This section provides references and guidance toward accomplishing that goal. If someone wanted to upload a pdf or ppt or word doc, they had to ensure it was 508 compliant first. To help ensure that 508 compliant pdfs are disseminated, this test process has been created to evaluate documents against all applicable 1194. This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems, apps, and pdf versions of traditionally printed assets. For example, a person with a disability that affects dexterity may find it impossible to move or hold a pointing device with enough accuracy to activate desired features. Besides converting a word document into pdf, another method for creating a pdf is. Please be aware that pdf files included in the course must meet section 508 guidelines as well. Document properties for title, author, keywords, and language are properly filled out. In addition, content providers should provide descriptive text and file size of any. Any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant.
Well do the remediation to make your pdf section 508 compliant. Develop reusable accessible design templates to reduce the level of effort to create accessible electronic content. Pdf portfolios are collections of many different documents combined into one pdf figure 1. Keyboard relevance to accessibility when keyboard access to a programs controls and features is provided, a person who cannot use a mouse or other pointing device will still be able to run the product. Have you provided a link to the appropriate plugin. From the tab order panel select the use document structure radio button. Making pdfs accessible section 508 compliant beacon blog. We, the code monkeys, were not to take on the risk. Advocate for the use of authoring tools and document converters that enable users to easily create accessible documents. When a pdf is created from an office file, initial tags will be generated based.
Section 508 compliant forms formstack section 508 compliance. Generate accessible pdf files from high volume print streams. Scanned images of text are unable to be accurately interpreted by screen readers and cannot be. Manage standardscompliant pdf files on websites, intranets and internal networks. A pdf file can be made accessible to screen reader users, but it may be. Testing documents for 508 compliance to check your document for 508 issues or compliance open the document in a 508 true tester. These pdf forms are fully accessible but there is no computation, validation, or verification of the information you enter. Pdfs require 508 remediation as they are not accessible by screen readers. An online guide on creating accessible and complaint pdf documents through acrobat xi pro. While remediating an existing pdf document includes several steps previously described, a pdf which has been created from a poorly or unformatted microsoft document requires various and often timeconsuming procedures in order to achieve section 508 compliance.
This checklist is not official section 508 documentation. If you want to make sure all readers have access to your pdfs, the stepbystep guide to section 508 compliant pdfs may be exactly what you need. A stepbystep guide to creating accessible pdf documents from word how to ensure your pdf file is accessible using acrobat xi. Section 508 compliance formstack is committed to complying with the government standards for section 508 compliance, and we strive to meet the needs of all users, regardless of disability status. Click the view button to start looking at the material from the top of the list or scroll through the list and choose the file you wish to view first. Access boards new rules that updates accessibility requirements for information and communication technology ict in the federal sector covered by section 508 of. Currently available software is not capable of automatically tagging pdf files for section 508 certification.
Acrobat 10 is the most widely used program for testing throughout fema. How to create 508 compliant adobe pdf documents dau. The checklist includes compliance with section 508, in addition to other usda requirements. Welcome to the w3cs section 508 and uaag requirements. How to make a pdf fillable 508 compliant form from a. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. It is intended to be used as a companion to document remediation training offered at the section 508 testing and training center. Open each individual document in the portfolio and test with the appropriate test process. Pdfua clarifies and simplifies the pdfspecific technical requirements to meet wcag 2. It is also used to freeze or lock content that should remain intact or in context with other information. Making documents section 508 compliant all electronic communication and documentation created by cms employees and contractors must be 508 compliant. Creating accessible, section 508 compliant documents. This issue is a violation of section 508 and wcag 2.
It is not a legal guide to 508, nor is it a programmers reference manual. Section 508 checklist for accessible pdf accessible. The pdf contains no tags documents without tags do not provide information describing the logical structure and relationship of elements to users of assistive technology. As of january 2018, the technical requirements of section 508 have changed to incorporate wcag 2. In the report options section, select options for how you want to view the results. Is the pdf a pdf portfolio or does the pdf have file attachments. Department of the treasury internal revenue service. The use of portable document formats pdfs is popular for sharing information.
Section 508 fillable forms interactive 508 compliant pdf. Section 508 compliance checklist section 508 self check web accessibility self evaluation form this is a printable form and not an electronic form. Documents comprised of scanned images of text are not 508 compliant. A 508compliant pdf must have a tagged heading structure using, for example, heading 1, heading 2, etc.
Readers can view a pdf portable document format on both mac and a pc, as well as on mobile devices. Note that adobe has a builtin accessibility checker in the tools section. The focus of this webinar is on creating accessible ms word and portable document format pdf documents. Open the pdf youd like to make accessible with acrobat pro dc.
Section 508 pdf document accessibility test process. Pdf file 508 checklist document file name does not contain spaces or special characters and is no more than 20 characters. The recent section 508 refresh brought harmonization with the wcag 2. Additional tutorials on how to create 508 compliant pdf documents. How to make your pdf files section 508 compliant talking pdf. Meet web content accessibility guidelines wcag aa and section 508 document compliance standards quickly without sacrificing accuracy. Cms pdf file 508 checklist 1 cms pdf file 508 checklist. Adobe portable document format pdf documents should be created using adobe acrobat version 6 or later software, or equivalent tools from adobe. Through the testing process, if an element is found to be not compliant, then the element remains not compliant even if. A trusted tester is a person certified to provide accurate and repeatable section 508 compliance test results for software and web applications. Pdf files are capable of far more structure than required for section 508 compliance, thus a high degree of usability for the disabled is now a.
For accessible pdf files, the recommended format is the pdfua format which complies with wcag 2. All elements should be properly tagged, using the make accessible feature, in order to make the documents as compliant as possible with the. Creating section 508 compliant electronic documents u. Unfortunately, persons with disabilities, who utilize screen readers or other assistive technologies to read the content of pdfs, often cannot access the content because the. Appligents experts tag, check and validate documents. These checks should be performed on all pdfs no matter of what is. All aim created forms are compliant with section 508, and can make your information easier to access for the enduser as well as document.
If youre editing documents that will be converted to portable document format pdf, that is the time to pay attention to document content that will affect 508 compliance. Section 508 compliant checklist for portable document. Fillable pdf forms can be accessed over the internet or via email. Does the order of the pdf tags match that of the order that the content should be read in. Section 508 compliant checklist for portable document format pdf files form 14305 catalog number 58451d rev. They exist for accessibility purposes only and have no visible effect on the pdf file. Welcome to the webinar creating section 508 compliant electronic documents. While the checks are good and give more coverage than the adobe checker, there are a few that the aspa 508 team does not view as required fixes for either 508 or wcag 2. I call on all americans to celebrate the vital contributions of individuals with disabilities. You can save the results as an html file on your system, or. The following guidelines have been established for pdf files by hhssamhsa to meet section 508 compliance requirements. Guidance for creating accessible content in adobe acrobat portable document format pdf that is compliant with section 508. How to make pdfs 508 compliant a portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe to create standard consistency when a. Braille works has been a trusted resource for document.
Follow responsive design principles that support accessibility on different types of devices. How to make pdf section 508 compliant agile web development. The rehabilitation act was first introduced in 1973 and section 508 was first added as an amendment to the original version back in 1986. Structure the document correctly in your authoring software and be sure to make tags when creating the pdf, then check the resulting file for compliance or. Pdf files cannot be validated for compliance with section 508 by currently available automation. Pdfua designation certifies that documents are compliant with iso standard 14289, the new international standard for. Section 508 compliance accessible document solutions. Pdf file 508 checklist national institutes of health.
A trusted tester follows the dhs section 508 compliance application test process, uses approved test tools, and evaluates software and web applications for compliance with section 508 standards. Section 508 background and standards va section 508 office. A portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe to create standard consistency when a document is physically printed from a standard printer. To help you create section 508 compliant forms for your websites, blogs, and social media, our form builder warns you if youre attempting to include.
Pdf tags provide the structured, textual representation of the pdf content that is accessed by screen readers, for the purpose of reading a document outloud. Create and verify pdf accessibility, acrobat pro adobe support. The search results will list files ranked by a relevance ranking score that ranks files from the most likely to contain the information searched upon to the least likely to contain the information. If no is the answer to any item, then the document is not 508 compliant. If the edit function of acrobat was used, all comment and markup items must be deleted. Department of health and human services hhs policies and standards, there is a requirement that all documentation published on the internet including web applications, web pages and all attached files must be accessible to all individuals, including those. If the current document isnt prepopulated select it, and then select microsoft word. The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the pdf. The checklist from section a forward is based on the wcag 2. Fast and accurate 508 remediation of your online documents. For this document, we are going to use adobe acrobat 10. Accessible pdf files are referred to as tagged pdfs, even though there is more to an accessible pdf than tags. There is an extensive list of requirements for section 508 compliant pdf documents. If a pdf form includes form fields for example, text fields, buttons, list boxes, users can fill the form online with acrobat reader.
Often, we will post pdf files to our website, which could be a challenge for assistive technology to interpret in such a way that people with impairments or disabilities could perceive and understand. Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms internal revenue service. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not limited to the following. According to the comments about this section of the regulations, this provision places a responsibility on the web page author to know that a compliant application exists, before requiring a plugin. Learn how to make your documents 508 compliant in nexights stepbystep video tutorial.
Converting your word document to a pdf is as simple as 123. The passfail criteria in this document represent an interpretation of section 508 web standards. The forms on this page are provided in adobe acrobat portable document format. Now you have created a compliant document in microsoft word, you will need to convert it to pdf format, the universally recognized format for web documents. From the menu bar select file and choose properties. Commonlook software suite pdf accessibility and compliance. Whenever someone was going to upload a file, wed warn them about compliance, and offer them a contact for making their files 508 compliant we had an inhouse group for that. Im the doi section 508 program manager, and im joined by my colleague catherine emmett. The step by step guide to section 508 compliant pdfs is for the writers, editors, illustrators, managers, and content developers tasked with 508 compliance. Section 508 guide tagging pdfs in adobe acrobat pro.
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