Assessment Report | LEAP

Assessment Information
eResource Title	Vendor	Overall Grade
Country Watch	CountryWatch	B-

Images

Positioning of Images

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?	Always

Functional images embedded in the background

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there functional images embedded in the background?	Not Applicable	No functional images were identified on any of the pages sampled.

Presence of Icons

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there icons where appropriate, such as icons to indicate PDF Full Text, Download, Folder, Citation, etc?	Always	On the pages sampled there is a citation link at the button of the page under the information heading. On the pages sampled there were very few folders, download, or full text pdf icons.

Alt Text

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Not Applicable	There were no informational images found within the pages sampled.
Do functional images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Never	The only functional image found on the pages sampled is the printer icon with the text beside it “printer friendly version”. Yet there is no alternative text for this button.
Do images used as text contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Always	The logo is present in two places in the layout of the webpages: at the very top and very bottom. Both uses of the logo have alt text

Content Scaling

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When zoomed in at 200%, is text intact, readable, and not cut off?	Always	When zoomed 200% the text remains intact, readable and not cut off.
Are images clear and unpixelated at 200%?	Always	Images are not unpixellated when the website is zoomed in at 200%. However, some images when tested in another program such as Paint and zoomed in 200% are less clear and unpixellated..
Is horizontal scrolling minimized at 200%?	Not Applicable	The horizontal scrolling bar does not appear at 200%.

Colour and Contrast

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do text and images have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1?	Always	Contrast ratio is above the 4:5:1 for both light and dark mode. Both the normal text and large text samples pass as well. However, in dark mode there are a lot of errors for low contrast while in light mode there many pages do not have any or less than 5 contrast errors.

Colour

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do colour coded graphs have text equivalents?	Not Applicable	Of all the pages sampled only one graph was found and it was not coloured coded. Though it did contain text on the graph.
Are blocks of content separated from one another using visual separation (such as whitespace or borders)?	Always	Blocks of content do contain visual separation cues.
Are text alternatives provided where colour is used to indicate an action?	Not Applicable

Text to speech

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is there a choice embedded within the database that offers text to speech or read aloud options?	Never	There was no text to speech or read aloud options detected within this database except for in the PDF documents.

Clustered Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Using your mouse, is the clickable area around links and buttons large enough for users to see and activate easily?	Always
Using your mouse to test links, are links and buttons far enough apart for users to accurately activate?	Always
Using any method to test links, are all links and buttons functional (i.e., not dead)?	Always	All the links that were checked worked. No dead links or buttons detected.
Are links or buttons accessible via keyboard navigation?	Always

Dynamic content

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can users pause carousel movement?	Never	There is only one carousel that found within the database. It is in the Intelligence Zone section but there is not a pause option.
Is all functionality, including navigating between carousel items, operable by keyboard?	Always

Liquid layout

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is the order of the text preserved at all screen resolutions, without overlap?	Always
Do images avoid overlapping at all screen resolutions?	Always
Is the overall reading experience preserved at all screen resolutions?	Always

Labels and Instructions for Interactive Elements

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are user input fields accompanied by clear instructions on what the user needs to do to successfully complete the form?	Always
Do user input fields contain labels in addition to overall instructions mentioned above?	Always
Are descriptions for fields and boxes easy to understand?	Always
Are labels placed above the user input fields and clearly associated with each field?	Always
Are text cues for coloured form control labels available?	Always	There is only two example where the required field is outlined in red if the information is not filled out correctly is the form to Sign Up for Our Newsletter that appears at in the footer of every page, and the Contact Us Via Email form in contact us page. There are no other forms found on the pages sampled.
Are other visual indicators provided consistently, such as an asterisk for required form fields?	Always	In the Sign Up for Our Newsletter and Contact Us Via Email form, it is not an asterisk but a red exclamation point.

Error Prevention

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are user input fields either reversible, checked, or confirmed? One of the three is acceptable.	Never	The input fields for the Sign Up for Our Newsletter and Contact Us Via Email form does not contain a reversible, checked or confirmed notification. However, as this is an email newsletter there will be the option to unsubscribe.

Error Reports

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are alert messages clearly visible to the user, either at the top of the form field, inline, or through a dialog box?	Always	There is only two forms.
Do alert messages clearly indicate the field in which the error has occurred and a description of the error and the fix?	Always	There are only two forms found in this database. A red rectangle appears with an exclamation (!) point to indicate if there is an error in the forms.
Is the user able to easily access the user input field to correct the error?	Always
Is the user able to resubmit the form and re-validate their submission?	Never	There is no indication that the user can resubmit or re-validate the submission unless they unsubscribe.
Do error reports follow a logical reading and navigation order?	Always

Search function spell-check

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When a user spells a word incorrectly, does the search function offer spelling suggestions or synonyms?	Never	The search function does not offer any spelling suggestions or synonyms.

Functionality of Interactive Elements

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are icons such as to save, download, or print consistent across the site?	Always	Print is the only consistent icon in the database. It always appears at the bottom of the articles.
Is alternative text clear and consistent for each icon type?	Never	The is no alternative text present for the print icon.
Are actions consistently labelled across the site? For example, the “search” button is always labeled “search”.	Always	The search button is always located in the top banner across the database pages.
Are icons that have adjacent links consistent?	Not Applicable
Can the purpose of each link be determined from the link text alone?	Always

Consistent Navigation

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the eresource have a consistent layout and navigation across all pages?	Always
Are search fields located in the same places throughout the website?	Always	The search field is located in the top header and remains in the same place when users go to a new one.
Do other features occur in the same place throughout the website?	Always	The top header and footer of the database contains the same drop-down menus, search box, links, Sign up for Newsletter form, logo and social media icons on every page.
Are links, buttons, images, and other components that are used repeatedly throughout a website labeled consistently?	Always

Pop-up windows/Interruptions

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the electronic resource avoid the use of pop-up windows which open automatically in a new tab if a user clicks on a button?	Always
Does the database avoid launching pop-up windows automatically when the database is loaded?	Always	There are no pop ups that occur when the database is loaded.
Where pop-ups occur, are users able to postpone or suppress any pop-ups?	Not Applicable	The pages sampled in this database do not contain any pop ups.
Does the database avoid launching pages in a new browser window with the usual browser controls missing?	Always	All of the browser controls remain the same when launching a new window. However, the only time that a new window is launched is when a PDF document link is clicked.

Headers

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is page content subdivided hierarchically into appropriate headings and tagged appropriately?	Always
Are headings concise and clear, and accurately reflect the content under that heading?	Always

Menus

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do database page menus have a reasonable number of navigation items and drop-down options?	Always	In the header at the top of the database there are 5 drop-down menus that contain between three and ten navigational links. In the Intelligence Zone, Education and Current Events sections have additional drop-down menus that users must click to get information about different countries and get Maps with certain Physical/Political and Global Thematic Maps.
Does the main navigation and drop-downs contain a reasonable number of menu items?	Always	There are 5 main drop-down menus located in the header of the database.
Can all menus and submenus be accessed with screen readers and via keyboard navigation?	Sometimes	Keyboard navigation for the 5 main drop-down menus in the top header are not easily accessible and the NVDA screen reader does not read them at all in Firefox but does read them in Chrome. You can access the drop-down menus in both browsers, but it does not show focus and you have tab and hit enter to get the drop-down menu. Read and Write screen reader is not able to read the main drip-down menus as the bar for this feature appears over them and users cannot access them. There are redundant links in the footer that are both accessible by keyboard navigation and through the screen reader. However, the screen reader does not read out the title of the lists.

Change of context

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the “results” page or item record view avoid opening in a new tab without a warning?	Always	The results page does not open a new tab.
Is there an "update now" button that requests a refresh of content rather than automatically updating the content?	Not Applicable
Does the database avoid automatic redirection?	Always

Change of Context: Focus

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the form refrain from submitting automatically when a component receives focus?	Always
Does the database avoid launching new windows when a component receives focus?	Always	All links and buttons that are hovered over with the mouse does not launch unless clicked.
Does the database avoid change of focus when a component receives focus?	Always
Are you able to tab through a page using keyboard navigation without the keyboard focus moving away from the control?	Sometimes	Keyboard navigation is difficult to go through the main drop-down menus in the top header. There is no doted box to indicated that the area has been tabbed too and after home, the tab skips to the search box sometimes in Firefox. You can access them if you press enter and then tab but it is difficult to tell if you are accessing them. This is also the case in the Chrome browser. Mostly, if users want to use keyboard navigation for the main drop-down menus—they must use the mouse to click on it first and then use the tab or up and down arrow keys. However, users can access these links in the footer of the database. Users cannot go back using the arrows in keyboard navigation.

Navigation Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text, or from the link text together with its surrounding context?	Always	The text links are straightforward in their description.

Keyboard Navigation

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can keyboard focus be moved to all page elements?	Always	The focus moves to all the page elements. However, it is hard to tell if the focus is on the main drop-down menus in the top header as they do not have the dotted box and users need to press enter and tab to access them. They are not accessible with arrow keys.
If moving keyboard focus away from a component requires more than arrow or tab keys, is this clearly indicated on the page?	Never	There is no indication that enter is need to access the drop-down menus in the header. The arrow keys do not work for navigation.
Is default keyboard navigation order logical and intuitive, following the visual flow of the page as described above?	Always
When using a keyboard to navigate the interface, is the keyboard focus indicator visible?	Sometimes	The keyboard focus indicator is not visible for the drop-down menu items in the top header.
Does all interactive functionality work via keyboard, and does it behave consistently and as expected?	Always	This function is under the Political Intelligence Briefing, Zone, and Wire section. It has the same carousel of pictures that are easily accessible to scroll through using keyboard function.
Does focus order move sequentially across form fields?	Always

Skip Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there skip links (either visible or invisible)?	Always	Invisible, but become visible when identified by keyboard navigation.
Are skip links visible or invisible?	Always	Skip links are invisible unless tabbed on from the keyboard. The skip link is “skip navigation” for this database.
Are skip links (visible or invisible) positioned prominently near the beginning of the page?	Always	Yes the skip navigation link is in the header at the top of each page in the database.
Are skip links labelled properly?	Always	The skip link is labelled as skip navigation.
Are skip links accessible via keyboard?	Always
Do anchors (link destinations) appear at the beginning of the relevant content?	Always	Yes the anchors (link destination) do appear at the beginning of relevant content in the pages sampled.
Do skip navigation controls appear in the same place on every page?	Always	At the top of each page.

Tables

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the reader capture accurate information as it appears in the table and the columns and rows?	Sometimes	Read and Write reader does not tell the user that there is a table and columns. Read and Write will read everything but does not identify tables or columns. NVDA tool on the other hand does tell the user that they are at a table and will provide the number of columns but only reads the links in the chart. NVDA does not read sections that can not be accessed from keyboard navigation while Read and Write will read everything within a section. NVDA will read a section if user uses the mouse to hover over the sections not read through keyboard navigation.

Frames

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the screen reader successfully navigate from one frame to another?	Sometimes	NVDA screen reader will mostly move to the next frame smoothly using keyboard navigation. However, it does always read everything in the frame and only focuses on the links using keyboard navigation. NVDA will read sections when hover over with the mouse but does not always read the all the text but only the area the mouse is hovering. Read and Write will read everything in the frame when directed to using a mouse.
Does each frame have a meaningful title that tells the user the purpose of the frame?	Always
When navigating the page using keyboard navigation, is the user able to navigate effectively from one frame to the next?	Always	Keyboard navigation moves smoothly through each frame.

PDFs

Searchable PDFs

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the sampled PDFs image-only?	Not Applicable	There are no image only PDF documents.
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)?	Never	Sampled PDF’s are not locked and users can extract information, make comments, highlight, and are searchable.
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable?	Always

Tagged PDFs

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are alternative descriptions provided?	Sometimes	Initially all the PDF documents sampled failed the alternative test assessment. However, if the user selects the option to autotag the document and runs a new full check, this section will pass and alternative text is added to the document except for figures.
Is primary language specified?	Never	In the 5 PDF documents sampled, all failed the primary language assessment and are not specified.
Is reliable character encoding provided?	Always	All 5 PDF documents sampled have passed the character encoding assessment.
Are all page elements tagged?	Sometimes	However, most of the page elements are not tagged in the 5 PDF documents sampled. Most of them have failed except for multimedia objects. Though, if the user clicked on the autotag document option, they can add tags to the document. If they rerun the accessibility full check, all elements are tagged except for the elements in Tagged annotations.
Are list and table structure correct?	Never	In all 5 accessibility reports for the PDF documents sampled are reported as failed or skipped in these two sections. However, in all 5 documents sampled, if the user clicks on autotag option in the accessibility tool then all components will pass a new full check up except for Summary which is skipped. The problem with this is that the user has to do the autotag for the documents themselves.

Structure: Reading Order

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections?	Sometimes	The read out loud function in the 5 PDF samples does not read much of the document. It gives a warning of a blank page for first page of the table of contents and for other pages reads the header and footer information but not the text in the body of the page. However, if the user toggles the accessibility options such as autotagged, identify form fields and reading order, they can get the read out loud feature to read the entire document.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”?	Never	In all 5 PDF documents the read out loud function is problematic. Users have to toggle with the read out loud function using the accessibility options to get this feature to read more than the header or footer in each pages. In some of the documents, the tables in the read out loud skipped entire sections and did not identify it as a table.
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document?	Always	The arrow keys are consistent and effective for navigating through the sampled PDF documents for the read out loud function.

Magnification

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read?	Sometimes	For the most part all text, tables, lists and other elements appear and easy to read at 250%. However, maps images do appear blurry at 250% and are not as clear or easy to read.

Images

Positioning of Images

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?	Always	There are only two images present in each PDF sampled: country map and map of continent. In each instant the maps are placed just below the header of the pages they occupy.

Alternative Description

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Never	The only informational images in the PDFs sampled are the maps of the featured country and the regional map. These do not contain alternate text.
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Not Applicable	There are no images in the PDF documents that are used in replacement of text.
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Never	Figures and graphs do not contain alt text any of the sampled PDF documents not even after running an autotag.

Tables

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate?	Sometimes	Initially the tables fail the accessibility assessment. However, if the user performs the autotag document option the all areas of the tables are tagged except for the summary. This is skipped.
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers?	Sometimes	The screen reader feature in the PDF documents does not always have a easy navigation of reading tables.

Additional Navigational Aids

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks?	Never	No bookmarks are displayed in bookmarks panel for any of the PDF documents sampled. However, the user has the ability to bookmark sections of the documents.
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document?	Never	There are no bookmarks automatically generated for any of the PDF documents sampled. However, if the user creates their own, the link does go to the correct section.

Video Captions

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are videos captioned?	Never	There is no captioned for any of the videos or any options to turn on closed-captioned.
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive?	Not Applicable
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)?	Not Applicable
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video?	Not Applicable
Are the captions in sync with spoken words?	Never
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided?	Never
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided?	Never

Described Video

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link?	Never	None of the video sampled provided describe video, closed captioning, or transcripts.
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents?	Never

Audio Accessibility

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip?	Never
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio?	Not Applicable

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