Speaker(s)
- Pat Needles, Executive Director of Sales, Equidox by Onix
- Ryan Pugh, Director of Accessibility,
Session Details
- Length of Session: Quick Talks
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: Pre-conference
Summary
Making PDFs accessible can be a difficult, frustrating, and time-consuming task. While human interaction will always be needed for remediation, automation can take the bulk of the manual, tedious work out of that process to make remediation easier and much faster.
Abstract
Colleges and universities have a responsibility to students, faculty, and the general public to make their websites and digital assets accessible and to comply with Section 508. Ensuring PDF accessibility is part of that process. PDF remediation can take a lot of time to complete, especially when there are complex tables and lists, if you are tagging each element manually. Automation can make the process faster and easier. While some human interaction is always necessary for remediation, Equidox offers AI-powered Smart Detection Tools which detect PDF elements almost instantly. Automation means as much as 85% faster remediation time, allowing more time to work on other things. Faster remediation can also mean your staff is working fewer hours to remediate, saving you money as well.
Keypoints
- PDF remediation is necessary for 508 compliance.
- Automated tools make remediation less manual.
- Semi-automated remediation tools save time and money.
Disability Areas
Vision
Topic Areas
Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access
Speaker Bio(s)
Pat Needles
Pat Needles is the Director of Sales for Equidox, a rapidly expanding division of Onix Networking that has quickly become a world-class industry leader in document accessibility. In his role with Equidox, Pat also enables extensive, organization-wide PDF conversion initiatives using Equidox’s efficient, effective, and time-saving PDF remediation software, which features AI-powered Smart Detection Tools. He also facilitates the development and implementation of digital remediation strategies for numerous schools and government organizations, helping them comply with Section 508, ADA regulations, and WCAG. “I have a great passion for what Onix has created in the world of digital accessibility for people with all types of disabilities. We help individuals on a daily basis to gain access to information that otherwise is not available.”