3.10 Managing Accessible Contracts

?Managing Accessible ContractsContents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Managing Accessible Contracts – TCEQ Edition PAGEREF _Toc52202518 \h 1A Procedural Overview for Accessible Contracts PAGEREF _Toc52202519 \h 2Universal Good Practices for Contract Accessibility PAGEREF _Toc52202520 \h 2Validating Accessibility Checkpoints PAGEREF _Toc52202521 \h 2Minimizing PDF Reversions PAGEREF _Toc52202522 \h 2Using an Effective PDF Converter PAGEREF _Toc52202523 \h 2Formatting Contracts as a PDF Portfolio PAGEREF _Toc52202524 \h 3Creating a PDF Portfolio PAGEREF _Toc52202525 \h 3Adding Files to a PDF Portfolio PAGEREF _Toc52202526 \h 3Consolidating a PDF Portfolio PAGEREF _Toc52202527 \h 3Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc52202528 \h 4A Procedural Overview for Accessible ContractsAny unreviewed document that is exchanged and edited between multiple authors and reviewers over weeks or months of time will naturally fail criteria for WCAG 2.0 accessibility. Contracts required to meet WCAG 2.0 standards present a myriad of accessibility issues for this reason and for others. They are often made up of multiple documents from different native programs and based on outdated templates that, themselves, are already inaccessible. Further, Contracts are managed on tight deadlines where an author may not have the available time to learn and apply all accessibility solutions, especially when compounding failures from multiple authors and source documents fall to one remediator. In this tutorial, we’ll utilize a temporary PDF Portfolio to regulate the Contract editing process and allow Contract sections to be managed in their native file formats such as Microsoft Word (in effect, preventing the editing and conversion processes from breaking accessibility). We’ll also cover some basic universal practices that all authors should follow to make a Contract’s accessibility feasible before it is signed.Universal Good Practices for Contract AccessibilityValidating Accessibility CheckpointsAs stated in the Texas Administrative Code, 1 TAC Chapter 206, it is the responsibility of all employees producing and editing documents to maintain their accessibility. This includes documents that supplant and make up a TCEQ Contract. If you are drafting any section of a Contract, in PDF or Word format, make sure to test the document with an Accessibility Checker, available in both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat, before sending it on to the next author or reviewer. The Accessibility Checker can be used to fix errors and prevent compounding accessibility failures from falling on one individual in later versions of the Contract.Minimizing PDF ReversionsWhen a PDF Contract must be edited, an author may temporarily revert portions of the Contract into Microsoft Word or another program to make the necessary changes. Doing so breaks the PDF document’s accessibility. Features that made this Contract section understandable by a screen reader—for example, a proper document tag structure and the presence of alternative text for images—will be lost even when the section is converted back into a PDF format. All reversions from the PDF format should therefore be avoided while changes can be made with Adobe Acrobat.Using an Effective PDF ConverterEventually, all consistent sections of a Contract will need to be converted and compiled into a single PDF document. The program used for these conversions will largely affect the accessibility of the Contract, as the conversion software varies by the software type and release version. Authors should therefore convert to the PDF format with Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader, as these software contain the most up-to-date and native PDF conversion tools.To Convert a Document into an Accessible PDF:In either Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, open the ‘File’ menu and select ‘Open’.In the file navigation window, change the file filter from ‘Adobe PDF Files’ to ‘All Files’. Navigate to the document to be converted into a PDF, select it and press ‘Open’.The document will be automatically converted into a PDF while retaining the greatest possible level of its accessibility. Formatting Contracts as a PDF PortfolioCreating a PDF PortfolioWhile files can be converted to PDF format as they are added into a Contract, they are best left in their original format and included in a PDF Portfolio. This will allow authors to continue editing sections of the Contract in Microsoft Word or another program while they remain as parts of a PDF file.To Create a PDF Portfolio with Combine Files:Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat Tools page and open the Combine Files tool. To add separate PDF Contract elements, select the ‘Add Files’ button. With the format filter set to ‘All Files’ locate and open each file to be added in the Contract from your file explorer.The separate Contract elements should now populate the Combine Files viewing window. Each document will have an onscreen ‘Expand’ button when moused over. If a manual organization of individual pages is necessary, select the ‘Expand’ button to view, reorder and remove pages between the documents that will make up the PDF portfolio.Open ‘Options’ in the top Combine Files toolbar. In the ‘Options’ window, check that ‘Always enable accessibility and reflow’ is selected. This option will ensure that untagged documents, pages and elements are given automatically generated tags at the very least. Next, select ‘Save as PDF Portfolio’ to prevent the files from being combined into a basic PDF file. Ensure that ‘Convert all files to PDF’ is deselected. Press ‘OK’ and then ‘Combine’ in the top Combine Files toolbar.Now that the Contract is a PDF Portfolio, individual documents can still be edited in their native programs without file conversions and reversions. To view and edit a non-PDF file within a Contract Portfolio, select the file in the Portfolio viewing pane. Selecting ‘Open Document’ will prompt the document to open in its native program (in this case, Microsoft Word). Changes that are saved in the native program will automatically update the file in the PDF Portfolio.Adding Files to a PDF PortfolioSections may need to be added to a Contract after it has been reformatted as a PDF Portfolio.To Add Files to an Existing PDF Portfolio:While the Contract Portfolio is open in Acrobat, a Portfolio viewing pane will be oriented on the left side of the screen where individual, constituent documents can be selected and viewed. In the toolbar above the Portfolio viewing pane, open the ‘Add Files’ dropdown menu and then select ‘Add Files’. Use your file navigation window to locate and open the file to be added. When the file appears in the Portfolio viewing pane, select and drag it into the intended order between the other Portfolio documents. The file is now a part of the PDF Contract. Save the Portfolio to finalize the addition.Consolidating a PDF PortfolioAs the Contract Portfolio has retained its sections in their original file format, the edits and additions made to it will create far fewer accessibility errors. After all sections have been edited and reviewed, the Contract Portfolio will now be consolidated and finalized for signatures.To Consolidate a Portfolio into a Standard PDF Document:While the Portfolio is open in Acrobat, select all documents in the Portfolio viewing window. Find and select the ‘Extract’ button.In the 'Browse for Folder’ window, select ‘Make New Folder’ to create a folder that will hold all extracted documents of the Portfolio. Select ‘OK’.Close the PDF Portfolio. Navigate to Tools, open the Combine Files tool and select ‘Add Files’. Find and select all Portfolio documents in the newly created extraction folder. Select ‘Open’.Ensure the Portfolio documents are ordered correctly in the Acrobat viewing window. Then open ‘Options’ in the top Combine Files toolbar. In the ‘Options’ menu, ensure that ‘Always enable accessibility and reflow’ is checked. Now disable ‘Save as PDF Portfolio’ so that the files will be combined into a standard PDF file. Select ‘OK’ and then press ‘Combine’.Adobe Acrobat will now convert all Contract documents into a single PDF while transferring over accessibility features like a basic tag structure and alternative text for images. If constituent Portfolio documents of a Contract were previously accessible in their native programs, the resultant combined PDF should now have minimized accessibility failures.ConclusionIn this module, we’ve outlined some basic organizational practices in retaining Contract accessibility. Authors that adhere to the accessibility guidelines, use the PDF Portfolio method and leverage accessibility support where needed should be able to produce compliant Contracts with far greater efficiency. ................
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