Section 508 Compliance and PDF: Knocking down the myths

Myth Number 1: PDF files are a lesser priority than HTML with respect to compliance with Section 508

WRONG. Most website accessibility efforts begin with a focus on ensuring that HTML content complies with the terms of the law - which makes sense. However, the non HTML content, including PDF files, tends to be produced by someone else, and is simply forwarded to the website folks for posting. As a result, these files are characteristically treated as "black boxes" by web content administrators. Consequently, PDF content often goes overlooked with respect to accessibility - even though PDF files represent a huge volume of the documents that site visitors use everyday.

Myth Number 2: If a PDF file is Section 508 compliant, it will read well in JAWS

WRONG. Although most of the Federal Government is currently standardized on the JAWS reader, versions 5 and 6 of this software are incapable of understanding all the table structure elements that are available to PDF. Thus, it is possible to correctly tag a PDF to be compliant with Section 508, and still deliver a negative experience to the JAWS, or other assistive- technologies user. If a high level of functionality using the current version of JAWS is required, the PDF structure must be "JAWS optimized" for best use with this software. Note that while a JAWS- optimized file may be fully compliant with Section 508, it may not include advanced structure elements that provide a greater degree of usability to other software.

Myth Number 3: Acrobat's Accessibility Checker can test for Section 508 compliance

WRONG. Adobe Acrobat's Accessibility Checker provides some useful functions, but "failing" the Checker cannot be taken to mean that a PDF file is not in compliance with Section 508 - and "passing" the Checker cannot be taken to mean that a file complies.

For example, the Checker will identify untagged images as errors - without discriminating between "content" images that DO require alt. text versus "background" images that do not, for example, repetitive logos, rule-lines and footer graphics.

Another example: the Checker cannot assure that a file's text reading order is correct. While the PDF's contents may be fully tagged, the checker has no way of knowing how one column should follow another in the reading order, or where to place a sidebar.

One thing the Accessibility Checker does get definitively right is that it checks to see if a language has been declared for the document - which is not a Section 508 compliance issue per se, even though it's a very good idea to set the document language correctly!