VA has it's hand's full with Section 508...

The URL about says it all: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/assessing-inadequacies-in-va-data-usage-for-and-services-provided-to-visually-impaired By January 2013 all Veterans Affairs Department websites were required to conform with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, but not only are many VA websites non-compliant, the department lacks a clear timeline for meeting the requirement. Section 508 requires federal agencies to make electronic content and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. "At this point in time we've not achieved 100 percent conformance with the 508 standard," said Lorraine Landfried, deputy chief information officer for product development at VA. Landfried spoke May 28 before the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on oversight and investigations. Landfried later said she could not provide a date when all VA systems would meet the standard. Anyone out there who has done compliance work for the VA understands the problem here: an entrenched bureaucracy, with contractor's lining their pockets instead of trying to help make documents accessible!!! Read more: VA websites miss 508 compliance deadline, lack timeline for achievement - FierceGovernmentIT http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/va-websites-miss-508-compliance-deadline-lack-timeline-achievement/2014-05-29#ixzz33DJ9Qwbn Subscribe at FierceGovernmentIT

Getting Multiple Government Agencies on the Same Page Regarding Section 508

Anyone involved in the often onerous task of remediating documents for Section 508 compliance can find themselves aiming at a moving target, depending on the specific requirements of their clients. Section 508 of the Americans With Disabilities Act contains lofty goals for universal accessibility, but does not get down into the weeds with specific guidelines for document creators. That has left the door open for "interpretation" by different agencies, and subsequently makes life difficult for remediators.

A great example comes in creating accessible hyperlinks in documents. Here's what Health and Human Services (HHS) asks in their "PDF File Checklist", section 1.8:

Do all URLs contain the correct hyperlink and display the fully qualified URL (i.e.,http://www.samhsa.gov and not www.samhsa.gov)

That's pretty unambiguous. HHS was the first of the government agencies to interpret the regulation and create a checklist, but that doesn't make their interpretation correct, or make documents following their interpretation more accessible than documents that see it differently.

Below is a contrary- and persuasive- argument on hyperlinks from the Social Security Administration, in their guide to creating accessible documents. Consider their logic:

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.

What is the lesson here? It's that "compliance" with Section 508 is not defined at the granular level, but a regulation that has many interpretations. Before starting any remediation project, it is best practice to query your client for any specific requirements or checklists that are to be followed. Just remember that the goal is accessibility, with compliance merely being the by-product.

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/ .