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Automation in PDF Accessibility: What Can and Can’t Be Done

Handouts

Presented at 2:15pm in Westminster IV on Thursday, November 15, 2018.

#17858

Speaker(s)

  • Paul Rayius, VP of Training, Allyant

Session Details

  • Length of Session: 1-hr
  • Format: Lecture
  • Expertise Level: Beginner
  • Type of session: General Conference

Summary

Building on last year’s session “Understanding the Standards and Mitigating Risk,” in which a “Multi-Phase Accessibility Plan” was proposed for achieving document accessibility, this year we’ll look at where automation can fit into this plan to help with accessible document creation, remediation, testing, and more.

Abstract

As attention to electronic content accessibility grows, and as more lawsuits are filed, organizations are looking for better, and easier solutions to reach their accessibility goals. Many companies have begun pushing various automated solutions, especially when it comes to solving the problem of PDF accessibility. Anyone who has experience with PDF accessibility knows that it’s pretty involved and can get complicated quickly. Sure, an automated solution that fixes everything would be great – but is that really possible? In this session we’ll look at PDF accessibility automation and examine claims that are being made, read the “fine print,” and address how much can be done automatically vs. what requires human intervention. We’ll explore automation in various phases of PDF accessibility, from authoring and creating, to remediating “legacy” PDFs, including scanned documents, and testing and monitoring PDF holdings--whether it’s with a single document or an entire library.

Keypoints

  1. Automation in PDF accessibility may have its place.
  2. Some things can be done automatically and some require human interaction.
  3. How do you know if the automated work was done correctly?

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Mobility, Vision

Topic Areas

Administrative/Campus Policy, Assistive Technology, Legal, Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access

Speaker Bio(s)

Paul Rayius

Since 2013, Paul has helped organizations meet their PDF accessibility needs across various industries, including healthcare, government (local, state, and federal), finance, and education.

In addition to his expertise with Allyant’s CommonLook tools for testing, creating, and remediating PDFs, Paul is proficient in accessibility standards, including Section 508 (including the “refresh”), Health and Human Services (HHS), WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and PDF/UA (both versions 1 and 2).

Paul serves on numerous document accessibility committees, and he participates in and moderates online accessibility groups and forums. In addition, he has presented at a number of conferences over the years, including Accessing Higher Ground, CSUN, AHEAD, and Explor.

Through his affiliation with the IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals), he helped develop the Accessible Document Specialist certification. Paul participates in writing technical standards, including ISO 32000 (PDF), ISO 14289 (PDF/UA), and ISO TS 32005 with the PDF Association. Furthermore, he contributes in many PDF/UA working groups and chairs the PDF/UA Processor Requirements Liaison Working Group.

Before Allyant, Paul graduated with a BMe in Instrumental Music Education from Florida State University and taught middle school band for 11 years. In his spare time, he enjoys various outdoor activities and is an avid lacrosse player, rugby fan, and geocacher.

Handout(s)