PDF Accessibility Services
Accessible to all
Accessible to All.
When people talk about "accessible" PDF files, they usually are referring to "tagged" PDF files, even though there is more to an accessible PDF than tags. PDF tags provide a hidden structured, textual representation of the PDF content that is presented to screen readers. They exist for accessibility purposes only and have no visible effect on the PDF file.
We can fix anything from individual documents to entire PDF back catalogues, including annual reports, brochures, fact sheets, newsletters, books, exam papers and other PDF forms.
PDF includes several features in support of accessibility of documents to users with disabilities. The core of this support lies in the ability to determine the logical order of content in a PDF document, independently of the content's appearance or layout, through logical structure and Tagged PDF. Applications can extract the content of a document for presentation to users with disabilities by traversing the structure hierarchy and presenting the contents of each node. For this reason, producers of PDF files must ensure that all information in a document is reachable by means of the structure hierarchy.
PDF files specify the appearance of pages in a document in a reliable, device-independent manner. In January 2008, PDF 1.7 became an ISO standard (ISO 32000-1). Of note for accessibility is PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility) which became an ISO Standard in July 2012 (ISO 14289-1:2012 (See PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1:2012).) The scope of PDF/UA is not meant to be a techniques (how-to) specification, but rather a set of guidelines for creating more accessible PDF. PDF/UA also specifies the rules governing the behavior for a conforming reader.
In the current (2001) regulations, Sections 1194.21 and 1194.22 set technical requirements for forms and documents based on WCAG 1.0, which was specific to HTML. In the planned update to Section 508, new technical standards will be based on WCAG 2.0, with far richer and more extensive requirements. While PDF “Reading Order” is not relevant to Section 508 compliance or accessibility, we do offer Reading Order adjustment as an additional service upon request. The regulations apply to all Information Technology, including electronic documents and forms. Whether HTML, Word document, presentation, spreadsheet or PDF file, Section 508 requires the document be readable by all.
Imagine going to an employment website and downloading the position description as a Word or PDF document, only to find that you cannot access the document using your screen reader because the content is inaccessible. Creating documents that can be accessed and read by people of all abilities is just as important as creating accessible web content.
Users with disabilities can perform the equivalent of visual scans of content using their assistive technology: they can scan heading levels using and jump to specific pages but only if the document has been created in an accessible manner.
Fixing PDFs to make them fully accessible can be relatively straightforward. However, in the case of more complex documents, quite a high level of expertise may be required. Organisations may not create PDFs often enough to maintain sufficient expertise in-house to handle such complex documents. In such cases we can deliver accessible PDFs, tested against WCAG 2.0 and across a range of assistive technologies (as appropriate), including JAWS, NVDA, ZoomText, etc.
If you are unsure whether the PDFs on your site are suitable for people with disabilities or not, we can provide an audit report of any document(s), and offer detailed advice on any required corrections.
Document accessibility evaluation and remediation can be performed at any point during your project, including early planning, design, creation or testing. We understand that development schedules are often predetermined so we collaborate with you to realistically plan the project. Based on this information, we help you develop an accessibility strategy that works to meet your goals.
We follows the Section 508 standards and WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines as they apply to documents.
We ensure PDF accessibility using:
In addition we can:
Gauging how accessible your PDFs are is not always straightforward. It’s certainly not just a case of running a PDF though an automated “accessibility checker”.
PDF documents can present some special problems for accessibility but a variety of techniques are available, either in the original authoring tool or in Adobe tools, for ensuring accessibility.
A document that passes the Adobe full accessibility check could still be difficult for a person with disabilities to use and might not meet accessibility guidelines and best practices. We goes beyond the automated check to look at the following:
When you receive a document back from Us, it will retain its original look. However, we will have added:
We’ll show you what your PDF’s tags should really look like!
Simply email us a PDF and pick a page you’d like us to make Section 508 compliant. We’ll tag and return it to you within 48 hours at no charge.
Accessible to All
Are you researching document accessibility specialists? At this point, you’ve likely found a variety of companies who say they can meet quick timelines and offer fair pricing. We’d like you to know what sets us apart from the pack.
We specialize in complex documents. Our experienced staff is innovative and up-to-date regarding the latest technology and federal guidelines regarding accessibility.
We’re accustomed to meeting stringent security requirements — whether they’re governmental or departmental. Our experience navigating complex corporate guidelines has led to long-standing contracts.
Many consultants are time-conscious, but We offers nearly 24-hour service to ensure your content is accessible ASAP. We’re committed to meeting your deadlines every time, whether it’s an emergency one-off project or ongoing conversions.
PDF Accessibility Services - Accessible to All
Regency House, 4th Floor,
No. 341, Teynampet, AnnaSalai, Chennai - 600006
Phone: 91-44-42177900, 91-9841743889