Is your content accessible?
Our new friends at TaggedPDF.com.au have just launched their new website (yay!) and specialise in turning your pdf’s into accessible documents that can be read by screen readers for the visually impaired.
Many government agencies, institutions and universities are making accessibility a priority after leading universities in America were sued for discrimination.
Harvard and MIT failed to provide online learning documents such as lectures, courses and podcasts with closed captions, making it inaccessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Australia currently requires agencies and institutions to meet AA WCAG 2.0 compliance for all online documents and content.
Although there are obvious differences between close captions and a tagged pdf, they both exist to help those with a disability access important information. In a nutshell, a tagged pdf ensures your content is read by a screen reader in the correct order, whether it is a small flyer or 300 page document. It tags sections of copy, identifying what needs to be read or ignored (such as background information) and imagery, tables or illustrations that require alternative text (alt text).
Some of our government clients have already started to implement a high level of accessibility, which includes monitoring colour contrast and tagged pdfs. Not only are they benefiting from more people being able to digest their information, an added bonus of tagging is improved SEO, with the tagging process optimising a pdf and making it easier for Google to index the file.
With the legal activity in America, it’s never been more important to ensure all aspects of your digital footprint are accessible to your users. Talk to the guys at TaggedPDF.com.au and discover how you can meet or exceed the current standards.