The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is to assist Federal contracting officials and other buyers 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.
* Changes: added Section 1194.41
Date: 4/16/07
Name of Product: Sentinel
| Summary Table Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems |
See section 1194.21 below. |
|
| Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet Information and Applications |
Not Applicable |
|
| 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 |
See section 1194.31 below. |
|
| Section 1194.41 Information, Documentation and Support |
See section 1194.41 below. |
|
| Section 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems - Detail Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| (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. |
Keyboard shortcuts, or Âhot keys Tabs between fields in wizards |
Supported, with exceptions. Many Sentinel functions are available via keyboard shortcuts in the English interface. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not disrupt or disable any activated accessibility features of other applications or 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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel has not been tested with 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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel has not been tested with 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. |
Not Applicable |
Most bitmap images are consistent throughout the interface. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not provide text information through operating system functions. |
| (g) Applications shall not override user selected contrast and color selections and other individual display attributes. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not reset user-selected contrast and color selections or other individual display attributes. |
| (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 |
Sentinel does not use animation to convey essential information. |
| (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. |
In addition to color-coding: Incomplete or incorrect form entries are indicated by error messages. Severity of messages within the user interface is indicated by an integer 0-5. Different icons indicate system status for components. |
Color-coding is never the sole source of information within Sentinel. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
Users do not adjust color or contrast within the Sentinel interface. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not use flashing or blinking text. |
| (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 |
Sentinel has not been tested with Assistive Technology. |
| Section 1194.22 Web-based Internet information and applications - Detail Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| Section 1194.23 Telecommunications Products - Detail Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| Section 1194.24 Video and Multi-media Products - Detail Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| Section 1194.25 Self-Contained, Closed Products - Detail Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| Section 1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers - Detail Voluntary Product Accessibility Template |
| Criteria |
Supporting Features |
Remarks and explanations |
| 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. |
Keyboard shortcuts |
Most functions are accessible through keyboard shortcuts in the English interface. However, some user vision is required to operate Sentinel. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel operations require some degree of user vision. Sentinel does not currently provide options for audio operations. Print operations have minimal importance in the context of Sentinel usage. Sentinel has not been tested with Assistive Technology. |
| (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 |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not require user 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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not require user hearing. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not require user speech. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
Sentinel does not require fine motor control or simultaneous actions.; |
| 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 |
Not Applicable |
This is a requirement for government agencies, not for vendors. Novell is not required to offer documentation in alternate formats in order to comply with Section 508. |
| (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. |
Not Applicable |
This is a requirement for government agencies, not for vendors. Novell is not required to offer documentation in alternate formats in order to comply with Section 508. |
| (c) Support services for products shall accommodate the communication needs of end-users with disabilities. |
Not Applicable |
This is a requirement for government agencies, not for vendors. Novell is not required to offer documentation in alternate formats in order to comply with Section 508. |
*Novell testing indicates that the exceptions are not significantly disruptive to product functionality. In some cases, functionality described is accessible through alternative or equivalent means, via the keyboard utilizing standard menu options.
**There is a lag between Novell's software release date and the time it takes for some Assistive Technology manufacturers to upgrade their software and device drivers to support these new releases. The manufacturer’s porting timeframe may be a factor in determining when you decide to upgrade.
