<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Aptos Serif";}
@font-face
{font-family:"Helvetica Neue";}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:12.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Cambria",serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle22
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;
color:#1F3864;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">Yes, I no longer have hope that PDFs will ever be accessible and usable for those of us with disabilities.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">I still believe that we need to teach people how to make more accessible word processed, presentation, and spreadsheet content…anything digital must be accessible.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">Even when I think of AI, it is being programmed by people who know nothing about accessibility: garbage in, garbage out. Intentional accessibility barriers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">Cheers, Karen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Susan Kelmer <Susan.Kelmer@colorado.edu>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:34 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Karen McCall <K4mccall@outlook.com>; Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list@u.washington.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> RE: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">I don’t even do PDF remediation, and I knew this was the case. In fact, it is why I don’t ever get myself involved in PDF remediation projects. There is no purpose to it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">That doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed by the results of the survey. Ten years, and we still don’t have a product we can work with. So frustrating, considering the incredible
growth in technology the last 20 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Susan Kelmer
</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Alternate Format Production Program Manager<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Disability Services<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Division of Student Life<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#CFB87C;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">T</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">303
735 4836</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#CFB87C;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices"><span style="color:#CFB87C">www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#CFB87C;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#CFB87C;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:black"><img border="0" width="150" height="56" style="width:1.5625in;height:.5833in" id="Picture_x0020_786292306" src="cid:image001.png@01DC7EF7.00D60480"></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:#0070C0;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Due to the nature of electronic communication, the security of this message cannot be guaranteed.
If you’ve received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> athen-list <<a href="mailto:athen-list-bounces@mailman22.u.washington.edu">athen-list-bounces@mailman22.u.washington.edu</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Karen McCall via athen-list<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, January 6, 2026 6:03 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> WebAIM Discussion List <<a href="mailto:webaim-forum@list.webaim.org">webaim-forum@list.webaim.org</a>><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Access Technology Higher Education Network <<a href="mailto:athen-list@u.washington.edu">athen-list@u.washington.edu</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">[External email - use caution]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">Morning!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">All research surveys are up!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864"><a href="https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html">https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I’ve been doing this research.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">I’m presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">It is worth noting that if I hadn’t gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn’t be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are
that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos Serif",serif;color:#1F3864">Cheers, Karen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>