9.5. Accessibility Kit for SharePoint
While SharePoint does not ship OOTB conforming to any of the accessibility guidelines recommended by the W3C, Microsoft teamed up with a partner, HiSoftware (www.hisoftware.com), to help make WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 meet these requirements. The Accessibility Kit for SharePoint (AKS), the result of this partnership, was created by HiSoftware on behalf of Microsoft and is available as a free download and install. Using the AKS, developers and designers can learn how to create accessible SharePoint sites, including Publishing sites. The AKS is available from CodePlex (www.codeplex.com).
9.5.1. Position and Goals of the AKS
Before factoring the AKS into a project plan, it is important to understand the position and goals of the AKS. First and foremost, the AKS is not intended to be used as a turnkey solution; simply installing the AKS does not make a site accessible. Instead, it is better to think of the AKS as more of an educational tool. It contains files and utilities that will help you create accessible SharePoint sites.
The stated goal of the AKS is to help build sites that meet the WCAG 1.0 AA standard, or sites that meet all Priority 1 and Priority 2 checkpoints. Developers can use the files and utilities included in the AKS as reference and sample materials in implementing accessible Publishing sites.
The AKS follows the recommendation of Microsoft in terms of not modifying the OOTB codebase installed by SharePoint. Instead, it is non-invasive ...
