Re: question regarding printed PDF documents

Just some points to add to what everyone else has said. When you use a
digital signing system (such as DocuSign or the Adobe Sign ones), as
already pointed out, do not make it the ONLY way for your users to do it.
In a complex process like this, no one method is accessible to everyone,
and simply saying a particular signing product is “ADA compliant” or “WCAG
compliant” does not make it usable for everyone. So:

1)    Allow the manual print document and sign it mechanism as well, for
maximum accessibility to everyone.

2)    And after the printing method, allow users to choose whether to
return the signed document by scanning it back into their PC and emailing
it, or just put it into an envelope and post it (or even take it to their
local branch of your offices if you have them). Not everyone has a printer
with a scanner, and others may not know how to use the scan option if they
do have one. (I currently have one of the latest Canon printer-scanners and
its menu system goes back to the 1980’s! I’ll never buy Canon again, it’s a
nightmare to use!)

3)    Also, when setting signing deadlines, bear in mind some people may
take much longer to sort out a new digital signing system, if they have
only rarely or never used one before. They might be using a computer with
little space for new apps, or be a company employee who doesn’t have
download permissions themselves. So allow for signing delays. Perhaps warn
users, at the top of the form, what they will have to do about signing and
the options you are giving them. And consider giving them the option to
submit the completed form unsigned, just so they can get the necessary data
in for the deadline, and allow them an extra day or two to sort out how to
deal with the signing itself.



In other words, always allow the maximum choice of ways to do any
complicated process. What seems accessible to one person may be very
difficult or even impossible to another, depending on either of  disabilities,
equipment, and/or physical circumstances. (In fact, we really ought to add
a WCAG criteria to say something like that last sentence, if we could find
a suitably watertight way to word it, but that’s another matter.)



Designers that decide to use a digital signing system all too often make
the bland assumption that doing so solves all problems. (Well it’s on
computer isn’t it? so it must be easy!) No it doesn’t, there are lots of
people who are quite happy with printing forms off but who would be
horrified by the digital methods. Always think about the little old lady
down the street who only got to learn about computers after she retired!
For instance, she has mastered how to print documents off, but might not be
able to scan it back in, and she might not begin to understand what to do
with DocuSign!



Digital signing systems can also be a bit tedious and difficult to get used
to the first time round, especially if there are pages to read about it and
terms and conditions, and this gives problems if the user is close to the
signing deadline. There is an element of trust involved.


Finally, just for reference, the WCAG doesn’t cover printing, or signing
methods. And the US ADA doesn’t reference the WCAG or have anything to do
with it. It is only at the court case stage that all courts choose to set
the WCAG as the standard to follow. But what the ADA does is to prohibit
discrimination on grounds of disability. So US businesses need to make
their signing methods as accessible and all inclusive as possible, or you
could potentially get a legal challenge even though the WCAG does not cover
that process! I suggest that offering multiple options is the best way to
do that.

Regards,
Guy Hickling
Accessibility Consultant