MS Office 2007 will produce automated reporting

Microsoft provides an Accessibility Checker in that alerts users to certain accessibility issues in a file so that potential problems can be fixed that might keep someone with a disability from accessing your content. It allows an author to test for errors, warnings and tips at the time of authoring. While this tool is one step in the right direction for Microsoft as it offers help in creating more accessible content, it is still a few steps behind.

The problem lies with Accessibility Checker only checking. It does not guarantee that everyone in an organization is using it before publishing, saving or sending a document. It also requires employee training if they wish to use this as a solution to ensure their documents are accessible.

This is where an automated accessibility solution for the entire Microsoft 2010 product line including SharePoint plays a crucial role in meeting WCAG and US Section 508 regulations for web accessibility. A truly accessible compliance solution will produce automated reporting for managers and developers to determine whether the information on any internal or external online portal complies.

At HiSoftware, our accessibility module in HiSoftware Policy Sheriff® SP helps to ensure that all documents uploaded to a common collaborative environment such as SharePoint, comply with both internal and international standards. This ensures that all webinars, corporate videos, multi-media presentations that are uploaded to a SharePoint site are automatically tested for the compliance standards you are looking to enforce. Policy Sheriff SP classifies the items, allowing for a site owner to quickly identify and remediate any issues identified with the automated solution. All of it is covered. It’s not just limited to Microsoft Office.