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From: AMY OILMAN
Date: Wed, Feb 20 2002 6:44AM
Subject: Accessible version of Adobe reader for Mac???
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Hi. We are trying to rewrite our policy on posting PDFs now that
Adobe has come out with accessibility enabled (MSAA) version of
reader. Our current policy is that we allow developers to post PDFs
if they have an accessible alternative posted with it (ie. text or
accessible html). Our developers would like to get rid of the
extra versions now that they can create more accessible PDFs,
however, we have been unable to find an accessible version of the
reader for Mac. Does anyone know if this exists? If it does not,
we will need to keep our policy to post two documents.

We have been doing non-stop accessibility testing on Capture 3.x
and Adobe 5.x. I am wondering also if anyone has any tips on using
Acrobat or Capture. We would be happy to compare notes with anyone
out there.

Thanks,
Amy Oilman
USPS 508 Technical Team

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From: Paul Bohman
Date: Fri, Feb 22 2002 3:41PM
Subject: RE: Accessible version of Adobe reader for Mac???
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We have to make a very important distinction here. With the release of
the latest Acrobat, it is *POSSIBLE* to create accessible PDF files. Not
all files created with the new Acrobat are accessible. Most are not.

It takes the same kind of knowledge and work to make a PDF file
accessible as it does to make HTML accessible. In some ways, it is still
easier to make HTML accessible, but the same principles apply. In order
to truly justify the use of PDFs instead of HTML alternatives, you would
have to have a developer trained in making accessible PDFs. There are
resources available at http://access.adobe.com. You have to put
alternative text in the PDF. You have to label your data tables with
header rows and columns. You have to make sure that the reading order is
logical. You have to provide long descriptions of complex graphs and
charts. All of the same rules apply to PDF in exactly the same way that
they do to HTML.

Another issue: although it is completely possible to post PDF files that
are accessible to users of JAWS and Window Eyes, other screen readers
cannot yet access PDF files.

And, as with HTML, it is completely possible to post *inaccessible* PDF
files. It takes knowledge and skill with either format. A key difference
is that the accessibility features in HTML are a bit more mature. I'm
not an expert at making accessible PDF files. I have created a few, and
I've experimented with it enough to know that, at least for me, it's
quite a bit easier to create accessible HTML than PDF. Maybe with
practice it would become easier, and maybe future versions of Acrobat
will streamline the process. I don't know.

But you can't assume that PDFs are somehow magically accessible just
because it is now *POSSIBLE* to create accessible PDFs. It still takes
work.

Paul Bohman
Technology Coordinator
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
www.webaim.org
Center for Persons with Disabilities
www.cpd.usu.edu
Utah State University
www.usu.edu