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From: JPI4A11Y
Date: Sat, Feb 19 2022 4:40AM
Subject: ADA print requirements for PDF and other documents
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Hi all,



I'm looking for ADA or business print guidelines for accessible documents
like PDF.



In researching, I've seen a lot of documentation on how to make these
documents digitally accessible, but none on physical accessibility for a
paper document.



Please share your thoughts and resources.



Thank you,



Joel Isaac

From: Philip Kiff
Date: Sat, Feb 19 2022 8:29AM
Subject: Re: ADA print requirements for PDF and other documents
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Hi Joel,

I'm not sure of the best resources in relation to the ADA, or of the
status of this in the United States.

Generally, I don't think there are the same internationally recognized
guidelines or standards for print documents as there are for digital
documents. It is hard to create clear rules that apply perfectly to all
printed documents - and it is technically not feasible to generate
automated tests for such rules with current technology.

But here are two references that may nevertheless help you.

In the UK, there is the  UK Association for Accessible Formats (UKAAF),
who produce some guidance on "Clear and Large Print" documents:
https://www.ukaaf.org/standards/#large-print

Where I live in Canada, folks often reference the "Clear Print
Guidelines" from the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind):
https://www.cnib.ca/en/accessibility-cnib
This is shorter and less detailed than the UKAAF documents. A link to a
PDF version is available at the end of that CNIB page, but I don't think
the PDF version contains more info than what already appears on that page.

Neither of these should be treated as hard-and-fast rules that
absolutely define accessible documents. In a few areas, I personally
feel that the advice above may not  necessarily be appropriate to all
target audiences of printed materials that I am sometimes directly
involved in producing. But that is part of the challenge of print
materials. Print materials are the ultimate in restrictive format: once
you print it, that's exactly what you've got - there's no re-flowing or
reformatting of the pages on-the-fly. So it's hard to imagine a single
print version of anything that would be suitable for all possible users.

When considering document design in the source software, it can be
helpful to design in such a way that you will be able to generate a
large print or other specific format on-demand without needing to do a
full re-design of the document. The best way to do this will depend on
the authoring/publishing software and on the nature of the document
itself. I have designed technical documents in Word that could be
reformatted into Large Print simply by removing column settings and
changing the default font size of a couple styles.

Phil.

Philip Kiff
D4K Communications

On 2022-02-19 06:40, = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm looking for ADA or business print guidelines for accessible documents
> like PDF.
>
> In researching, I've seen a lot of documentation on how to make these
> documents digitally accessible, but none on physical accessibility for a
> paper document.
>
> Please share your thoughts and resources.
>
> Thank you,
> Joel Isaac

From: Paul Rayius
Date: Sat, Feb 19 2022 1:30PM
Subject: Re: ADA print requirements for PDF and other documents
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I think the WCAG specifications (both 2.0 and 2.1) would be a good place to start. Sure, a lot of that would apply to digital documents (as does the PDF/UA specification) but WCAG also addresses the components of visual accessibility, that would be relevant in print, too. For example, with the use of color and contrast ratio requirements.

I hope that helps get you started in a good direction.

Best,
Paul

Paul Rayius
Vice-President of Training
CommonLook

From: JPI4A11Y
Date: Mon, Feb 21 2022 2:33PM
Subject: Re: ADA print requirements for PDF and other documents
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Thanks Phil. Your well-considered email and shared links will help to guide on building our policy/standards.

Fond Regards,
== Joel Isaac

From: JPI4A11Y
Date: Mon, Feb 21 2022 2:55PM
Subject: Re: ADA print requirements for PDF and other documents
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Thanks for your response Paul. My background is in assessing digital properties against WCAG and 508. Though I recognize some ambiguity when seeking a direct application to print, I suspect Along with some of the available print guides, we'll be applying the spirit of WCAG to create our policy and standards.

Best,
== Joel Isaac

From: Andrews, David B (DEED)
Date: Thu, Feb 24 2022 12:48PM
Subject: Re: ADA print requirements for PDF and other documents
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The subject keeps bothering me! The ADA has no requirements, for documents print or digital. Court cases, and inferences, have extended it to include web sites, and documents, but there technically are no standards. The ADA talks about making services accessible, reasonable accommodations, etc.

Dave