1. PDF accessibility and other e-publishing formats
i-documents & other e-publications forum
8 September 2011
Dr Andrew Arch
Web Policy – Accessibility Department of Finance and Deregulation

2. What is accessibility?
Why is it important?
Who benefits?
PDF and e-doc issues
Future for e-publications

3. What is Accessibility?

4. We’re particularly interested in e-accessibility ...
Accessibility is ...
‘the usability of a product, service, environment, or facility by people with the widest range of capabilities’ (ISO)
We’re particularly interested in e-accessibility ...

5. W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative
The impact of disability is radically changed on the Web because the Web removes barriers to communication and interaction that many people face in the physical world. Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can access, use and interact with the Web.

6. Four Principles of Web Accessibility
Perceivable
Operable
Understandable
Robust
Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive
Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable
Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable
Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies

7. Accessibility is usability for everyone.

8. Why is it important?

9. Accessibility matters for several reasons:
Social reasons for accessible design
Legal obligations and standards
Usability benefits that accessibility brings
Discoverability benefits from accessibility

10. UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities
Article 9 - Accessibility
… the identification and elimination of obstacles and barriers to accessibility, shall apply to … Information
To promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet
In Australia, the DDA provides protection against discrimination based on disability
But as developed in 1992, no reference to the internet, web, e-books, etc

11. Australian policy context
An inclusive Australian Society that
enables people with a disability to fulfil
their potential as equal citizens.
National Disability Strategy (NDS) has six areas of policy actions – some of the specific directions are directly dealing with online information and service delivery ...
Communication systems that are accessible, reliable, and responsive to the needs of people with disability
Remove societal barriers preventing people with disability from participation as equal citizens
Increase access to employment opportunities as a key to improving economic security and personal wellbeing for people with disability

12. AGIMO’s Role
Develop and oversee a National Transition Strategy for the implementation of WCAG 2.0
Establish Communities of Expertise to collaborate and educate web managers
Develop supporting projects to resolve common issues = Mitigation Projects
Aim: unified, consistent and cost effective implementation of updated web standard
NTS – national adoption of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0

13. Who benefits from accessibility?

14. Accessibility beneficiaries?
There is an increasing need for Universal Design
Who is the newbie? Who is the Geek? Who has a disability?

15. How are people affected?
Many disabilities impact access to the web:
Visual (e.g. colour blindness, low vision, blindness)
Auditory (e.g. hearing loss, deafness)
Physical (e.g. limited motor skills)
Cognitive and neurological (e.g. difficulty reading, concentrating, understanding, remembering, concentrating)
Users may have multiple disabilities (e.g. a deaf-blind user, older people)
Plus situational requirements …
1 in 5 Australians experience long term impairment (3.95m people)
15% of the under 65 population (2.6m)
50% of the over 65 population (1.4m)

16. Not just disability …
People using smart phones and other mobile devices
People with poor communications infrastructure
People with old equipment
Older people and casual users
People working in restricted access environments
People with temporary impairments
People coping with environmental distractions
Mobile web
resizing and reflowing; colour and images; navigation and layout; multimedia and scripting
Poor communications infrastructure
slow downloads – text quicker than images
Old equipment
slow downloads; old browsers
Older people
impairments – can be multiple
Restricted access environments
scripting disabled; multimedia disabled
Temporary impairments
multiple issues, but will get better
Environmental distractions
noisy; brightness; distractions

17. PDF and accessibility

18. Study into Accessibility of PDF for People with a Disability
Findings:
The design of the PDF file by the author to incorporate accessibility features
The technical ability of the assistive technology (AT) to interact with the PDF file
The skill of the users and their familiarity with the interaction between their AT and PDF files
You can’t do much about the Assistive Technology interaction or the skill of the user, but can address poor document design!!

19. Key PDF accessibility issues
Published as an image
Headings missing
Table of Contents not navigable
Contrast poor
Author and Publisher responsibility!

20. Example of PDF navigation

21. Example of poor contrast
Dan Murphy’s catalogue

22. Top e-Doc Accessibility Elements
Semantic structure
Image descriptions
Colour not relied on
Contrast
Understandable content
Alternatives provided
Aim: e-documents that are universally accessible
Semantics
Headings
Lists
Tables
Links
Navigation
Images
No images of text – all text is e-text
Include alternative text
Add in-line descriptions for informative images
Colour
Do not use colour alone to impart information
Contrast
Ensure sufficient contrast
Minimum 4.5:1
Understandable
Meaningful sequence – reading order
Focus order
Acronyms & Abbreviations
Language of page & sections
Left justification & other presentation practices
Alternatives

23. Alternative Formats – NDS Report
Alternative formats – provide CHOICE
AHRC WWW DDA advisory notes –
“organisations that publish documents only in PDF risk complaint under the DDA unless they make the content available in at least one additional format and in a manner that incorporates principles of accessible document design. Additional formats should be published simultaneously with the PDF version, and at least one such format should be downloadable as a single document if the PDF version is available as a single download.”
Australian Government takes the same position.

24. Starting points Word InDesign Hard Copy PDF
Use styles and other structural elements
InDesign
Tagging for semantic structure
Hard Copy
OCR the scanned documents to give digitised text
PDF
Undertake remediation

25. Guidance Web Guide on PDF Accessibility
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
W3C draft PDF techniques for WCAG 2.0
Canadian/UN Accessible Digital Office Document Project
Adobe guidance for InDesign

26. Publishing processes
Include accessibility in your internal publishing processes
Include accessibility in your RFTs
Accessible PDF
Alternative accessible format(s)

27. the future for e-pubs

28. DAISY & EPUB Convergence between DAISY and EPUB based on XML
Both mainstream readers and those who require accessible reading materials will benefit
Allows for indexed text + indexed audio

29. Other developments Book Industry Strategy Group
Review of digital technologies 2010
DBCDE Convergence Review
To guide media and communications policy framework
Hardware and software
Kindle / iPad / Cloud / etc
Social media – accessible interfaces
BISG
Fundamental changes to the way books are distributed
VA submitted that minimum accessibility standards need to be adopted
Convergence Review
The Convergence Review is an independent review established by the Australian Government to examine the policy and regulatory frameworks that apply to the converged media and communications landscape in Australia.
Hardware & software
Built in reading aloud and some navigation – iPad/iPhone/Kindle
Cloud - built in highlighting with read-aloud
GPII - Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure
Social media interfaces
Easy Chirp for Twitter -
YourTube for YouTube -

30. Accessibility is about people
World made for disabilities

31. Resources and Contacts

32. Contacts Contact the AGIMO Accessibility Team: Read the Web Guide:
Read the Web Guide:
Read the AGIMO Blog:

33. Additional Resources
AHRC World Wide Web Access: Disability Discrimination Act Advisory Notes
Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy
Australian Govt study into the Accessibility of PDF for people with a disability

34. References WCAG 2.0 seal World Made for Disability Video – EDF
World Made for Disability Video – EDF