Accessible PDFs directly utilisable
Many federal and state laws require that accessible documents be provided in certain situations. Some examples include Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act, and Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Obligations to provide accessible documentation can vary, depending on factors such as when the document was produced, who is furnishing the document, for whom, etc. A complete analysis of the laws and regulations pertaining to the provision of accessible documentation is beyond the purpose and scope of this guide. Here, we will provide guidance on how to produce accessible documents. The European directive entered into force on December 22, 2016. It implies that all websites, integrated digital documents (PDF) from public bodies will have to be made accessible according to a relatively restrictive agenda. A monitoring and complaints mechanism is also in place.
The accessibility of PDF documents offers many advantages: A wider audience: a document made accessible to the disabled may be consulted by all, including people with visual impairments, without having to make any graphic and ergonomic concessions.
The need to read a document only once suggests that all four formats should be considered, and appropriate ones should be made available depending on where the information will be read. If someone needs to read an agenda during a meeting, for example, an audio tape is not ideal, unless the tape is distributed ahead of time. In this situation, braille or large print may be the best choices, or if the agenda is available beforehand, the person may prefer to download the electronic file into a portable reading device for review during the meeting. Like sighted people, blind individuals want to follow along with the text and fully participate. Understandably, handouts may continue to change until close to the time of the meeting, so time pressure may become a concern. But good planning and communicating in advance with blind or visually impaired attendees will result in a better experience for everyone.
To help you comply with these regulations, we have developed an innovative technology solution: e-Accessible-PDF, which renders PDF documents “accessible”, at an ultra-competitive cost. Whether you are in the non-profit sector or the private sector, this solution allows you to expand your audiences and make them more inclusive for people with disabilities.
For the 10% of the population who have a visual, cognitive or motor impairment in Europe, access to the content of websites can be a real challenge. How have an inclusive life without access to critical information on the internet, such as a bus schedule, a new administrative regulation, or the user instruction manual for an electronic device … The notion of PDF accessibility is at the very heart of this problem.
Some people with reduced mobility, are not able to use the mouse, they therefore navigate with adapted keyboards or use the “focus” mode to interact on a web page. In this case tagging of documents proves to be of a precious help. According to WHO, about 1.3 billion people in the world, have some form of visual impairment. In Europe, the statistics show that almost 10% are affected. These figures include people with blindness, low vision, cognitive and motor impairments. The majority of these individuals are over 50 years old. With the growing and ageing of the population, coupled with a greater prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), the WHO estimates that the number of visually impaired is expected to double by 2050.
For many years we have developed and improved our accessibility and PDF tagging techniques and now have developed a proprietary solution to accelerate the production of Ultra Accessible PDFs. This allows us to produce on a fast turnaround and at competitive costs quality PDFs. We have customers around the world, public or private companies, and meet the international standards defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), such as ADA, Section 508, WCAG 2.0 AA, HHS and PDF / UA. We are able to produce various accessible documents such as PDF, documents from the Microsoft range (word, Excel, Power point) or Epubs. Read more info at Accessible PDF at the fair price
Unfortunately, PDF, Word, Excel or PPT documents, which are widely integrated on websites, are rarely adapted to these tools. Our role is to render these documents accessible for processing by reading software so that they can be vocalized in the correct reading order. A blind or visually impaired person can use a “screen reader” to vocalize what is appearing on the screen. There are two main screen readers for desktop computers using Windows: JAWS and NVDA. In addition to reading the elements out loud present on the screen, these screen readers offer a wide range of keyboard shortcuts to navigate through the content with greater ease. Although not free, JAWS is the most popular and most commonly used because it is more advanced in terms of functionality and assistance.
For screen readers to read a PDF document effectively, the document must have an underlying logical structure and reading order. This logical structure and reading order use behind-the-scenes elements called tags, which a PDF author adds to the document. Tags define the intended reading order of the content on each page. Screen readers rely on these tags to present text in a way that makes sense when someone is hearing the text read out loud. The tags allow a screen reader to interpret page elements such as headings, sidebars, tables, and multi-column text.
One of the most important steps you can take to simplify the process of creating accessible documents is to make certain, during each phase of composition, that those who are developing the document use word processing software properly. Assuring that this happens may be difficult when several individuals work collaboratively on a project, so designating someone to review a document for inconsistencies could be helpful. Clearly, these concerns about correctly word-processed texts only apply to the creation of large print, braille, and electronic documents.
What are the benefits of the Accessible PDFs we produce ?
– PDFs that meet the following standards PDF / UA, ADA, Section 508, WCAG 2.0 AA, HHS…
– Documents validated through user tests
– Accessible PDFs directly utilisable
– Quick production turnaround
– A fast and customized service
For your users :
– More user-friendly navigation
– The ability to convert text to voice
– Reading on different media (tablets, mobile, screen magnifiers)
– Replacing mouse actions with keyboard combinations
– The possibility of searching in images
– A help to navigation
Audio recordings are generally produced on cassette tape, but compact discs may be used in some circumstances, particularly as tape production and duplication become more difficult. Blind people may use commercially available tape recorders or stereos to listen to recorded texts, or they may use specialized half-speed, four-track cassette players which many blind people have available. You may wish to use this non-standard format to produce cassette tapes, especially if the document you are recording is longer than 90 minutes. Companies that regularly produce audio tapes for blind people are familiar with the logistics of providing recordings in this specialized format. For french guests read extra details at accessibilite numerique.