On-Demand’s web player is accessible

Only ViewMedica subscribers get the accessible On-Demand player for showing health videos on their websites. It is our policy to ensure that everyone, including persons with disabilities, has full and equal access to patient education.

ViewMedica On-Demand Accessibility Statement

U.S. Government rules encourage health providers to make all their web content accessible for sight and hearing impaired as well as users with other disabilities. Subscribers to ViewMedica On-Demand patient education videos can rest assured. We satisfy the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508, and internationally-accepted accessibility guidelines.

The recognized guidelines for digital accessibility are called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines are created and managed by the web standards group, the W3C. The WCAG comes in 3 levels: A, AA, AAA. The de facto standard in the US - recognized (yet not set) by the DOJ, the courts, and advocates is the WCAG 2.1 A, and AA levels of accessibility.

We follow the WCAG 2.1 Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), meeting all Level A thresholds and, in most cases, also meeting the AA thresholds.

ViewMedica’s accessibility features work with the majority of web browsers on the two most used desktop operating systems, and they are compatible with both third-party and native screen readers.

Tested for Accessibility

• Windows Browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer
• Mac Browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari
• Screen Readers: NVDA, JAWS, Microsoft Narrator, Mac VoiceOver

We are currently working on ways to raise ViewMedica On-Demand’s WAI level to a stronger AA. That will involve giving the user control over text size and color contrast and adding in audio descriptions during video playback.

WCAG 2.1 Web Accessibility Guidelines That Apply to the On-Demand Player

The WCAG standards cover four basic principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust. ViewMedica On-Demand meets the Level A for all standards and AA for most.

Learn more about WCAG guidelines

Perceivable

1.1.1 Text alternatives for non-text content (Level A)

Criteria met: Images have a text alternative and videos have a descriptive title.

1.2.2 Time-based Media Captions (Level A)

Criteria met: Captions are provided and synchronized for all video. Each ViewMedica video is captioned with text that can be read by screen readers or other assistive devices.

1.2.3 Time-based Media Audio Description (Level A)

Criteria met: Most ViewMedica videos are scripted and transcribed so visual content does not deliver info that is not in the spoken script. And, the screenplay for the video is available as text in each video’s brochure.

1.2.5 Time-based Media Audio Description (Level AA)

In development: While all ViewMedica videos are captioned, they do not have a method for describing visual content with an audio description. Currently, this is not possible with our video delivery technology. We are adding this feature to the next version of ViewMedica On-Demand.

1.3.1 Adaptable: ARIA Landmarks (Level A)

Criteria met: We use ARIA landmarks to identify regions of the player. This helps screen readers jump to different sections and navigate the player.

1.3.2 Adaptable: Meaningful Sequence (Level A)

Criteria met: When the content sequence affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence can be programmatically determined.

1.3.3 Adaptable: Sensory Characteristics (Level A)

Criteria met: Instructions don’t rely on shape, color, size, visual location, orientation, or sound.

1.3.4 Adaptable: Orientation (Level AA)

Criteria met: Content isn’t restricted to a single display orientation, such as portrait or landscape, unless a specific display orientation is essential.

1.3.5 Adaptable: Identify Input Purpose (Level AA)

Criteria met: The purpose of input fields collecting information about the user can be programmatically determined.

1.4.1 Distinguishable: Use of Color (Level A)

Criteria met: Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

1.4.2 Distinguishable: Audio Control (Level A)

Criteria met: Users can pause or stop playing audio, and they can control audio volume independently from the overall system volume level.

1.4.3 Distinguishable: Minimum Contrast (Level AA)

Criteria met: The visual presentation of text in the player can be implemented with a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.

1.4.4 Distinguishable: Resize Text (Level AA)

Criteria met: Users are able to resize text without assistive technology up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality.

1.4.5 Distinguishable: Images of text (Level AA)

Criteria met: Text is used to convey information rather than images of text.

1.4.10 Distinguishable: Reflow (Level AA)

Criteria met: Content can be presented without loss of information or functionality, and without requiring scrolling in two dimensions for: Vertical scrolling content at a width equivalent to 320 CSS pixels; Horizontal scrolling content at a height equivalent to 256 CSS pixels;

1.4.11 Distinguishable: Non-text Contrast (Level AA)

Criteria met: The visual presentation of user interface components and graphical objects have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent color(s).

1.4.12 Distinguishable: Text Spacing (Level AA)

Criteria met: Content using markup languages that support line height and paragraph, word and letter spacing, no loss of content or functionality occurs by setting them when changing no other style property.

1.4.13 Distinguishable: Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA)

Criteria met: Additional content that appears and disappears in coordination with keyboard focus or pointer hover are designed so users can perceive the additional content and dismiss it without disrupting their experience.

Operable

2.1.1 Keyboard Accessible (Level A)

Criteria met: All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes.

2.1.2 Keyboard Accessible No Keyboard Trap (Level A)

Criteria met: If keyboard focus can be moved to a component of the page using a keyboard interface, then focus can be moved away from that component using only a keyboard interface.

2.1.4 Keyboard Accessible Character Key Shortcuts (Level A)

Criteria met: No character key shortcuts are implemented.

2.2 Enough Time (Level A)

Criteria met: Users are provided enough time to read and use content. Moving and auto-updating information comes with a pause function.

2.3 Seizures and Physical Reactions (Level A)

Criteria met: ViewMedica does not have content that is known to cause seizures or physical reactions. The player does not contain anything that flashes more than three times in any one second period.

2.4 Navigable (Level A, AA)

Criteria met: Within the On-Demand player, we provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.

2.5 Input Modalities (Level A)

Criteria met: Make it easier for users to operate functionality through various inputs beyond keyboard.

Understandable

3.1.2 Readable Language of Parts (Level AA)

Criteria met: The language of each passage or phrase in the content can be programmatically determined except for proper names, technical terms, words of indeterminate language, and words or phrases that have become part of the vernacular of the immediately surrounding text.

3.2 Predictable (Level AA)

Criteria met: The On-Demand player appears and operates in predictable ways. Receiving focus does not change context. Changing user interface setting does not change its context. Navigation occurs in the same order each time it is repeated. And, components are identified consistently.

3.3 Input Assistance (Level AA)

Criteria met: Detected input errors identify and describe the error. Instruction provided when user input is needed. Suggestions are provided to the user to correct input errors.

Robust

4.1.1 Compatible Parsing (Level A)

Criteria met: Programming used on the On-Demand player makes sure it displays correctly in current and future browsers. We use complete start and end tags, nest elements according to specifications, and use unique attributes and IDs. This helps assistive technologies understand the content.

4.1.2 Compatible Name, Role, Value (Level A)

Criteria met: Assistive Technologies (AT) can gather information about, activate(or set) and keep up to date on the status of user interface controls in the content.

4.1.3 Compatible Status Messages (Level AA)

Criteria met: Make users aware of important changes in content that are not given focus, and to do so in a way that doesn’t unnecessarily interrupt their work.