By: Dara Marlar

Imagine for a moment you were hired to read a document aloud to someone who was blind. In addition to reading the text, you must explain titles, headings, paragraphs, graphs, and images. Would you be able to read and explain it clearly? Now imagine a computer doing the same job. How can it differentiate between a heading and a paragraph? How can it describe an image? The short answer is it cannot… not without remediation. Using tools and features built into these documents, we can help screen readers distinguish the different structures of a digital document and provide detailed image descriptions.

First, what constitutes a digital document? In a very simplistic explanation, it is any document that can be read and manipulated using a computer. The most common types of documents are PDFs and Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoints; however, Google© and Apple© provide digital assets suites, similar to Microsoft, that also fall into this category.

Second, why should documents be remediated for accessibility? Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits federal agencies from discriminating against people with disabilities. It was updated in 1998 and again in 2017 to incorporate digital accessibility, which encompasses a broader definition of “information and communication technology” (also referred to as ICT). Nevertheless, a major component in the amended section focuses on digital documents. Federal agencies are not alone in their need to comply with Section 508. These standards also apply to federal contractors or subcontractors and any organization, company, or corporation that receives federal funding and interact with the public.

If a document is not remediated, a person with limited sight or other disabilities may experience difficulties navigating the document, understanding the content, and relating to images without alternative text descriptions. Not only is this frustrating for the user, but it makes it nearly impossible for them to have the same experience as a person without disabilities.

People who are visually impaired or have a learning disability often use screen readers to read aloud text and the alternative text for images displayed on their computer screen or mobile device. This assistive technology works in conjunction with a computer’s operating system; however, documents must be remediated to improve the screen reader’s navigation and accuracy.  Would you like to learn more? Call or sign up for a course today!