Accessible Online Documents
By converting your documents from relatively inaccessible formats such as PDF to HTML, Riverdocs can help deliver access and equality in online publications.
PDF Accessibility Issues
Publishing documents online in PDF can create an access barriers for people who are blind or vision impaired, as well as users of devices with small screens and people without broadband.
Even if the PDF has been manually accessified in accordance with the guidelines developed by Adobe, it will only be accessible to those with special software and skills to use it.
Also some barriers to accessibility may still be present. For example use of colored text which is a barrier for people who cannot differentiate between certain colors and users with devices that have non-color or non-visual displays.
Principals of Web Accessibility
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines provide an international set of guidelines. They are developed by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), the governing body of the web. These guidelines are the basis of most web accessibility law in the world.
Complying with accessibility standards promotes the original ideal of Web design: a single HTML page that will adapt to all different usage circumstances, from huge monitors to PDA's and mobile phones and from seeing to blind users.
Documents converted to HTML by Riverdocs are;
- Perceivable: Available to the senses through the browser, or through assistive technologies.
- Operable: Users can interact with all controls using the mouse, keyboard, or an assistive device.
- Robust: A wide range of technologies (including old and new browsers and assistive technologies) can access the content.
Benefits of Web Accessibility
As a document publisher you can benefit by incorporating principles of Web accessibility for your online documents:
- Decrease your Web site maintenance costs
- Improve the chances of being found in search engines
- Improved site portability across different devices
- Protect yourself against equal opportunity court cases.
Start now and your accessible content will eventually outweigh your inaccessible content.
