508 compliance pdf documents

In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not. This evaluation focused on testing each comp onent of information technology against federal standards of section 508 compliance. These tips can be applied to various document formats such as microsoft word, powerpoint, and excel, as well as adobe pdf documents. Use the following resources aggregated by section508. These checklists will help you ensure compliance with the guidelines. When generating pdf documents through conversion from another format, or through an automated tool, ensure the resulting pdf file is properly tagged to support accessibility.

All electronic communication and documentation created by cms employees and contractors must be 508 compliant. For additional information and pricing, contact us at 8885083973. T his guide from the ssa provides a wealth of information on creating and. Once a pdf is properly tagged we perform manual testing with persons knowledgeable about assistive technology to assess areas that can only be tested by a human. Guidance for creating accessible content in adobe acrobat portable document format pdf that is compliant with section 508. This is your one stop shop for all documents related to 508. If the document appears to contain text, but doesnt contain fonts, it could be an imageonly pdf file. Remediate electronic documents and pdf for section 508 compliance. The expert service providers for 508 compliance now offer a fine balance of human involved quality control along with accessibility tools to make sure that the documents are fully accessible and technically 508 compliant. Select the files that you want to apply the make accessible action to. Alternative text, or alt text, is a description of a visual element of a document such as a figure, graphic, or image. The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the pdf. Section 508 basic testing guide pdf portable document format this document contains the minimum requirements to test whether a pdf document is section 508 accessible and acceptable for posting to a website. A portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe to create standard consistency when a.

In this post i will focus on 508 compliance for word documents, just one piece of ict. Academyx is not, nor do we represent ourselves to be, experts on section 508 compliance. Implementing section 508 in xsl fo using renderx xep. The recent section 508 refresh brought harmonization with the wcag 2. The accessibility standards set forth by section 508 of the rehabilitation act require electronic document accessibility.

Web accessibility training web accessibility courses. Focus when interacting with pdf portfolio documents can behave in unexpected ways. Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms internal revenue service. Pdf form documents provide information in a clean and legible manner, and allow users to provide their signature by typing, drawing, or inserting an image file with their name.

Section 508 resources the information listed below is intended solely as a small sampling of resources and. These pdf forms are fully accessible but there is no computation, validation, or verification of the information you enter. Under current regulations, pdf documents must comply with the checkpoints specified in the text of the standards and guidelines. May 06, 2019 making files accessible the checklists are the official hhs accessibility checklists. Accessibility help resources for developers, document. There is an extensive list of requirements for section 508 compliant pdf documents. To help with the 508 compliance and also as a visual information specialist. The checklist includes compliance with section 508, in addition other usda requiremnts.

A trusted tester is a person certified to provide accurate and repeatable section 508 compliance test results for software and web applications. Oct 02, 2018 if these documents are changed after open enrollment, they will need to be remediated again for 508 compliance. Alt text is required for all images, figures and the like in order to ensure a document is accessible social security administrations guide for alternative text and images. The accessibility standards set forth by section 508 of the rehabilitation act require electronic document accessibility for everyone, including individuals with disabilities. To make an accessible pdf document, start by creating an accessible document in microsoft word. Format this tool provides bulleted instruction on how to format. Pdfua designation certifies that documents are compliant with iso standard 14289, the new international standard for accessible pdfs. Making files accessible the checklists are the official hhs accessibility checklists. Use the checklists and testing documents to assess your current pdf documents. The scope of this guide is to provide an overview to assist users, who have a basic knowledge of microsoft word, with section 508 compliance when creating microsoft word documents. This includes, but is not limited to, the following. Creating accessible electronic documents, including word, pdf, excel, and powerpoint, saves time and dramatically reduces the need for section 508 remediation. Once a meeting has been created, the meeting documents section will appear at the bottom of the meetings view and will default to a section 508 notice. For accessible pdf files, the recommended format is the pdfua format which complies with wcag 2.

Indesign accessibility guidelines for pdf publication. Why is it harder to make pdf documents accessible than html. It is just as easy to build a 508 compliant document as it is to create a noncompliant one. Pdf allows the publisher to ensure that a document. Once a pdf is properly tagged we perform manual testing with persons knowledgeable about assistive technology to assess areas that can only be tested by a human and a pdf accessibility check list will be provided. Typically, 508 compliance remediation needs to be done quickly and requires 100% compliance. The tools pane does not scroll accordion panel headings into view on focus. The following are guidance developed by the accessible electronic documents community of practice aed cop. Section 508 resources the information listed below is intended solely as a small sampling of resources and tools available for users who create web content. Pdf detailed checklist ms word, september 2017 pdf printable checklist ms word, september 2017 find training videos, other tips, agencydeveloped guidance, and related resources at the section508. In the tools pane, one cannot move focus into or out of the accordion panes for export pdf, create pdf, and edit pdf without using the mouse.

Ill detail the steps involved in preparing these documents to be 508 compliant and accessible, and ill show how to convert it into a pdf document that is suitable to be shared with others or posted to a website. Accessible urls for 508 compliant documents section 508. Each team member has the last word on the accessibility of a remediated document, such as a pdf. Pdf accessibility service to remediate your complex documents most likely did not result in you getting a fully 508 compliant document back. On february 18 2015 the us access board announced its proposed rule for us federal policy on section 508, and identifies pdfua as equivalent to wcag 2. Documents distributed via email includes broadcast messages and any attachments. Whereas the section 508 accessibility standards currently do not provide specific technical guidance on what constitutes an accessible electronic document, the agency uses the following guides to author and test word, powerpoint, excel and pdf documents for accessibility. Many people within an organization are responsible for documents and communications that fall under section 508, as well as hiring or conducting business with contractors which must also be compliant. Mar 22, 2018 accessible and section 508 compliant documents. Oct 18, 2017 to help with the 508 compliance and also as a visual information specialist. Well do the remediation to make your pdf section 508 compliant.

Anytime you are preparing an electronic document that will be posted online or distributed via email, whether its an internal document or an external document, you need to follow the section 508 guidelines. It sets standards that must be followed by every federal government department, as well as every organization that receives federal contracts or funding, and educational institutions that receive federal funding via. The document itself was created using renderxs software and it alone demonstrates much of the capabilities of section 508 compliance of renderxs software. Ensure 508 compliance with an accessibility strategy achieving complete 508 compliance can be a complicated process to try and undertake on your own. From the end user interface to management cons ole screens and help systems, our information technology. Mar 18, 2020 in this post i will focus on 508 compliance for word documents, just one piece of ict. This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office.

How to make your word 20 documents 508compliant pdf. Section 508 is an important amendment to the rehabilitation act that protects the right of people with disabilities to have equal access to electronic and information technology. Documents must be accessible to all individuals including those with. It is intended to be used as a companion to wcd training. We will provide some guidance on ways to create and structure documents and files so that they are accessible from the outset and you should aim to test every document for section 508 compliance as it is created and before it is loaded, to save time and effort correcting any errors at a later date. Create and verify pdf accessibility, acrobat pro adobe support. Before you add any document to your meeting via the governance app, and thus to the pcc website, you will need to ensure that the document is section 508 compliant. Once you check the box acknowledging that the documents you are posting are 508 compliant, you should be presented with a new document button to begin posting your docs. If using an authoring tool, make sure the tool is capable of generating accessible pdf documents that conform to pdf ua some do not. Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms irs section 508 compliant pdf forms. Within the document at various points there will be paragraphs that point out some. Those who are doing or planning to do business with federal agencies will be affected the most with the need for section 508 compliance. It is intended to be used as a companion to document remediation training offered at the section 508 testing and training center.

Commonlook pdf faq pdf accessibility and compliance. The step by step guide to section 508 compliant pdfs is for the writers, editors, illustrators, managers, and content developers tasked with 508 compliance. This section provides references and guidance toward accomplishing that goal. The checklist from section a forward is based on the wcag 2. It does not cover the requirements of section 508 nor provide guidance on making documents compliant. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not limited to the following. May 26, 2017 ensure 508 compliance with an accessibility strategy achieving complete 508 compliance can be a complicated process to try and undertake on your own. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications about this document who should use this document this document has been designed for and is intended for use by dhs trusted testers. Jul 12, 2019 theres only one sure way to know if your website, electronic documents, apps and other digital properties meet the standards of this section of the rehab act. Document file name does not contain spaces or special characters and is no more than 20. Similarly, section 508 also establishes a standard for all documents by ensuring accessibility to all irrespective of physical and cognitive abilities. How to create 508 compliant microsoft powerpoint presentations.

By default, the action runs on the document thats currently open. Seamless section 508 compliance from word to pdf in 8 steps. Our training on the mechanics of implementing accessibility should not be construed as training on section 508 compliance itself. It is not a legal guide to 508, nor is it a programmers reference manual. Test and debug a pdf for 508 compliance acrobat pro test and debug a pdf for 508 compliance acrobat pro dc to determine which version you have, find the program under the start menu of your computer or rightclick on the desktop icon and choose properties. Section 508 basic testing guide pdf portable document format. The checklist includes compliance with section 508, in addition to other usda requirements. The forms on this page are provided in adobe acrobat portable document format.

Section 508 compliance accessible document solutions. Dhs section 508 compliance test processes homeland security. The vastec verified seal of approval is provided on material that has been remediated and certified to vastecs accessibility standards included in the vastec verified process for 508 compliance document management is the use of visually impaired at testers during the quality control process. Resources to create and maintain accessible microsoft word documents. By using the builtin features within microsoft office, to include powerpoint, you can avoid many of the most common mistakes related to accessibility. Why make pdfs, or any other document for that matter, ada americans with.

If these documents are changed after open enrollment, they will need to be remediated again for 508 compliance. The areas covered include software applications, web pages, and documentation and support. Thats really what were here to talk about today, were going to talk about what 508 compliance is and really get us to start thinking about how we can start incorporating that into our daily workflows, so that were meeting those requirements going forward. For accessible pdf files, the recommended format is the pdf ua format which complies with wcag 2. Most common accessibility issues related to pdf documents. The required date for section 508 compliance has officially come and gone. Sep 07, 2019 so, it is better to think and prepare for section 508 compliance. Apr 14, 2020 cms section 508 guide for microsoft word 20. Criterions website accessibility training courses are written by criterions subjectmatter experts and designed to provide you with the knowledge required to create and maintain wcag compliant websites, applications, and documents. In every project vastecs best practices guide production of electronic documents management to meet and exceed section 508 compliance standards. Please visit other pages on the navigation pane to the right titled resources to view more information about accessibility and obtaining conformance with section 508.

Section 508 compliance for microsoft word documents. Documents distributed via email includes broadcast messages and any. Section 508 compliance testing 508 compliance website. The portable document format pdf is the standard format for online electronic publication of documents. How to create 508 compliant adobe pdf documents dau. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act is a set of standards that requires federal agencies and those that do business with a federal agency to make information and communication technology ict accessible to employees and members of the public. The following checklist should be used department wide by usda staff to verify that pdf documents meet the requirements established by usda. While remediating an existing pdf document includes several steps previously described, a pdf which has been created from a poorly or unformatted microsoft document requires various and often timeconsuming procedures in order to achieve section 508 compliance. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. This document has several tricks to help you make your document 508.