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Re: Nuance PowerPDF Advanced is now Kofax PowerPDF Advanced

for

From: chagnon@pubcom.com
Date: Nov 11, 2019 4:53PM


Quote: "still don't get why this is so hard in 2019!" /End Quote

Because we -- all of us from content creators to end users -- must tell our companies and vendors what we need.

I beta test for many companies, small to large including "household name" companies. The decisions of every single one of them is made by the division that controls marketing and product development. This department considers 2 factors:

1. What they think they can advertise as a selling feature that puts them above their competition and makes you want to buy a new version of their software.

2. Feedback, feature requests, and suggestions from customers.

I'd wager that factor number 1 controls about 90% of their decisions about product development, and 10% is based on customer feedback.

And I've never met a Mar-Com person who knew anything about accessibility, Sec. 508 and other international laws, the WCAG and PDF/UA standards, or anything else about accessibility. Karen McCall's experience with the Kofax/Nuance representative is typical.

There are 2 halves of accessibility:

1. A software program must give content creators the tools to make accessible files, and
2. A software program must give A T users the tools to access accessible files.

The Kofax rep that Karen talked with clearly didn't understand this and only kept telling her to use their text-to-speech utility, the second half of accessibility.

If we don't tell Kofax, FoxIt, Adobe, Microsoft, Freedom Scientific, etc. what we need, they won't build it.

--Bevi
— — —
Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | <EMAIL REMOVED>
— — —
PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
consulting ' training ' development ' design ' sec. 508 services
Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/classes
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Latest blog-newsletter – Accessibility Tips at www.PubCom.com/blog

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of L Snider
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2019 3:33 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Nuance PowerPDF Advanced is now Kofax PowerPDF Advanced

Hi Karen,

Thanks so much for the update. This is discouraging news...I wonder if they will understand how much business they can get if they made (and keep) their program better than Acrobat.

I still don't get why this is so hard in 2019!

Cheers

Lisa

On Mon, Nov 11, 2019 at 3:18 PM Karlen Communications < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Duff:
>
> Yes, I was looking for a way, not to ad your e-mail to the post, to
> have people contact you. I couldn't find anything called "Contacts."
> Or "Contact Us."
>
> The Nuance update was not on my radar, but nice to know it will be updated.
>
> Kofax does have all of our serial numbers and contact information if
> you've purchased Nuance PowerPDF Advanced, but you have to pro
> actively call them to ask about updates. Their response is to monitor
> the website to see if there are updates or upgrades. Not very user
> friendly given the amount of $$$$ involved.
>
> Duff, can you keep us posted on any progress you or the PDF
> Association is making regarding continued support for tagged PDF by
> PowerPDF Advanced? Can I presume that the PDF Association is also
> working with Foxit for Business to ensure that their entry into tagged PDF will evolve and continue?
>
> Cheers, Karen
>
> Hi Karen,
>
> <snip>
>
> > I think we also need to ask Duff Johnson of the PDF Association to
> > contact Kofax and guide them through the understanding of ISO 32000
> > chapter 14 and ISO 14289 and how important a client base those of us
> > with disabilities are.not to mention the legislation around
> > accessible
> digital content.
>
> Thanks for the shout-out! I hear ya!
>
> > Sigh, I just went to the PDF Association website and there is no
> > contact area!
>
> Nuance's listing hasn't yet been updated, that's true (it takes a
> while)… or did you mean PDF Association contacts <
> https://www.pdfa.org/local-contacts/>?
>
> > Also, there are parts of the website that do not follow WCAG for
> > accessibility as some of the images still have their graphic filename.
> Sigh.
>
> We are working our way through the images… but I thank you for the kick.
> If there's a decent WordPress plugin to help with finding missing alt.
> text I'd love to know about it. :-/
>
> > I think we need to be quite proactive if we want tagged PDF to
> > evolve and have more options as tools for tagging.
>
> Always… and thank you, as ever, for your efforts in pushing the
> industry forwards!
>
> Duff.
> > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> >
> > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> >