Accessibility Feature 

A collection of tools, technologies, and coding practices that make Silverlight applications usable by individuals with disabilities, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, or mobility impairments.

Purpose

Accessibility features are implemented to ensure that everyone—including users with disabilities—can interact with and benefit from Silverlight applications. This aligns with legal and ethical standards like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 (in the U.S.), and supports inclusive design principles.

Common Accessibility Features in Silverlight Applications

1. Keyboard Navigation
   • Allows users to navigate the interface using the keyboard instead of a mouse.
   • Supports Tab order, keyboard focus, and shortcut keys.
2. Screen Reader Support
   • Uses UI Automation (Microsoft’s accessibility framework) to convey text and control information to screen readers like NVDA or JAWS.
3. High Contrast and Visual Enhancements
   • Supports system-level high contrast modes to improve readability.
   • Allows customization of colors and font sizes.
4. Assistive Technology Compatibility
   • Ensures that Silverlight UI elements are properly exposed to tools like magnifiers, speech recognition, and alternative input devices.
5. Semantic Mark up
   • Uses proper element roles and descriptions to provide context and meaning (e.g., Automation Properties.Name and Automation Properties.HelpText).

Developer Tips for Accessibility in Silverlight

• Use Automation Properties attributes to define control names, help text, and roles.
• Ensure that custom controls implement Automation Peer classes for accessibility.
• Avoid relying solely on visual cues (like colour) to convey information.
• Test with screen readers and keyboard-only navigation.