EDCS To Become Accessibility In Mind

Electronic Document Compliance Services, a recognized leader in Section 508 and PDF/UA remediation services, has announced their new company name, Accessibility In Mind. 

From the company's press release:

Our mission remains constant, accessibility for all, and our singular service is document conversion and remediation- a one-stop solution to your compliance needs. Accessibility In Mind's federally certified compliance specialists complete all remediation, following industry best practices and using the latest technology, with comprehensive standards support of WCAG 2.0, PDF/UA, HHS as well as Section 508.

Health Insurance Document Specialists

We are experienced in remediation for all types of health insurance provider documents- ANOC, EOC, SOB, etc., with rapid turnaround. Complete documentation of remediation performed and compliance test reports are part of every deliverable.

Contact Accessibility In Mind and see how we can take care of your compliance needs.

Aiming to exceed your expectations: http://accessibilityinmind.com/

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/ .

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.

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:

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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.