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From: Swift, Daniel P.
Date: Fri, Feb 24 2017 9:35AM
Subject: OT: Accessible Files on Server/Email
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One of our offices asked me to review some documents that they want to post on both our website and send out via email. One is a Word document and the other is a PowerPoint file. They both are pretty heavily designed. I'm trying to test both using VoiceOver and I'm not having the same positive experience that I have when I test our web pages. I can't skip around in the same way that I'm used to when using the browser.

I wonder if the experience would be better if files were tagged for accessibility (I'm assuming they are not) or if the issue is due to my limitations on using VO outside of the browser ... or would a different medium be better (tagged image or a PDF for instance)?

Many thanks on this one!

Dan Swift
Web Technical Specialist
Enterprise Services
West Chester University
610.738.0589

From: Moore,Michael (Accessibility) (HHSC)
Date: Fri, Feb 24 2017 9:43AM
Subject: Re: OT: Accessible Files on Server/Email
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There is some good information/training on MS Office Accessibility here: http://gov.texas.gov/disabilities/accessibledocs The information is Windows centric. I am not sure about VoiceOver support for MS Office on the Mac.

PDF has stronger cross platform accessibility support, and if the you follow the guidance above in MS Office the conversion to accessible PDF will be much easier. You will still need to do a little clean up.

Mike Moore
EIR (Electronic Information Resources) Accessibility Coordinator
Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Civil Rights Office
(512) 438-3431 (Office)



Making electronic information and services accessible to people with disabilities is everyone's job. I am here to help.

From: Swift, Daniel P.
Date: Fri, Feb 24 2017 10:12AM
Subject: Re: OT: Accessible Files on Server/Email
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I'll check it out - thanks!

Dan Swift
Web Technical Specialist
Enterprise Services
West Chester University
610.738.0589

From: Mallory
Date: Sat, Feb 25 2017 6:46AM
Subject: Re: OT: Accessible Files on Server/Email
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Hi,
I do happen to know that IF it's created accessibly (which isn't always
easy), a powerpoint can work on a Mac, as I've recently heard an okay
demo with VO on a mathy powerpoint. It seems to even read the equations
from the equation editor (unless that was alt text I was hearing).

However it's apparently really easy to make inaccessible PP's so it
wouldn't surprise me. But I wanted you to know that it should be
possible if someone's able to change these docs. I'm not sure about Word
but I would *think* it could also be made okay.

cheers,
Mallory

On Fri, Feb 24, 2017, at 06:12 PM, Swift, Daniel P. wrote:
> I'll check it out - thanks!
>
> Dan Swift
> Web Technical Specialist
> Enterprise Services
> West Chester University
> 610.738.0589
>
>

From: Jonathan Cohn
Date: Sat, Feb 25 2017 8:28AM
Subject: Re: OT: Accessible Files on Server/Email
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Hello,

You didn't mention if you were using the default applications on the Mac of Pages and Preview, or the Microsoft / Adobe designed applications. I know that in Sierra Apple completely rebuilt the PDF libraries, but I believe that the builtin PDF systems on Apple still ignore accessibility tags. I might however be mistaken about that.

.
Best wishes,

Jonathan Cohn




> On Feb 25, 2017, at 8:46 AM, Mallory < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I do happen to know that IF it's created accessibly (which isn't always
> easy), a powerpoint can work on a Mac, as I've recently heard an okay
> demo with VO on a mathy powerpoint. It seems to even read the equations
> from the equation editor (unless that was alt text I was hearing).t
>
> However it's apparently really easy to make inaccessible PP's so it
> wouldn't surprise me. But I wanted you to know that it should be
> possible if someone's able to change these docs. I'm not sure about Word
> but I would *think* it could also be made okay.
>
> cheers,
> Mallory
>
> On Fri, Feb 24, 2017, at 06:12 PM, Swift, Daniel P. wrote:
>> I'll check it out - thanks!
>>
>> Dan Swift
>> Web Technical Specialist
>> Enterprise Services
>> West Chester University
>> 610.738.0589
>>
>>

From: Swift, Daniel P.
Date: Mon, Feb 27 2017 8:36AM
Subject: Re: OT: Accessible Files on Server/Email
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Thanks for the info. Mallory, I suspected that the content wasn't created with accessibility in mind. I'm going to work with them to make their documents accessible. Jonathan, I was trying to view both documents using Office 2013 (Word and PowerPoint), not in preview/pages. I had an idea after reading your email, I tried using quick look and that worked "okay".

Which brings me to another question, does anyone know how common it is for people with visual impairments to use the quick look function? That's obviously not a solution for me, but more just made me curious.

Thanks!

Dan Swift
Web Technical Specialist
Enterprise Services
West Chester University
610.738.0589