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RE: .pdf files and accessibility

for

From: Israel Pinto
Date: Apr 3, 2002 5:26PM

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Rew [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
>
> Well, we are using Adobe 5.xx PDF files with mixed results.
> When the screen
> reader user is running the accessible Adobe reader and the
> PDF has been made
> accessible they work well with Jaws 4.0. But, many people
> who generate PDF
> documents are not aware of accessibility or are not trained
> properly in how to
> make PDF files accessible. So, our agency is having Adobe
> provide in-house
> training on generating accessible documents and forms. I'm
> hoping this will
> make it possible to provide all of our documents accessible
> for all disabled
> users.
>
> I will keep this list informed how well our efforts go with
> accessibility and
> PDF.

Are Adobe 5.xx PDFs accessible to other AT besides the more recent versions
of JAWS and Window-Eyes? Even if the accessibility features of PDFs have
improved, isn't an alternate version (HTML?)of the information still
necessary to provide accessibility to the largest possible audience?

I've been able to create PDFs that test well with Micro-Eyes. However, I'm
beginning to think that the amount of time it took to "Make Accessible"
documents with complex layouts would be better spent in creating accessible
HTML versions of the PDFs.

Any thoughts/answers/information anyone can provide is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Israel Pinto
Advanced Performance Consulting Group
<EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> >


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