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PDF/UA and Section 508: The Potential for Accessible PDF | Proposal No: 2647 | Bios & Handouts |
Speaker(s)
- Karen McCall, Accessible Document Design Consultant and Educator, Karlen Communications
Topic Area:
| Length of Session (in hours): 1-hr | Format: Lecture | Expertise Level: Beginner | Type of session: Not provided |
Summary of Session |
| With the inclusion of PDF/UA (PDF/Universal Access) in the PRM (Proposed Rule Making) of Section 508, there is potential for optimized accessibility of PDF documents in the academic environment. This session explores what this means and the need to advocate for PDF/UA to provide standardized access to PDF documents. |
Abstract |
| The PRM and subsequent adoption of the refresh of Section 508 includes the PDF/UA (Universal Access) ISO standard for PDF documents. In the academic environment this provides the potential for standardized access to PDF content. While there are some elements of WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) that can be mapped to PDF/UA, PDF/UA contains specific accessibility elements for PDF documents. The result of the inclusion of PDF/UA in Section 508 is a consistent and optimized experience for people with disabilities encountering PDF documents in their academic career. As the refresh of Section 508 becomes law, there is a need to understand and advocate for the implementation of PDF/UA as the accepted standard for any PDF content in the academic environment. This session provides an overview of what this means for students and academic institutions. |
Keypoints
- An understanding of PDF/UA specifications
- The relationship between PDF/UA, WCAG and Section 508
- An understanding of the need to educate policy makers and academic institutions on PDF/UA
Speaker Bio(s)
Karen McCall
Karen McCall, M.Ed. is the owner of Karlen Communications. She has been working in the field of accessible document design since 1999. She began her career in website accessibility and auditing and moved to accessible Word, PowerPoint and PDF documents in 2004. Karen is a Canadian delegate to the ISO 14289 or PDF/UA (Universal Access) and the ISO 32000 PDF committee. She has been a Microsoft MVP for Word (Most Valued Professional) since 2009 and a Microsoft Accessibility MVP since 2017 when this category of MVP was established. Karen has written several books on the topic of accessible document design for Word, PowerPoint and PDF documents as well as smaller publications with specific techniques for working with Office applications if you are using adaptive technology and/or the keyboard.