Understanding accessibility

Pega 7.1 extends support for accessibility to enable potential compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 A and AA. WCAG is a product of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), an effort to improve web and browser accessibility for people with disabilities. This enhances the existing support for guidelines established by Section 508 of the United States Rehabilitation Act.

Disabilities can include blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these.

In Pega 7.1, accessibility features have been improved in the platform and the PegaWAI accessibility ruleset, which is a platform add-on. An application that is implemented with the ruleset enables users with disabilities to access the full range of user interface capabilities. Developers can create work portals that are enabled for accessibility, using composite portals.

See Improved Accessibility Features for an itemized list of feature improvements.

Note: Many accessibility features require the end-user to have screen reader software such as JAWS ® for Windows ® , which provides output using text-to-speech or a refreshable braille display. Support for accessibility features does not guarantee an application that a developer creates automatically satisfies accessibility guidelines. You will still need to take additional steps, such as providing tooltip texts for all controls and fields and using appropriate color schemes, to allow Pega Platform accessibility features to function properly.