RE: PDF and Accessibility

Your statement needs to be amended.  How the PDF document is generated will
determine its accessibility.

Point 1:  If the original document was scanned and converted to PDF, it is
not.

Point 2:  IF the document was created from an word, excel, powerpoint or
other means it may or may not be 100% accessible.  the images will be
unreadable.

Adobe offers a plug-in, and a HTML-to-Text converter that you may wan to
advertise.

My advice is to offer a PDF and TEXT version via:
1. Posting a PDF version
2. Posting a text version with links to the images with descriptions

Powerpoint can be used to convert a document to HTML, but not very well.  It
uses frames, but it does convert the images to gifs - in case you do not
have the native format.  Recommend you get the original image format and
convert to gifs.

I have been in your shoes before with annual reports and I have found it is
easier and less time consuming to post two versions.


 -----Original Message-----
From: 	w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org]  On
Behalf Of Gian Sampson-Wild (by way of Wendy A Chisholm <wendy@w3.org>)
Sent:	Wednesday, January 10, 2001 10:36 AM
To:	w3c-wai-gl@w3.org
Subject:	PDF and Accessibility

Hi,

I work for Sausage Interactive, an Internet firm in Australia. We have a
client who wishes to put an Annual Report on their AAA website. The report
is quite long and in PDF format.

I am aware that PDFs are not accessible, however is it possible to have the
Report downloadable as a PDF if there are also contact details available
(such as an email address and/or phone number)? Thus people who cannot
download the PDF can access it some other way- ie. by mail etc. I believe
this would be A and possibly AA level accessible, but am unsure whether it
fulfills the AAA standard.

Secondly, I was wondering if you intend on upgrading the May 1999 W3C
checklist as you have done the guidelines?

Thanks for your help,

Gian

Gian Sampson-Wild
Accessibility Specialist
Sausage Interactive
gian.sampson-wild@sausage.com
+61 3 8662 2547

Received on Wednesday, 10 January 2001 11:44:00 UTC