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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out-of-date.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

-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Krack, Joseph@DOR

I work for a State agency that is mandated to follow Section 508 and ADA
regulations and standards regarding websites and documents. A question arose
about posting documents to our websites. Right now we have accessible PDF's
on the site, but someone is insisting that we also have an HTML or Rich Text
version of each of these documents by law. Does anyone have any familiarity
with this? If it is required is there a section of either or these acts that
spell this out?

Thanks,
Joe Krack