Background

§1194.21(j) of Section 508 states that:

"When a product permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, a variety of color selections capable of producing a range of contrast levels shall be provided."

In order to conform to this provision, your application needs to provide users with a variety of color settings that can be used to set a range of contrast levels. Having the ability to adjust the color and contrast of screen display is essential for people who have difficulty focusing on bright colors (e.g., characters become blurred, backgrounds wash out). Being able to set contrast levels also provides the user with the ability to more accurately distinguish the difference between colors.

Let's take a moment to look at an example that explains why the ability to change colors and contrast settings can be important. An application has been created for a commercial client. The display has been set up to utilize colors associated with the client's logo. The background selected is a medium yellow. The text color is black. Users who have difficulty focusing on bright colors might not be able to read text placed on such a bright background. To resolve this problem, the user needs to be able to change the contrast and/or color of the background or text.

The purpose of this provision is to ensure that all applications allow the user to adjust color and contrast settings and that a variety of color selections are available.

Testing your application for conformance, and remediating identified issues, are relatively simple actions.

Select the Next button to find out how to assess whether your application conforms to this provision.