WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: PDF on websites

for

From: Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Jun 20, 2013 4:00PM

The current Section 508 regulations are pretty weak; they date back to 2000.
We're awaiting the "refresh" that will tighten up and expand coverage,
remove the gray areas of what's covered and what isn't.

What makes your question difficult is that every agency has come up with
their own policy. Some versions are good, others aren't. Some are
out-of-date. Depends upon the agency.

Here's the Access Board's current standards, effective December 21, 2000.
http://access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm

Subpart A General, Section 1194.1 Purpose.
"Section 508 requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain,
or use electronic and information technology, Federal employees with
disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is
comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not
individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on
the agency." [next sentence includes the general public]

I think the key words are "have access and use of information and data that
is comparable."
If the PDF is truly accessible, then it meets this requirement. Nothing more
needs to be done.
If the other hand, the PDF wasn't accessible (and therefore not providing
comparable access and use of the information), then alternate accessible
versions would be needed.

From a workflow/process viewpoint, it becomes a nightmare to maintain a
website, file server, or content management system with multiple versions of
a document: one gets updated but the others don't and you now have a data
mess on your hands.

The ideal is to have one version of your data that is kept up-to-date and is
fully accessible. There's nothing preventing a PDF from meeting that
requirement.

My two cents...
-Bevi Chagnon
- - -
www.PubCom.com - Trainers, Consultants, Designers, Developers.
Print, Web, Acrobat, XML, eBooks, and U.S. Federal Section 508
Accessibility.
New Sec. 508 Workshop & EPUBs Tour in 2013 - www.Workshop.Pubcom.com