Background
This large U.S. health insurance company needed to provide accessible documents to their blind, partially sighted and cognitively disabled customers. They knew that they needed to be in compliance with regulations such as the Rehabilitation Act Section 508 ICT Refresh and the ACA, and also believed that all of their customers should have equal and independent access to vital communications.
The Challenge
Virtually all of their customer documents were delivered via the web, and were stored in an enterprise content management system in AFP format and ePresented in HTML and PDF. The insurance company needed a solution that would integrate with their ECM system and that could handle high volumes of complex documents such as explanations of benefits, statements and invoices. They wanted to ensure that the solution architecture and licensing would give them a flexible and scalable foundation to support future business growth and evolution.
When considering the options for accessible formats, the company decided to offer both Accessible PDF and Accessible HTML5 since their customers already relied on ePresentment for their communications. They recognized that although Accessible HTML5 might be a preferred format for documents such as invoices, multi-page communications such as explanations of benefits would be better suited to Accessible PDF.
They needed to automate the conversion from their AFP print streams to Accessible PDF and Accessible HTML5 with complete document integrity — ensuring that all information was an exact match to the original, in the proper read order, and could be easily consumed with assistive technology.
The Solution
With its ground-breaking MasterONE Architecture, CrawfordTech was able to support both accessible formats from a single setup, saving time and money. Using AccessibilityNow Gateway, a content repository API for any CMIS-compliant repository, Crawford Technologies was able to integrate with their ECM system, and implement a technical foundation for both their immediate business needs and future requirements. The solutions work in conjunction to automatically transform AFP files to Accessible PDF or Accessible HTML5, while retaining the native AFP file within the ECM system.
AccessibilityNow Designer provides an easy to use graphical user interface so that the staff can easily tag documents, determine the correct reading order, and proof the results on screen. CrawfordTech professional services and document accessibility teams provided consultation, customization, and implementation and training services — ensuring a smooth transition while the company continued with ongoing processes.
Results
When a customer requests Accessible PDF or Accessible HTML5, the file is now converted on the fly to the desired format, retaining the content of the document while transforming to a format that allows it to be read by assistive technology. Customer service can easily access the same document, with personal and confidential information appropriately redacted to ensure privacy.
By continuing to store their documents in AFP format, the company benefits from needing less storage space, while ensuring that all documents can be easily converted to Accessible PDF or Accessible HTML5 — whether a customer needs an accessible format now or in the future.
This health insurance company is now in compliance with regulations, including the ACA and Section 508 ICT refresh, and benefit from the efficiencies of a tightly integrated workflow. Most important, none of their customers face discrimination when accessing important communications.
