PDF Remediation is the mechanism by which physical components of PDF documents are "tagged" so that they can be read using assistive devices. Such "tags" again classify the items and remind the assistive technologies of the order in which they are meant to be read
PDF is one of the most widely used formats for digitizing print material. The Portable Document Format isn't going away any time soon, and as more of our digital information is archived in PDF format, ensuring that the information contained in these PDFs is accessible becomes increasingly important. Document remediation is the process of converting a normal digital publication into a resource that is accessible to individuals with visual and auditory disabilities.
In the ideal world, PDFs would be generated from well structured source documents. Even then, even using Adobe Acrobat, there are no guarantees that the resulting PDF will meet the comprehensive standards of WCAG 2.0, PDF/UA and Section 508. Creating well structured source documents requires extensive knowledge of the various standards: compliance is primarily about tagging the document’s content properly.
PDFs typically are delivered to us with one of three starting points; untagged, improperly tagged, or an image only. No matter what state your documents are in -- we can help you meet accessibility standards.
You may not know that records have a particular layout, and that there are unique logos and markings that are needed to guarantee that assistive technology will decipher the records. These elements are critical to certifying that everyone has equal access to the documents on your website, and that anyone using assistive technology can interpret the meaning of the document correctly.
We work with your team to ensure that the various types of documents are accessible including:
Generally we work on complying with WCAG 2.1, but our department will also assist with Section 508 registration and ADA registration. If your website has been updated to adhere to WCAG 2.1 A, AA, or AAA, our certification will outline the compliance standard, as determined by an Open Web expert, on a particular date. There are three major criteria to obtain a certification in conformance with WCAG 2.1 online usability.
In 1998, Section 508 was a provision of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. The aim is to "... require federal agencies to make their electronic and IT (EIT) available to disabled persons."
The January 2017 review revised federal-sector accessibility standards and information and communication technology (ICT) specifications. It also revised telecommunications guidelines and reorganized guidelines Section 508 and Section 255 to better comply with and represent recent developments in communications technology.
Any and all digital communications generated by a corporation under control under section 508 must be compliant with 508. That covers the material of historically written materials on the internet, documents, computer applications, game devices, apps and PDF formats. PDFs need 508 remediation, since screen readers are unable to view them.
Process
