fully-accessible documentation;
Enables the user to display/hide desktop screen elements in support of further simplicity;
Changeable, text chat, foreground and background colors;
Ability to configure Talk Key in support of maintaining compatibility with third-party assistive technologies;
Provides changeable talk sounds in support of a user knowing when they push/release the talk key;
Provides screen focus selection to enable quick navigation to and among different components of the system;
Interoperable and compatible with remote conference captioning services;
Suppression of text chat colors to enhance contrast;

This document is for informational purposes only.
Talking Communities makes no warranties, express or implied, in this document.

Talking Communities VPAT Product Information [top]
Last Updated:	February 1, 2008
Name of Product:	Talking Communities Version 7.50
Contact for more Information:	buys@talkingcommunities.com