Re: Accessible PDFs?

I agree with you in principle for instance with xml and its companions.
I even like css and getting down to document formats, there will emerge
state of the art technology ever, Pdf is developped for paper.  Paper is
not accessible in the sense that other modalities are accessible.  This
is the barrier, it was not invented by accessibility advocates.  The
third senario which was left out is that the technology used to make
access to pdf rendering is for windows only and quite expensive barring
the free acrobat reader.  I do note here though that some work is being
done for the mack.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scarlett Julian (ED)" <Julian.Scarlett@sheffield.gov.uk>
To: "'David Poehlman'" <poehlman1@comcast.net>; "Scarlett Julian (ED)"
<Julian.Scarlett@sheffield.gov.uk>; <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 7:12 AM
Subject: RE: Accessible PDFs?



> It will be several years if at all before we can say that pdf is
> accessible.

But is this an inherent property of the format or the way in which pdf
documents are created? If the latter then it should be a topic of
discussion
for this group to promote techiniques for accessibility in the same way
as
we do for mark-up languages.

> ... we already have a ton of
> formats that are better suited for accessibility.

That may be true in certain circumstances but given the premise that PDF
will always be used on websites and that there are emerging techniques
for
making them accessible should we not be exploring rather than putting up
the
barriers.

Advocates of accesibility have acquired a reputation (rightly or
wrongly)
for opposing anything other than the status quo. By looking at ways in
which
we can utilise new technologies and make them usable by those who don't
access the Internet with 'normal' methods we will be raising the profile
of
WAI and maybe winning over the hearts and minds of those developers who
see
it as a bunch of noisy Luddites.

I'll shut up now.

J.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Poehlman [mailto:poehlman1@comcast.net]
> Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 11:52 AM
> To: Scarlett Julian (ED); w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
> Subject: Re: Accessible PDFs?
>
>
> It will be several years if at all before we can say that pdf is
> accessible.  Yes, It is correct to say that There are some
> circumstances
> where in it is possible to provide access to and accessible pdf
> documents but those are few in the world and we already have a ton of
> formats that are better suited for accessibility.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Scarlett Julian (ED)" <Julian.Scarlett@sheffield.gov.uk>
> To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 3:33 AM
> Subject: RE: Accessible PDFs?
>
>
>
>
The information in this email is confidential. The contents may not be
disclosed or used by anyone other than the addressee.  If you are not
the addressee, please tell us by using the reply facility in your email
software as soon as possible. Sheffield City Council cannot accept any
responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this message as it
has been transmitted over a public network.  If you suspect that the
message may have been intercepted or amended please tell us as soon as
possible.

Received on Monday, 2 December 2002 07:32:13 UTC