Creating accessible PDF documents with Adobe InDesign

It's always better to plan ahead for accessibility than to "add" it after the fact. InDesign allows designers to create beautiful and complex documents, but these features also can create challenges for remediation into a Section 508 compliant PDF.

InDesign offers a direct workflow that reduces the time and effort required to produce accessible,compliant PDF documents from an InDesign layout. Most of the tasks are executed within InDesign, with fewer final steps required in Adobe Acrobat. In addition, this allows hierarchical and structural information to reside in the InDesign file, making updates faster and easier when you need to generate a revised accessible PDF document.

Here's an Adobe White Paper that can help you design with accessibility in mind.

C'mon, Medicare.gov, get compliant!!!

Section 508 Watchers out there, here's a good one:

Just got the print edition of "Medicare & You" in the mail, thought I would see if it was electronically available, which it is:

http://www.medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf

....but this document is not compliant with Section 508???? Does not even pass the Acrobat autocheck???? Is this possible???

We would be glad to help them...

EDCS Levels of Service

Total accessibility is the goal of every EDCS remediation. Contrary to common belief, passing an automatic check alone does not ensure accessibility. Un-tagged content, inactive URLs, and incorrect reading order are examples of errors that are overlooked by Adobe Acrobat's autochecks. A document that is blank to a screen reader can be made to pass but is obviously not accessible or compliant.

Structured documents are accessible documents. Comprehensive remediation adds value to documents, for both sighted and sight-impaired users.

Bid Request Form

Complete remediation includes these services:

Determine if the PDF file has been properly tagged. Verify tagged elements are properly sequenced and applied. Ascertain that tag list follows document reading order exactly for optimum reading order and reflow for screen readers
Style tags applied appropriately to all text
Correct pagination added to thumbnails
URLs checked/activated
Bookmarks added (documents over 9 pages)
Table of Contents made active
All internal and external active links made BLUE (optional)
Correct properties, initial view settings, correct tab order, "fast view" set, custom properties removed, language set
Tables scoped (header and data cells appropriately tagged); all tabular data edited/tagged as tables with scoped columns and rows; tables created where absent
Add Alternative Text. Add informative and concise alternative text and descriptions for all non-text elements
Artifact all table PATH (border) tags (optional)
Removal/artifact all background graphics
Complete Adobe Acrobat Pro 11 accessibility report showing no errors or warnings
Complete HHS checklist (optional)
Spot check with screen reader (JAWS or equivalent)
Complete Quality Check

Exclusions or additions to the listed services at client's request. Deliverables include remediated PDF and time-stamped validation reports from Acrobat Pro 11: "Accessibility Full Check", and agency checklist if requested. Please provide guidelines/requirements at time of bid request.

Fillable Form PDFs- add these services:

Creation/edit of form fields
Tool tips added to form fields.
Formatting applied to form field (date, currency, etc.)

Note: Remediation limited to form documents created in Acrobat.

Minimum specifications:

No character encoding errors present
Document created with editable fonts
Alternate text descriptions of graphics/figures included or provided by client
Document properties (Title, Author, Subject, Keywords) provided by client

Terms and Conditions

All bid requests will include expected time frame for the job, date of document delivery from client to EDCS and date of remediated document delivery from EDCS to client. Bids provided by EDCS are valid for 30 days. EDCS will evaluate documents requiring remediation and deliver a quotation of price per page for desired level of remediation and any additional charges that may be incurred to complete the remediation. Our evaluations are thorough, but there are sometimes issues that do not show in our evaluation that may make some documents impractical or impossible to remediate into accessible documents. EDCS reserves the right to inform client of any documents that fall into this category prior to document remediation; documents will not be remediated and remediation charges for these documents will be subtracted from final invoice. At client’s request, and upon agreement from EDCS, documents not remediated due to aforementioned issues, or any pre or post-remediation document processing or editing, will be charged at $100 per hour. Services not specifically required for compliance may be excluded from remediation, at client's request. Documents 50 pages or less are subject to a $50 short-document administrative fee.

Bid Request Form

Terms effective 12/11/2013

Interpreting Section 508 Regulation 1194.22

Look here for answers to your specific questions about what makes a PDF document compliant with Section 508- but don't squeeze your brain too hard, as there's not much "specifying" going on. It all comes down to interpretation- what is "accessible" and "usable"?

Here's an excerpt from the regulation, the part that applies to remediating PDF documents:

§ 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).

(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.

(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.

(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.

(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.

(f) Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.

(h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation.

(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

(k) A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.

(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology.

(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21(a) through (l).

(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.

(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

“Extensible” Data Collected With Fillable PDF Forms

It’s obvious to anyone who has completed a “fillable form” PDF document that they are a quantum leap forward from old-style forms that require hand-written response. Forms are used for collecting data- if the quality and accuracy of your data is dependent on the handwriting skills of the end user, you are in trouble. The fillable form not only allows accurate interpretation by human readers reviewing individual forms, but is “extensible”, as the form field data from multiple forms can be exported into spreadsheet format for further review and analysis. This extensibility increases the value of your data

This increase in accuracy and efficiency creates immediate cost savings in data management for any organization that is currently using paper and pen to collect form information. EDCS specialists can quickly and economically convert your existing forms into interactive fillable forms, with the additional benefit of remediating the documents to ensure Section 508 compliance.

For more information on fillable forms, visit http://508fillableforms.com/ or the main EDCS website http://electronicdocumentcompliance.com/ .

The Straight Scoop on URLs in Section 508 Compliant Documents

Below is Section 1.8.1 from an SSA Guide to producing compliant Word-PDF documents.What do you think? Is this in conflict with standard HHS compliance checklist? Sounds like fully qualified URLs aren't really that important, and actually make a document LESS accessible. Make sure documents have proper tagging of hyperlinks for common sense accessibility:

When a Screen Reader is reading text and there is a link, the software will insert the word "Link" in front of the text to alert the user that this is a selectable hyperlink.

Another way that Screen Readers can access the links that are in a document is for them to call up a list of links. This list will display only the text that has been marked as a link.

It is important that the list of links makes sense to the user when it is read out of context. That is, the name of each link should make sense in the list when it is read in isolation.

Consider the following four examples of the same text and same link rendered using different methods:

1. Please read The SSA Online Accessibility Policy. Click Here

2. Please read The SSA Online Accessibility Policy. http://www.ssa.gov/webcontent/accessibility.htm

3. Please visit The SSA Online Accessibility Policy.

4. Please visit The SSA Online Accessibility Policy: http://www.ssa.gov/webcontent/accessibility.htm

If every link in the document was rendered using method #1, the list of links would read like this:

· Click Here

It is easy to see that individual links are not possible to read out of context.

If every link was rendered using method #2, the list would read like this:

· http://www.ssa.gov/webcontent/accessibility.htm

· http://ssa.gov/pgm/links_disability.htm

· http://www.section508.gov/

This list also makes no sense in context. While we might be comfortable in normal conversation saying "go to s s a dot gov" we generally do not say to people "go to s s a dot gov slash p g m slash links underscore disability dot h t m". It is too long and it is too difficult to understand. However, when the list of links is presented this way, this is exactly how the Screen Reader will say each link.

If every link was rendered with method #3, the list would be read like this:

· The SSA Online Accessibility Policy

· SSA Disability Benefits

· GSA's Section 508 website

Using this method, all of the links make sense when spoken out of context. This is the best method to use.

Where it is important to have the URL displayed on the printed page, Method #4 is the same as method #3, but with the URL also spoken in the list. This method is perfectly acceptable, so long as the name comes first and the URL comes last in each link.

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B) Development Methods

1. Right click any hyperlink in the document.

2. Make sure that in the Hyperlink dialog box the 'Text to display' field has a link name that makes sense when spoken in isolation.
Note: See Rationale, above for an explanation of how links are spoken by Screen Readers.

C) Testing Methods

Examine the document for instances of links that have names like 'Click Here', and/or links that are just URLs, like http://ssahost.ba.ssa.gov/arc/. These links need to be remediated according to Development Methods, above.

Specialists in Section 508 Compliant Fillable Forms

Electronic Document Compliance Services specializes in creating interactive "fill-in" forms for your PDFs. Fillable PDF forms can be accessed over the Internet or via email. If a PDF form includes form fields (for example, text fields, buttons, list boxes), users can fill the form online with Acrobat Reader. All EDCS created forms are compliant with Section 508, and can make your information easier to access for the end-user as well as document producers.

Additional advantages:

Share links to your documents through email, Twitter, or post it on your website or blog.
Embed your forms directly into your web page.
Analyze your data: Sort and filter real-time data in an online table.
View automatically generated charts of your data.
Share form results with others simultaneously and manage collected responses online.

Accessible fillable forms benefit all users, not just sight-impaired users. Make your forms more efficient and valuable- contact EDCS today for quote and turnaround

The Basics of Section 508 PDF Compliance

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is the standard format for online "electronic" publication of documents. PDF allow the publisher to ensure that a document looks the same online as it does in print form. PDF's are unique in their "cross-platform" usability, and if they are constructed and tagged correctly they will look the same on different systems without having to install specialized fonts or rely on underlying operating system packages. Proper tagging of the visual and structural components of the document also ensures that the document will be accessible, meaning that assistive technologies (i.e. screen-readers like JAWS, etc.) provide the same information to visually impaired readers as to sighted readers.

The primary requirement for an accessible, and therefore a compliant PDF, document is that the tag structure fully represents the visual information provided by the document itself. The process to determine this requires the remediator to review each page in the document to ensure that it conforms to all the accessibility requirements and modify the tag structure of the page when required to ensure compliance.

The remediation is carried out at the global (document) level and by review of each page within the document. The workflow is straightforward, and upon completion the remediator tests the document's compliance using automatic checkers, such as Adobe Acrobat "Full 508" check, PAC, Common Look, etc., as well as a manual review process, both visual and using a screenreader. The remediated document and the remediation reports are delivered to the client along with notes on the work carried out.

Accessibility/compliance requirements of specific clients are different, as there is no legally binding set of PDF accessibility requirements currently defined by the U.S. Access Board. Clients have some latitude in the manner in which they choose to develop PDF documents to conform to the Section 508 requirements. For example, HHS has a comprehensive checklist for their contracted documents, but passing an item on the HHS checklist doesn't mean that the document is not compliant (i.e. the regulation is broad and doesn't get into details like URL formats). On the other hand, any document that passes all HHS checklist certainly is compliant.

The goal is accessibility for all; 21 million Americans have some disability, so documents that are accessible are not just "legal", but are more valuable because they provide universal access. Proper remediation is the key to accessibility.

-Electronic Document Compliance Services

Learning About Section 508 Document Compliance: "Tagging" a PDF

Learn about document compliance and how it is achieved:

Electronic documents come in many formats, but most are converted to PDF for publication on the Web. Invented by Adobe Systems over 20 years ago, Portable Document Format (PDF) is now an open standard for electronic document exchange maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). When you convert documents, forms, graphics, and web pages to PDF, they look just like they would if printed. But unlike printed documents, PDF files can contain clickable links and buttons, form fields, video, and audio — as well as logic to help automate routine business processes.

This underlying structure is not inherent in the PDF, but must be planned for during the source document creation, or added to the document during PDF "remediation". The process ensures that the published document is accessible for users with disabilities as well as more valuable to all users, with logical document structure, internal navigation, and active bookmarks, URLs, and functional forms. This document structure is contained in the document's "tags" that live behind the scenes and allows assistive technology like screen readers to interpret the document as intended by the authors. Similar to the HTML code that defines how Web pages display, PDF document tags define how a document is read aloud using programs such as JAWS, and the quality and organization of the tags determine just how accessible the document will be, and how close to an equivalent experience the audio version of the document is compared with reading. They are labels that help the screen readers inform a sight-impaired user how the document is structured, and allow navigation through the document with the same functions available to a sighted user.

Proper tagging is the first step. Depending on how a document is converted, and what the source is, documents may be close to accessible with minor editing. Proper conversions from late versions of Word or InDesign give the best results, but this, too, is dependent on how the document was "styled" ; the most common example is font selection- the document creator may not have followed best practices using CSS "styles", and the tags created during the conversion will need extensive editing. The document remediator's job is to ensure the tags will tell the story as the author intends, that there is a logical underlying structure. As a programmer writes the underlying code for a Web page, the remediator builds (or renovates) the foundation that holds the content and correctly "displays" the final document for assistive technologies like JAWS.

Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology; advances in this technology have made it possible to significantly reduce these barriers, or even eliminate them completely. Electronic Document Compliance Services (EDCS) is dedicated to helping fulfill this promise. We do one thing, and we do it well: Documents certified compliant by EDCS are guaranteed to be accessible and compliant with Section 508.

Infographic:Not Exactly 508 Compliant, But Good!

From http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/story/infographic-importance-accessibility/2013-05-15:

Section 508 News: One More Battle in the Fight for Equality in the Workplace

From Gary Wunder, on the NFB.org website, a great article about the realities of accessibility. We're not there yet...

" Government and industry have been slow to acknowledge the technological challenges the blind are beginning to face as we perform the routine duties of keeping a house and cooking our meals, but as early as 1998 the federal government acknowledged the need for technology usable by the blind in places of employment by adopting Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. In a nutshell the law says that anything built or purchased by the federal government must be accessible to people with disabilities, including the blind. The law covers everything from office computers to the copy machine, but the reality of federal compliance falls far short of the promises so eloquently proclaimed in the statutes of our land."

"Section 508 must make real in the federal workplace the promises it boldly proclaims as the law of the land."

Read the article

Department of Homeland Security Sued for Section 508 Violations

On April 26, 2013, Michael Leiterman, a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) filed a suit against his employer, "for violating federal anti-discrimination laws that require the federal government to provide equal opportunity to people with disabilities", citing Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Section 508 is an amendment to the Rehabilitation Act, passed by Congress in 1998. This amendment specifies that government agencies must make all electronic and information technology available to people with disabilities. Since its adoption in 1998, the digital realm has exploded, making Section 508 compliance even more necessary to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities.

The lawsuit alleges that DHS is in violation of the Act “by purchasing, developing, and implementing inaccessible technology, using inaccessible training and testing platforms and materials, requiring Mr. Leiterman to provide accessibility testing, troubleshooting, and correction for CBP’s technology, failing to provide reasonable accommodations for his disability, and denying him a promotion because of his disability and the agency’s inaccessible technology.”

Mr. Leiterman, who is blind, has worked at Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), a division of the United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), since August 2006. The lawsuit alleges multiple instances of violations, including inaccessible documents, intranets, and online training modules.

The brief...

Document Creators: Are you responsible for Section 508 compliance?

Let us be among the first to remind you to check the fine print in the specifications for the document you are creating right now. Is their any federal money involved? That's just one reason to make sure your document is accessible and compliant with Section 508.

These regulations have been in place since 1973, but are just beginning to be monitored and enforced; several lawsuits were required before production contracts started routinely specifying compliance with Section 508

Here's the official word:

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 794d) requires the federal government to ensure that the electronic and information technology that it develops, procures, maintains, or uses is accessible to persons with disabilities. Section 508 also directs the Attorney General to submit reports to the President and Congress on the state of federal agencies' compliance with the Act's requirements. In preparation for its report, the Department of Justice conducts a survey of federal agencies to obtain information on the state of compliance with Section 508, including the Section 508 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards

Each federal department or agency is required by Section 508 to provide the Department of Justice with information that is needed to prepare the reports. Following below is information about the Department of Justice’s Section 508 surveys and reports.

Plan now and avoid the rush this fall- learn more about Section 508 document preparation and remediation at Electronic Document Compliance Services website.

Work Directly With a 508 Document Specialist

Electronic Document Compliance Services clients work directly with our Section 508 document remediators, streamlining the process and reducing “middle-man” costs.

In addition to remediation of documents for section 508 compliance, EDCS can review your documents and provide certification of 508 compliancy, guaranteeing accessibility and usabilty.

Passing automatic PDF and 508 checks is just the first step in our complete certification service; our federally-certified staff will test your documents with both automatic and manual procedures to assure they meet or exceed all 16 requirements of Section 508, and provide you with a certificate and an affadavit affirming compliance.

If you want answers to your compliance questions and quick turnaround, call now and talk to a specialist: 919-410-7408

The "Curb Cut" shows how accessibility helps the entire population

Many people think that accessibility regulation just benefit those with disabilities (an estimated 24 million Americans!) but the value is much more broadly felt.

Accessibility offers advantages that go beyond ensuring usability for persons with disabilities. Many technologies first designed to assist persons with disabilities were later adopted because of their value to everyone. Consider the advantage curb cuts provide. Although first created for people in wheelchairs, they make access for cyclists and parents with strollers easier. Universal accessibility can help ensure that

everyone has access to the tools and information they need to learn and communicate.

Electronic documents are often evaluated for its usability and accessibility in order to be compliant with Section 508. Though the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. Even if the document is "accessible", there may still be serious usability problems that make it equally difficult for any person, disabled or non-disabled, to use it.

Usability focuses on how intuitive and easy it is for all people to use. Usable designs are consistent and simple to learn to use. Usability and accessibility often go hand-in-hand.

Accessibility is determined by how barrier free the technology is. Accessibility problems are those that make it more difficult for persons with disabilities to use an application or service than for a non-disabled person.

The key to accessibility is that it should be easy for everyone to use, including persons with disabilities.

Overcoming Accessibility Challenges for Section 508 Compliance

This is based on an article from the National Center on Disability and Access to Education, describing how properly structured / tagged PDF documents can be made accessible and in compliance with Section 508, and the disability types that can be aided by the process:

Accessibility challenge	Disability type(s)	Solution(s)
Only true headings and lists will convey semantic meaning to a screen reader user.	Blind	Tag all headings so they are true headings (H1, H2, etc. Tag all lists as ordered or unordered lists.
Images must include an alternative description (alt text) to be meaningful to a screen reader user.	Blind	Add Alternate Text to each document. Combine complex figures and provide Alternate Text.
Complex charts or tables may not contain proper headings, captions or summaries.	Blind	Tag table rows (<TR>), table headers (<TH>), and table data cells (<TD>). Set the scope of each table header cell (column or row)
Poor color contrast, especially in images and charts.	Color blind, Low vision	Ensure sufficient color contrast in text, charts and images. One way to verify this is to print out the document on a black and white printer.
Documents with forms that can be filled in on the screen (checkboxes, text fields, etc.) may not be accessible to screen reader users and may not export correctly to other formats.	Blind, all users	Make sure form elements have appropriate tags. Verify that the form can be completed using common screen readers.
A page may be read out of order by a screen reader. That is, the reading order and the visual order may be different.	Blind	Check and edit the reading order using Acrobat reading order tools Verify reading order with screen reader
Scanned PDF files that are not converted to plain text will not be accessible to screen reader users.	Blind	Convert a scanned PDF file into text using an Optical Character Recognition program.
A PDF reader program must be used to view PDF files.	All users	The Adobe Reader can be downloaded free from the Adobe site. There are a number of free reader programs that are available for several platforms. The accessibility features of these readers vary.
Embedded multimedia may be inaccessible, especially if it is not captioned.	Deaf, Blind	Make sure embedded multimedia is captioned. This is possible in a PDF file. If necessary, provide audio descriptions for the blind.
Scanned PDF files converted to real text can have numerous misspellings that may only be apparent to screen reader users.	Blind	Use a spell check to make sure as many words are spelled correctly as possible.
Headers, footers, logos and other content that meant to be ignored may be read by a screen reader on every page.	Blind	Convert extraneous information to an artifact If appropriate, make the first instance of repetitive information visible and convert subsequent versions into artifacts.

FAQ: What is the price per page to remediate a document and make it compliant with Section 508?

Every document is unique, and every client has different requirements, so there is no set cost per page to make a document compliant with Section 508 of the ADA. A 10 page document with numerous tables, charts and graphics may require more remediation than a 200 page mostly text document. Many of our clients have special compliance specifications– we are prepared to handle the most stringent requirements.

A typical job for a health insurance organization with 80-100 documents totaling 2000-3000 pages may be as low as $2 a page, depending on the state of the documents. A typical single document remediation of 20 pages may cost between $2-20 per page.

We never quarrel with those who sell for less, as they know what their service is worth. EDCS remediated documents are guaranteed accessible, not merely error-free according to an automatic check.

We will be glad to evaluate your documents, give you a report on their compliance needs and a firm bid including turnaround time, please contact us for more information.

Tips for Document Creators: Alternate Text

Using best practices for creating accessible documents makes Section 508 compliance much less costly. Adding alternative text for images is the imperative, and needs to be done correctly:

By following the basic principles outlined here, web developers can make their web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Alternative text may be provided in the alt attribute or in the surrounding context of the image, but not both.
Every image must have an alt attribute.
Alternative text should:
- presents the CONTENT and FUNCTION of the image.
- be succinct.
Alternative text should not:
- be redundant (be the same as adjacent or body text).
- use the phrases “image of…” or “graphic of…”.
Appropriate alternative text depends heavily on the image’s context.
Alt text of a functional image (e.g., an image within a link) should describe the function as well as the content.
Decorative images still need an alt attribute, but it should be null (alt=”").

An indepth article on proper usage of the image alt tag can be found at the WebAim web site.

Find out more about Section 508 document compliance here: http://508compliantdocumentconversion.com/

Accessible Documents Benefit All Users; Not Just for “Screen Readers”

It is a common myth that making your documents accessible and compliant with Section 508 is only for the benefit of users with disabilities. In fact, compliant documents benefit all users. Consider these facts:

More and more content on websites comes in PDF form.
Structured, tagged PDFs are more accessible to search engines. Google, etc., is “blind”, in a sense; it sees an untagged document as a blank document. On the other hand, a tagged document is optimized for searching. This makes it easy for search engines and USERS to find content in your documents.
More and more users access content from tablets and mobile devices.
Structured, tagged PDFs are accessible on mobile devices using “page reflow”, available for mobile applications, so your content is readable on smart-phones, e-book readers, tablets, etc., virtually any Internet-connected reading device.

http://508compliantdocumentconversion.com/