Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2014 v.13 - Manual (Page 728)

Dreamweaver and accessibility
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About accessible content
Using screen readers with Dreamweaver
Support for operating system accessibility features
Optimize the work space for accessible page design
Dreamweaver accessibility validation report feature
Navigate Dreamweaver using the keyboard
Note: The user interface has been simplified in Dreamweaver CC and later. As a result, you may not find some of the options described in this
article in Dreamweaver CC and later. For more information, see
this article .
About accessible content
Accessibility refers to making websites and web products usable for people with visual, auditory, motor, and other disabilities. Examples of
accessibility features for software products and websites include screen reader support, text equivalents for graphics, keyboard shortcuts, change
of display colors to high contrast, and so on. Dreamweaver provides tools that make it accessible to use and tools that help you author accessible
content.
For Dreamweaver developers who need to use accessibility features, the application offers screen reader support, keyboard navigation, and
operating system accessibility support.
For web designers who need to create accessible content, Dreamweaver assists you in creating accessible pages that contain useful content for
screen readers and comply with federal government guidelines. For example, dialog boxes prompt you to enter accessibility attributes—such as
text equivalents for an image—when you insert page elements. Then, when the image appears on a page for a user with visual disabilities, the
screen reader reads the description.
Note: For more information about two significant accessibility initiatives, see the World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative
(
www.w3.org/wai ) and Section 508 of the U.S. Federal Rehabilitation Act ( www.section508.gov ).
No authoring tool can automate the development process. Designing accessible websites requires you to understand accessibility requirements
and make ongoing decisions about how users with disabilities interact with web pages. The best way to ensure that a website is accessible is
through deliberate planning, development, testing, and evaluation.
Using screen readers with Dreamweaver
A screen reader recites text that appears on the computer screen. It also reads non-textual information, such as button labels or image
descriptions in the application, provided in accessibility tags or attributes during authoring.
As a Dreamweaver designer, you can use a screen reader to assist you in creating your web pages. The screen reader starts reading from the
upper-left corner of the Document window.
Dreamweaver supports JAWS for Windows, from Freedom Scientific ( www.freedomscientific.com ), and Window-Eyes screen readers, from GW
Micro ( www.gwmicro.com ).
Support for operating system accessibility features
Dreamweaver supports accessibility features in both the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. For example, on the Macintosh you set the
visual preferences in the Universal Access Preferences dialog box (Apple > System Preferences). Your settings are reflected in the Dreamweaver
work space.
The Windows operating system’s high contrast setting is also supported. You activate this option through the Windows Control Panel and it affects
Dreamweaver as follows:
Dialog boxes and panels use system color settings. For example, if you set the color to White on Black, all Dreamweaver dialog boxes and
panels appear with a white foreground color and black background.
Code view uses the system and window text color. For example, if you set the system color to White on Black, and then change text colors in
Edit > Preferences > Code Coloring, Dreamweaver ignores those color settings and displays the code text with a white foreground color and
black background.
Design view uses the background and text colors you set in Modify > Page Properties so that pages you design render colors as a browser
will.
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