Accessibility Issues in Flash

Any multimedia format, by default, presents some accessibility issues. Even the best text equivalent for an image may not convey all of the information, and a detailed description of a sound is only an approximation of the real thing. Accessibility involves getting general ideas across by conveying as much information as reasonably possible. Flash combines several different media formats into one presentation with which the user will interact. Different disabilities require different techniques. Some general accessibility guidelines for Flash include:

Individuals who are blind or have a visual impairment encounter a variety of issues accessing Flash files:
- Images should have text equivalents.
- User interface components, such as buttons and text fields, should be properly sized and spaced.
- Text should be of sufficient contrast and size.
- Sounds used in Flash files may interfere with screen readers.
Individuals who are deaf or have a hearing impairment need captions wherever a Flash presentation contains audio.
Individuals with cognitive disabilities need to be able to view the information at a slower rate and as many times as possible.
For individuals with motor skill difficulties, strive to create interactive presentations that do not require precision. Avoiding placing interactive elements too close together, and make sure the elements are sufficiently large (relying more on gross motor skill ability).

Improved Accessibility in Flash Tools

Macromedia, the company that was in charge of the development of the Flash tools prior to Adobe, tackled the accessibility issues on two fronts:

Flash Players versions 6 and after enable exposing all text elements inside a presentation. This gives the opportunity for screen readers to read any text in a presentation, which was not possible using Flash players versions 5 or below. Encouraging users to download the latest Flash player entirely free of cost also allows them to take advantage of the accessibility tools.
Since Flash MX Professional 2004, an accessibility panel is included which enables providing text equivalents to elements while not intruding on the presentation design. However, having the accessibility panel does not guarantee that your Flash presentation will be completely accessible, because poor design can create as many obstacles as inaccessible elements.

The Flash Player

Note: The below listed information is valid for Flash Players of version at least 6. Currently, the most recent Flash Player is Adobe Flash Player 10.

Macromedia took the initiative to integrate the Flash Player with assistive technologies by incorporating support for the Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA). The assistive technologies targeted were screen readers; specifically Window-Eyes from GW-micro and Jaws from Freedom Scientific. Given a correctly designed Flash presentation, the Flash Player allows these screen readers to access text and other elements, and provides a means to interpret other objects on the screen.

The reader sees the presentation as a standard HTML file, and can pick up on text equivalents, including images, input text elements and buttons. Windows-Eyes also has the ability to halt Flash events, which keeps the page from being re-read every time the event changes.

Note: The Flash player is backward-compatible; it reads text elements and buttons developed in previous versions of Flash. Without making any changes to your presentation, just having the Flash player can make Flash files more accessible.

Designing Flash to be Accessible

When you design Flash presentations, you should be familiar with the basic accessibility issues in Flash and strive for usability by all. Some questions to consider about the design of the Flash presentation to help discern its accessibility are:

How much information is on the page? Is it too much for individuals with cognitive disabilities? Also realize that if too much information is presented too quickly, screen readers can have difficulty keeping up.
How close together are elements on the page? Can individuals with motor-skill difficulties access them easily?
Are all the text equivalents consistent within an image if it appears in more than one place?
Does color convey meaning, such as "press the blue button for more information, and the red to return home?"
Note: Ten-percent of men are color-blind.
Can a user navigate through the presentation using the keyboard only? Have keyboard equivalents been provided in the presentation?
Do the fonts provide sufficient contrast as well as clear readability?
Do the animations need a text equivalent?
Has an information hierarchy been correctly established by grouping elements, and hiding those that do not need to be read?
Does the movie change quickly, requiring constant re-reading?
Has audio been effectively used? Has consideration been given to the volume of the sound, and if sound is needed at all?
Has a description of the entire movie as well as the structure of the presentation been included?
Are buttons auto-labeled?
Are the elements on the screen read in the correct order? If not, try changing the placement of the element on the screen, or change the speaking order of the elements.

Testing the Flash File for Accessibility

Note: The testing techniques mentioned below require using a PC because the referenced applications are not available for Macintosh.

There are a few things you can do to test a Flash file for accessibility. First, start with downloading a trial version of a screenreader (either Windows Eyes from GW Micro or JAWS from Freedom Scientific). Once you have installed the screenreader, and are familiar with its keyboard navigation, turn off the monitor and listen to how the Flash presentation is read to verify if the order makes sense. You could also try using only key combinations to navigate your work.

The next page will present a lab on text equivalents in Flash.

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Interface of Adobe Flash

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Text Equivalents