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The HiSoftware CynthiaSays portal is a joint Education and Outreach project of HiSoftware, ICDRI, and the Internet Society Disability and Special Needs Chapter.

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Comparing Cynthia Says Online versus Bobby Online

The following comparison is posted to help demonstrate the differences between Cynthia Says™ and the Bobby Online Tester as related to WCAG 1.0 and Section 508 specifically. In this report you can see if a function is present based on preceding text in the description, such as, NO, Limited, NOTE and in addition if a feature is missing or falls in this category the actual cell will be gray (Except for Notes) to help in the reading of the table. If Bobby does something that Cynthia Says does not, the Cynthia Says column will note Info and be gray. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this review please mail reviews@hisoftware.com . This review was created on 4/15/2003 9am EST. These programs may change from this date, we welcome all comments on the review and review data.

General Notes
W3C WCAG 1.0 Priority 1
W3C WCAG 1.0 Priority 2
W3C WCAG 1.0 Priority 3
Section 508
Updates - Notes or Corrections to this comparison explained

General Notes

The General notes are regarding specific Cynthia Says information. With this and any review we would suggest that you also validate the review results to have a better understanding of the items listed.

The Cynthia Says reports are written to follow the particular guideline or standard, whether W3C WCAG 1.0 or Section 508. The exact checkpoint text from Section 508 or the W3C appears in the report, so it is quite clear which checkpoint is tested and what the result is. Additionally, not matter how much or how little content appears in the report, each checkpoint is still listed. Each checkpoint contains a hyperlink to the particular Section 508 or W3C Checkpoint.
When viewing the HTML source code for failures, the HTML that is returned though Cynthia Says is syntactically the same as it is on the page tested. For example if you develop using a single ' instead of a '' for construction of HTML tags, Cynthia Says returns a line of HTML source in the report such as <frame name='main' src='frame-body.htm'>.
Cynthia Says Online gives you the option of creating Alt Text Quality Reports and Potential Screen Movement and Flickering Reports. These are unique to Cynthia Says but relevant to the comparison but are only noted here.
Cynthia Says has multimedia tutorials in AVI format with accessible captioning in SAMI format for users to see.
Cynthia Says clearly list what check points are tested for W3C WCAG and 508, Details are clearly listed. Please see whatwedow.html for the chart for the W3C WCAG checkpoints and whatwedo.htm for the chart for the Section 508 standard.

Chart for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0) and Cynthia Says Validation Functionality

Priority One
W3C WCAG 1.0 Priority 1 Guidelines	Cynthia Says Online handles as Programmatic or Manual	Explanation	Cynthia Says Online	Bobby Online
Checkpoint 1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using Cynthia Says. *The desktop solution, Cynthia Says allows the user to edit the HTML code to make corrections, for files located locally, over a network drive, or over an FTP site.	When testing here, Cynthia Says will test for: The image element by looking for <IMG and if no alt attribute or longdesc attribute exists, then a failure is reported. The input element <input and if no alt tag or explicit label or title attribute exists, then a failure is reported. The object element by looking for the <object tag and checking for element content. The applet element by looking for the <applet tag and checking to make sure that element content and the alt attribute exist. The frameset element by looking for the <frameset tag and checking to make sure the <noframes> child element exists. The Inline frame element by searching for the <iframe tag and checking for element content to make sure it exists. Checks for anchor tags <a within <map> elements to confirm there is alternate text Checks for area elements by looking for the <area tag to confirm there is alt text. Checks the embed elements by looking for the <embed tag to see if there is a <noembed> tag. Desktop versions of Cynthia Says can report on links to audio files for manual verification if transcript exists and is correct	LIMITED - Bobby Online does not detect Inline frames lacking element content, it does look at frame title under 12.1 Difference - Bobby Online does not detect Input elements that do not have labels. Bobby checks alt text for image-type input elements. Bobby will check for explicit labels in Section 508 part N and W3C checkpoint 12.4 Bobby Online does not detect when an applet does not contain element content. Bobby Online does not look for the <NOEMBED> tag inside of <EMBED> elements. Bobby Online does not check for the <NOFRAMES> tag for framed sites under Priority 1, but oddly, does under checkpoint 6.5 which related to dynamic text. When objects are noted in the report, then end of the object is noted, not the beginning. Bobby will detect links to audio files for manual verification relating to the required transcript.
Checkpoint 1.4 For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.	Programmatic	Ensuring that a time based multimedia presentation is synchronized can only honestly be done visually. Programmatic detection to locate a captioning file does not mean that the file is synchronized with each track of the presentation Cynthia Says will locate the multimedia objects under 508 Rules A and M. *HiSoftware Hi-Caption SE, a desktop software solution, allows for creating and testing of existing of captioned files to make the captioning for your multimedia files or to validate captioning is accurate.	The tool will look for multimedia objects defined by the <object tag and look for the type attribute and the data attribute. If these contain values listed in the program settings as belonging to multimedia, then their locations are noted. Additionally, if the embed element exists, then its location is noted.	Difference - Bobby Online detects all objects as potential multimedia objects, instead of filtering them on a MIME or data type. It will also locate non-multimedia elements, also known as a false-positive.
Checkpoint 2.1 Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.	Manual	This is visual because some testing requires human interaction. For example, if your page has text that says, “Click on the red button to go to the home page”, a programmatic tool that did not read and comprehend the page the way a human would falsely pass this failing page. Color can both be associated with images, objects, applets, and with text	This is a visual checkpoint, because a page could have text with the contents, "Click on the green button, Click on the red button, etc.". Because of this, comprehension of the page is required.	Bobby Online does note the use of color via the color and border color attributes, and other Elements. But of course this is a manual checkpoint.
Checkpoint 6.1 Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.	Programmatic	This is visual/programmatic because some testing requires human interaction. Whether a document is readable can be opinion and Cynthia Says will indicate if style sheets are used to alert the user to this required visual check.	Manual with Programmatic Assistance Difference: If no styles are used, then this checkpoint is set to be not applicable. The Overall Report Format is Different between these two systems.	Manual with Programmatic Assistance
Checkpoint 1.2 Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.	Programmatic	This is a visual/programmatic process because some testing requires human interaction. Cynthia Says will effectively note if the checkpoint is N/A. Cynthia Says identifies all maps and flags for visual verification if no maps are found then the system will mark the checkpoint N/A Locations are cited for IMG or INPUT elements using the “ismap” attribute.	Server-Side maps and locations noted.	Server-Side maps and locations noted.
Checkpoint 9.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says can programmatically determine location of Server Side maps or lack there of and programmatically designate if visual review is necessary. Programmatic accessibility	Server-Side maps and locations noted.	Server-Side maps and locations noted.
Checkpoint 5.1 For data tables, identify row and column headers.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says can programmatically locate data tables, assist in repair and visual verification.	Layout tables are filtered based on settings in the program. Tables that are not filtered are listed as data tables. Filter settings are based on number of factors based on HiSoftware research and industry standard practice. Because there are several ways to make a table accessible and because comprehending the contents of the table is required during verification, this is a manual check. In the desktop version of Cynthia Says, layout table filter settings can be defined.	Difference - Note: No filtering of layout tables performed. Tables with TH tags are filtered, making an assumption that any TH means the table is correct.
Checkpoint 5.2 For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says can programmatically locate data tables, assist in repair and visual verification.	Layout tables are filtered based on settings in the program. Tables that are not filtered are listed as data tables. Filter settings are based on number of factors based on HiSoftware research and industry standard practice. Because there are several ways to make a table accessible and because comprehending the contents of the table is required during verification, this is a manual check. In the desktop version of Cynthia Says, layout table filter settings can be defined.	Difference -Note: No filtering of layout tables performed.
Checkpoint 12.1 Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using Cynthia Says.	Frame elements without titles are reported as errors.	Frame elements without titles are reported as errors.
Checkpoint 7.1 Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker.	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using Cynthia Says, including a custom report specifically for locating components of a page that may cause flickering. Users should check objects, applets, etc for customized flickering.	Cynthia Says detects the marquee and blink elements and will Fail the checkpoint if those elements are found. Additionally, if script is found in the page, this checkpoint will become manual check. There is also a custom report available where you can test for a number of different parameters that may cause movement such as animated GIF images.	NO - Bobby cannot detect if a GIF image is animated. The marquee tag and the blink tag not detected under this checkpoint. Developer Notes: This is raised for scripts and the information is in the help file for this check. No specific notes about script causing blinking. Developer Notes: These are supported under other checkpoints.
Checkpoint 11.4 If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.	Programmatic	This is not configured to be run on the Cynthia Says portal because Text Only pages are to be used only when all other options to make the page accessible fail. Users of the desktop version, Cynthia Says, have the option of configuring this.	Appears as a manual check on every page.	Appears as a manual check on every page.
Checkpoint 6.3 Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.	Programmatic	Programmatic and assisted manual accessibility compliance verification using using Cynthia Says.	Warnings are provided relating to JavaScript links in AREA elements or Anchor elements when the NOSCRIPT tag is not present.	NO - No warnings provided relating to JavaScript links in AREA elements or Anchor elements when the NOSCRIPT tag is not present. Developer Notes: Bobby does not detect JavaScript URLs. It does, however, detect all other uses of script.
Checkpoint 4.1 Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint.	Manual Check	Manual Check
Checkpoint 14.1 Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint.	Manual Check	Manual Check
Checkpoint 1.3 Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.	Programmatic	This is a manual checkpoint. *HiSoftware Hi-Caption SE, a desktop software solution, allows for creating and testing of existing of captioned files to make the captioning for your multimedia files or to validate captioning is accurate.	Manual Check	Manual check.
Checkpoint 6.2 Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint.	Manual Check	Manual Check: Bobby detects objects, Frames, and applets in the page and notes their location, however there can be other means to provide dynamic content that changes.

Priority 2
W3C WCAG 1.0 Priority 2 Guidelines	HiSoftware handles as Programmatic or Manual	Explanation	Cynthia Says Online	Bobby Online
2.2 Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested visually with Cynthia Says.	Manual check	Manual Check
3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested visually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check	Manual Check
3.2 Create documents that validate to published formal grammars.	Programmatic - Manual	Identify if a page does not use the !DOCTYPE tag and fail or warn as configured. This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested visually with Cynthia Says.	Cynthia Says will detect if DOCTYPE tag is missing. Manual check from there on.	Bobby will detect if a DOCTYPE tag is missing. Manual check from there on.
3.3 Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says will note the use of style sheets and the use of bold and italic elements.	Stylesheet use noted. Use of bold and italic elements is noted.	Manual check with no stylesheet information noted. Developer Notes: This is a general suggestion in the Bobby Report.
3.4 Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says points out if a page uses style and the Height or Width attributes in HR, I-FRAME, TABLE, TD, and TH elements	Programmatic testing based on Height or Width attributes in HR, I-FRAME, TABLE, TD, and TH elements	NO - Does not check for height/width of IFRAME elements. Developer Notes: Bobby does not evaluate IFRAME. However, Bobby evaluates the remaining elements on the left plus others. Bobby also raises a manual check if style sheets are found.
3.5 Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says points out if a page uses H1-H6 elements	Difference: If header elements are used, they are noted in the report.	Developer Notes: Bobby presents one check that headers are nested properly and a separate manual check that headers are not being misused.
3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says points out if a page uses UL/OL/DL elements	Difference: Use of list items are noted in the report	Developer Notes: Bobby evaluates lists for inappropriate markup.
3.7 Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says points out if a page uses QUOTE and BLOCKQUOTE elements	Use of BLOCKQUOTE and QUOTE are noted.	INCOMPLETE - Use of BLOCKQUOTE is noted, but QUOTE was not.
6.5 Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page.	Programmatic	refer to 6.3 & 1.1	INFO: Refer to Checkpoints 6.1 and 1.1. The checkpoint report text in the report notes the referral to the other checkpoints.	DIFFERENCE - Bobby checks for the existence of the noframes tag here
7.2 Until user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink (i.e., change presentation at a regular rate, such as turning on and off).	Programmatic	refer to 7.1	This is tested under Section 7.1. The checkpoint report text in the report notes the referral to the other checkpoints.	NOTE - Bobby Online tests the Blink element here, but does not note that script can cause blinking. Developer Notes: This is covered in other checks triggered by SCRIPT.
7.4 Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages.	Programmatic	Verifies that page is in compliance.	Programmatically looks for elements that cause this and notes them in report.	Programmatically looks for elements that cause this and notes them in report.
7.5 Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the server to perform redirects.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested visually with Cynthia Says.	Programmatic by reference -Though this is a manual check, you are referred to Checkpoint 7.4 for assistance here.	Programmatic
10.1 Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user.	Manual- Programmatic	Visual Check, No clear programmatic process to accomplish checkpoint. Programmatically locates suspect Event Handlers	Manual check with programmatic assistance	Manual check with programmatic assistance
11.1 Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest versions when supported.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check	Manual Check
11.2 Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.	Programmatic	Identify if a page uses deprecated elements or attributes and fail or ward as configured.	Cynthia Says reports on deprecated elements of attributes found.	INCOMPLETE - Bobby tests an incomplete listing of deprecated elements and no deprecated attributes. Developer Notes: Correct – however, the PRE element is the only deprecated element not detected.
12.3 Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual check.	DIFFERENCE: Bobby will mention using the fieldset and legend elements in form controls, but this is only part of a larger topic. Checkpoint is still manual.
13.1 Clearly identify the target of each link.	Programmatic	Repeated Link Text is shown in the report.	Programmatic check: Cynthia Says will show where duplicate link text where the contents of the link point to different targets is found.	Programmatic check
13.2 Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says will test for metadata in the page.	Cynthia Says tests for the title tag, and the language, keywords and description meta tags.	Bobby Online tests for this checkpoint by checking for a document title. Developer Notes: Bobby looks for TITLE but other elements as well
13.3 Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents).	Programmatic	This is not configured in the Cynthia Says portal because each site could have a different link to the site map. Users of AccVerify Cynthia Says edition can configure this checkpoint to test for their site map.	Manual Check	Manual Check
13.4 Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check	Manual Check
5.3 Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent (which may be a linearized version).	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check. Layout tables are listed in the report along with their locations.	Manual Check
5.4 If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting.	Manual	refer to 5.3 This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check. Layout tables are listed in the report along with their locations.	Manual check based on reporting of tables with header markup
12.2 Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone.	Programmatic	Validates for use of Longdesc attribute within FRAME elements	This is a programmatic test.	DIFFERENCE/NO - This is a visual test based on location of elements provided.
10.2 Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned.	Programmatic	Identifies the existence of all label and form elements	Manual with Programmatic Assistance - Cynthia Says provides visual assistance to locate where each label element is found, or locations missing label elements.	Difference, Manual Check Only
12.4 Associate labels explicitly with their controls.	Programmatic	Every non-hidden input element Identifies and validates for explicit label, Text Areas, Select and Object also refer to 6.3	Cynthia Says locates elements not explicitly associated with their controls.	Incomplete - Bobby did not detect the <OBJECT> inside an input element for association.
6.4 For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. refer to 6.3	Locations and description for event handlers are shown in checkpoint 6.3	Difference: Event handlers in HTML are raised under 9.3 and event handlers for objects and scripts is separately raised here.
7.3 Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. refer to 7.1	This is all tested under Checkpoint 7.1. The report notes for users to check that location for more information. Additionally a complete page movement report is provided	LIMITED - Bobby tests the Marquee element here
8.1 Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly accessible or compatible with assistive technologies.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. refer to 6.3	This is a manual check.	This is a manual check.
9.2 Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. refer to 6.3	Cynthia Says provides visual assistance under W3C WCAG 1.0 Checkpoint 6.3 and when in Section 508 mode, checkpoints L and M.	Manual Check with locations noted.
9.3 For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. refer to 6.3	Manual Check with locations noted.	Manual Check with locations noted.

Priority 3
W3C WCAG 1.0 Priority 3 Guidelines	HiSoftware handles as Programmatic or Manual	Explanation	Cynthia Says Online	Bobby Online
4.2 Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.	Programmatic	Program detects if page is using ABBR and Acronym	Use of the ABBR and Acronym is noted.	DIFFERENCE - Bobby makes suggestions to use the ABBR and Acronym elements.
4.3 Identify the primary natural language of a document.	Programmatic	Program checks for meta name = language and the LANG Attribute in the root HTML Element	Cynthia checks both the HTML tag and the language meta tag	LIMITED - Bobby does not test for the language meta tag.
9.4 Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects.	Programmatic	Checks for TabIndex Attribute in all anchor, area, button, input, object, select and text area.	Cynthia Says lets the user know if TabIndex attributes are missing from a number of different elements.	Difference: Bobby detects the use of “tabindex”
9.5 Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls.	Programmatic	Checks for AccessKey Attribute in all anchor, area, button, input, Label, Legend, and text area.	Cynthia Says lets the user know if accesskeys are missing from a number of different elements.	Difference: Bobby detects the use of “accesskey”
10.5 Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render adjacent links distinctly, include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) between adjacent links.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says verifies Compliance to this check and points out errors.	Programmatic Check with location of errors	Programmatic Check with location of errors Note: Currently a bug related to ID recognition is related with this check
11.3 Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.)	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check	Manual Check
13.5 Provide navigation bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual check	Manual check
13.6 Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group.	Programmatic	This is not configured in the Cynthia Says portal because each site could have a different link to the site map. Users of AccVerify Cynthia Says edition can configure this checkpoint to test for their site map.	Manual Check	Manual Check
13.7 If search functions are provided, enable different types of searches for different skill levels and preferences.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check	Manual Check
13.8 Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check	Manual Check
13.9 Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.).	Programmatic/Interview	While visual you can accomplish this checkpoint programmatically by requiring a document-group meta tag. Refer to 13.2	Manual Check	Manual Check
13.10 Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says.	Manual Check	Manual Check
14.2 Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the page.	Manual	Visual Check, No clear programmatic process to accomplish checkpoint	Manual Check	Manual Check
14.3 Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. Refer to 6.1, 3.3, and 3.4	Manual Check	Manual Check
1.5 Until user agents render text equivalents for client-side image map links, provide redundant text links for each active region of a client-side image map	Programmatic	Cynthia Says identifies all map elements that use the area element to note whether or not visual verification is required.	Locations of client-side map elements are shown in the report	Difference - Locations of links in maps, not found elsewhere on the page are shown.
5.5 Provide summaries for tables.	Programmatic	Refer to 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3	Programmatic Test	Programmatic Test
5.6 Provide abbreviations for header labels.	Programmatic	Refer to 5.1 and 5.2	Manual Check	Bobby will detect header cells in tables that have a long header and will suggest to use an abbreviation.
10.3 Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render side-by-side text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or some other) for all tables that lay out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. Refer to 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3	Manual Check	Manual Check - Raised on Tables
10.4 Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas.	Manual	This is a manual checkpoint that needs to be tested manually with Cynthia Says. Refer to Previous Checkpoints for more information	INFO: Manual Checkpoint, This is an older checkpoint, not relevant in today's technology	Bobby provides programmatic assistance with this checkpoint.

Chart of Section 508 Requirements and Cynthia Says Validation Functionality

Section 508
Section 508 Standards, §1194.22	Cynthia Says Online handles as Programmatic or Manual	Explanation	Cynthia Says Online	Bobby Online
A. A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via “alt”, “longdesc”, or in element content).	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using Cynthia Says Online. *The desktop version, AccVerify Cynthia Says edition allows the user to edit the HTML code to make corrections, for files located locally, over a network drive, or over an FTP site.	When testing here, Cynthia Says will test for: The image element by looking for <IMG and if no alt attribute or longdesc attribute exists, then a failure is reported. The input element <input and if no alt tag or explicit label or title attribute exists, then a failure is reported. The object element by looking for the <object tag and checking for element content. The applet element by looking for the <applet tag and checking to make sure that element content and the alt attribute exist. The frameset element by looking for the <frameset tag and checking to make sure the <noframes> child element exists. The Inline frame element by searching for the <iframe tag and checking for element content to make sure it exists. Checks for anchor tags <a within <map> elements to confirm there is alternate text Checks for area elements by looking for the <area tag to confirm there is alt text. Checks the embed elements by looking for the <embed tag to see if there is a <noembed> tag. Desktop versions of Cynthia Says can report on links to audio files for manual verification if transcript exists and is correct	LIMITED - Bobby Online does not detect Inline frames lacking element content, it does look at frame title under 12.1 Difference - Bobby Online does not detect Input elements that do not have labels. Bobby checks alt text for image-type input elements. Bobby will check for explicit labels in Section 508 part N and W3C checkpoint 12.4 Bobby Online does not detect when an applet does not contain element content. Bobby Online does not look for the <NOEMBED> tag inside of <EMBED> elements. Bobby Online does not check for the <NOFRAMES> tag for framed sites under Priority 1, but oddly, does under checkpoint 6.5 which related to dynamic text. When objects are noted in the report, then end of the object is noted, not the beginning. Bobby will detect links to audio files for manual verification relating to the required transcript.
B. Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.	Programmatic	Ensuring that a time based multimedia presentation is synchronized can only honestly be done visually. Programmatic detection to locate a captioning file does not mean that the file is synchronized with each track of the presentation. Cynthia Says will locate the multimedia objects under WCAG rule 6.3 * HiSoftware Hi-Caption SE, a desktop solution, allows for creating and testing of existing of captioned files to make the captioning for your multimedia files or to validate captioning is accurate.	The tool will look for multimedia objects defined by the <object tag and look for the type attribute and the data attribute. If these contain values listed in the program settings as belonging to multimedia, then their locations are noted. Additionally, if the embed element exists, then its location is noted.	Difference - Bobby Online detects all objects as potential multimedia objects, instead of filtering them on a Mime or data type. It will also locate non-multimedia elements, also known as a false-positive.
C. Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.	Manual	This is visual because some testing requires human interaction. For example, if your page has text that says, “Click on the red button to go to the home page”, a programmatic tool that did not read and comprehend the page the way a human would would falsely pass this failing page. Color can both be associated with images, objects, applets, and with text.	This is a manual checkpoint test, as you may have text in your page that says, “Click on the green button.” or similar.	Bobby Online does note the use of color via the color and border color attributes, and other Elements. But of course this is a manual checkpoint.
D. Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.	Programmatic	This is visual/programmatic because some testing requires human interaction. Whether a document is readable can be opinion and Cynthia Says will indicate if style sheets are used to alert the user to this required manual check.	This is a semi-programmatic test. If the document uses external, header or inline style sheets, they will be reported to the user and the user should test manually to see if the page is still viewable without styles. (See your web browser help on how to shut off styles) Difference: If no styles are used, then this checkpoint is set to be not applicable. The Overall Report Format is Different between these two systems.	Manual with Programmatic Assistance
E. Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.	Programmatic	This is a visual/programmatic process because some testing requires human interaction. Cynthia Says will effectively note if the checkpoint is N/A. Cynthia Says identifies all maps and flags for visual verification if no maps are found then the system will mark the checkpoint N/A *In HiSoftware AccVerify Cynthia Says edition desktop solution, locations are cited for IMG or INPUT elements using the “ismap” attribute.	Server-Side maps and locations noted.	Server-Side maps and locations noted.
F. Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says can programmatically determine location of Server Side maps or lack there of and programmatically designate if visual review is necessary. Programmatic accessibility	Server-Side maps and locations noted.	Server-Side maps and locations noted.
G. Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says can programmatically locate data tables, assist in repair and visual verification.	Layout tables are filtered based on settings in the program. Tables that are not filtered are listed as data tables. Filter settings are based on number of factors based on HiSoftware research and industry standard practice. Because there are several ways to make a table accessible and because comprehending the contents of the table is required during verification, this is a manual check. In the desktop version of Cynthia Says, layout table filter settings can be defined.	Difference Note: No filtering of layout tables performed. Tables with TH tags are filtered, making an assumption that any TH means the table is correct.
H. Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.	Programmatic	Cynthia Says can programmatically locate data tables, assist in repair and visual verification.	Layout tables are filtered based on settings in the program. Tables that are not filtered are listed as data tables. Filter settings are based on number of factors based on HiSoftware research and industry standard practice. Because there are several ways to make a table accessible and because comprehending the contents of the table is required during verification, this is a manual check. In the desktop version of Cynthia Says, layout table filter settings can be defined.	Difference- Note: No filtering of layout tables performed.
I. Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation.	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using Cynthia Says.	Frame elements without titles are reported as errors.	Frame elements without titles are reported as errors.
J. Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2Hz and lower than 55 Hz.	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using Cynthia Says, including a custom report specifically for locating components of a page that may cause flickering. Users should check objects, applets, etc for customized flickering.	Cynthia Says detects the marquee and blink elements and will Fail the checkpoint if those elements are found. Additionally, if script is found in the page, this checkpoint will become manual check. There is also a custom report available where you can test for a number of different parameters that may cause movement such as animated GIF images.	NO - Bobby cannot detect if a GIF image is animated. The marquee tag and the blink tag not detected under this checkpoint. No specific notes about script causing blinking.
K. A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of these standards, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.	Programmatic	This is not configured to be run on the Cynthia Says portal because Text Only pages are to be used only when all other options to make the page accessible fail. Users of the desktop version, AccVerify Cynthia Says Edition, have the option of configuring this.	Appears as a manual check on every page.	Appears as a manual check on every page.
L. When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology.	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using using Cynthia Says.	Manual check based on a number of parameters such as the script and noscript tags.	Manual Check. Developer Notes: Bobby detects usage of scripts.
M. When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21 (a) through (l).	Programmatic	Programmatic accessibility compliance verification using using Cynthia Says. *Additionally, the desktop version, AccVerify Cynthia Says edition can be configured to look for links to user-configurable file extensions such as .pdf or .zip and to see if a download for the viewer for this file type exists.	Programmatic test with name and location of element in question provided.	NO - Noted in report, but no location or name of the specific element in question is reported.
N. When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, 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.	Programmatic	Following 508 checkpoints A though M and utilizing the statistical summary for AccessKey/TabIndex, our software can assist you in completing this process It is recommended that you test this with Assistive Technologies.	Programmatically Assisted Manual check based on a number of checkpoints, including checkpoint A.	Programmatically Assisted Manual check
O. A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.	Programmatic	This is not configured to be tested using Cynthia Says, due to the number of different options for meeting this standard. Users of the desktop solution, AccVerify Cynthia Says edition, can configure this checkpoint to meet their own site design and navigation.	Manual Check	Manual Check
P. When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.	Manual	Many times, the timing methods are server-side based and not seen by the user until it is too late and time has expired. This is a manual checkpoint.	Manual Check	Manual Check

Updates:

4/15/2003 9pm EST - Changed Notes to not be gray; Made one section in Priority 3 Gray that was white; Added Info and Description Notation.

4/16/2003 11am EST - Based on feedback, updated multiple items and explanations - thanks to all for the feedback. Changed visual appearance to make differences White versus gray background so as not to be noted as an error, please review these carefully.

5/1/2003 9:23pm - Based on Feedback Updated Comparison and Added comments

5/2/2003 9:55am - Reworded top paragraph

Disclaimer:

The extensive data represented in this chart of comparisons represents international contributions from the web accessibility technology industry.

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