AIS Toolbar (for Internet Explorer)
The AIS Web Accessibility Toolbar is a free plug-in extension for Internet Explorer (version 5 and above, Windows. It contains many features that can help in the assessment process of web pages. By referencing the Ten Checkpoints for Accessibility from the CSUN Accessible Technology Initiative Website, the following tools featured by the AIS Toolbar can help with making web pages accessible and compliant.
Downloading the AIS Toolbar
To find out the versions of Internet Explorer supported by the AIS toolbar and to download the toolbar, please reference the following link:
http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1569
AIS Toolbar Features
- Validating Web Page
AIS Toolbar -> Validate
Validating a web page using these different tools allows for quick recognition of web pages errors that violate web standards, such as WCAG 1.0 and WCAG 2.0, and web specifications, such as CSS,HTML and P3P. Using different validation tools under the Validate function in the WAT Toolbar allows for these tests to be ran more easily. For more information about web standards and specifications, please reference the following links:
For more information about how to use this toolbar function, please reference the following link:
- Checking for Contrasting Colors
AIS Toolbar -> Colour
Checking to see if there is adequate color contrast is important for manual checking of a web site. The colors used for the foreground and background of a website need to be coordinated in a fashion that allow text to be distinctly recognized. For examples of a good and bad color combination, please refer to the following link:
WAI Web Content Accessibility Curriculum - Checkpoint for Color Contrast
For more information on how to use this toolbar function, please reference the following link:
- Checking for Alternative Text for Images
AIS Toolbar -> Images
This toolbar function allows the checking of alternative text for images. Making sure that the alternative text convey the correct meaning and purpose of the image to the web site is very important. For examples and more information about providing text equivalents for non-text elements on a web site, please refer to the following link:
WAI Web Content Accessibility Curriculum - Equivalent Alternatives To Auditory and Visual Content
For more information on how to use this toolbar function, please reference the following link:
- Checking for Flexible Design
AIS Toolbar -> Resize
The ability for a web site to resize text and reflow based upon the user driven needs of on-screen display is an important element in creating an accessible web page. This feature is called creating a liquid layout. Using the AIS Toolbar function of Resize allows for the testing of the liquid layout of a web site. For more information about the standards pertaining to creating liquid layouts, please refer to the following links:
- Techniques for WCAG 2.0 - Using Liquid Layout
- CSS Mastery: Fixed-Width, Liquid, and Elastic Layouts and Faux Columns
- Techniques for WCAG 2.0 - Ensuring No Loss of Content 8/26/09 Do Not Size
For more information on how to use this toolbar function, please reference the following link:
- Checking for Structure
AIS Toolbar -> Structure
Being able to navigate throughout a web page ensures proper structure and accessibility. Checking a web page to see if all links and form elements are accessible and usable from the keyboard is the way to check for these features. More information about creating structure in a web page, please refer to the following links:
For more information about how to use this toolbar function, please refer to the following link:
AIS Toolbar Functions - Structure
Another toolbar function that is used for testing for proper document structure is the CSS tool.
AIS Toolbar -> CSS
Disabling Cascading Style Sheets allows for the true structure of the web page. For more information concerning CSS, please refer to the following links:
- CSS Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
- Web Site Accessibility & W3C: W3C and Web Site Accessibility
For more information about how to use this toolbar function, please refer to the following link:
Additional Resources
The following links provide more complete information about AIS Toolbar functions and more indepth information on how to use the toolbar with WCAG 1.0 Guidelines.