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Re: PDF on websites

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From: McMorland, Gabriel
Date: Jun 24, 2013 1:14PM

I'm curious about the accessibility of the existing PDFs on your site. Have you reviewed a sample of them to ensure that they are actually accessible? Also, what challenges or barriers were found by the person that wants HTML versions of the PDF content?

This is just a hunch, but have you reviewed a sample of your agency's PDFs to verify that all data tables are properly tagged and formatted for screen reader navigation?


-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Krack, Joseph@DOR
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2013 7:34 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] PDF on websites

Thanks Bevi,

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Chagnon | PubCom
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2013 3:01 PM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] PDF on websites

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 Some versions are good, others aren't. Some are out-of-date.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