I know that there was a discussion on this PDF topic several weeks ago. However, I wanted to provide some further information that I received today from one of our project associates, Steven Mendelsohn. Steve specializes in disability laws, policies, and regulations. He is an attorney who happens to be blind. Also, Steve was the principal researcher and author for the latest National Council on Disability's report: "The Accessible Future" at: http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/accessiblefuture.html Excerpted from the Executive Summary: "No one would dispute that people with disabilities have the same right and need for information everyone else has. Paradoxically, at the very time when many people comfortably assume that technology is steadily bringing people with disabilities more opportunities for access than they have ever known before, this same technology (coupled with the attitudes and expectations of those who use it) may in many cases be reinforcing patterns of exclusion and isolation. This report looks at federal enforcement of key laws (i.e., the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA], Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended) and how such enforcement relates to electronic and information technology. As used in this report, E&IT particularly involves the Internet, the World Wide Web, and select information/transaction machines." Status of PDF Under Section 508 (from Steven Mendelsohn, Esq.) In my view PDF if used by itself without providing an HTML or other text version of a document or form is not sufficiently accessible to meet the requirements of Section 508. This is not to say that PDF cannot or should not be used, only that it should not be the sole available version of a document. Many people have asked whether the accessibility enhancements incorporated in Acrobat Reader 5 suffice to make PDF accessible. The answer is somewhat, but not completely. Based upon information received from a number of sources the following significant limitations exist. 1. Files created in earlier versions of Adobe Acrobat may not be readily convertible to accessible formats. 2. Other features of the new PDF restrict the ability to copy files even if they are converted. 3. The reliable conversion of formatting and other nuances (tables for example) is not certain. _____________________________________ Carol Boyer Project Associate RESNA Technical Assistance Project 1700 N. Moore Street, Suite 1540 Arlington, VA 22209 703/524-6686, x- 309 (V) 703/524-6639 (TTY) 703/524-6630 (Fax) [log in to unmask] http://www.resna.org/taproject