Re: PDF in WCAG 2

>If I cannot use it, it's not accessible

It might not be accessible to you, but it still could be "compliant" to 
the guidelines in WCAG 2.0.  In other words, if it is compliant with WCAG 
2.0 it should be able to be made accessible to you without changing the 
content, but by changing the assistive technology, the browser, the users 
settings, etc. - but the author has done his/her part.

>If the web switched to svg today, lots of people would be out of 
business.

So, if I use SVG and insure it is compliant with the guidelines and it is 
usable by some users but it is still not usable by you what do I do?  I 
find out why - what is the problem?  Is it the assistive technology's lack 
of support, is it the browser, is it the users lack of awareness of other 
conversion tools, or incorrect settings, or what?  I don't think the right 
thing to do is perpetuate WCAG 1.0 type guidelines that lock us into the 
thinking that only HTML 4.0 can be accessible.  If there is something 
unique about SVG guidelines, then that needs to be documented in the SVG 
techniques,  Same with SMIL, MathML, etc.

I wonder if there is a SVG to text converter for the Lynx users?  Yep, the 
W3C host some at http://www.w3.org/2002/05/svg2stuff.html

I also found a PDF to SVG http://www.pdftron.com/pdf2svg/
and the PDF to text, HTML, and lots of others converters 
http://www.convertzone.com/

If after the conversion the content is still not usable, then I have to 
ask why?  Is the original content compliant?  Did the converter miss or 
drop something?  Is there something wrong on the user's system? 
If low and behold it is something wrong with the guidelines, then those 
are the comments we need to get into WCAG and the technology specific 
technique documents.

>using any free, avaliable screen reader please tell me what time the next
>bus comes Northbound on the M-8 Line at 59th street. (NYC)
>
>hint  html://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/

Bob, 
Of course I need to make sure the PDF content is compliant to begin with, 
but if I convert the PDF schedules on the NYC site and can answer your 
question using the free pdf2txt on Linux+Lynx - will you agree that the 
content is accessible? 

Regards,
Phill