Contributed by Joel Zimba, Technology Outreach Coordinator, MDTAP
While both death and taxes may be the only certainties in life, the latter has left something to be desired when it comes to accessibility. You’ll be relieved to know that now, you too can make good on your civic obligation independently.
The IRS makes all of their publications accessible, in both electronic formats and available in Braille hardcopy. Their instructional videos also include sign language. Perhaps most importantly, all of the tax forms are accessible and fillable pdf documents, which means they can be completed and printed. For information about accessibility and general information about tax filers with disabilities, check out: www.irs.gov/accessibility
The IRS Website itself may be one of the most accessible federal websites I’ve ever used, which is quite an accomplishment considering how much of their content changes yearly. Even the electronic filing processes appear to be completely accessible, though I have not completed them with actual information. Rather, I use another highly accessible method of completing my taxes. Turbo Tax has a highly accessible online means of tax filing. I’ve used it for over 5 years now. Several years ago, I had one problem with a process involving identifying characters in an image. This has since been rectified. Check it out at: www.turbotax.com.
If you prefer a lower tech means of finding help, call the IRS main help line at:
Toll-Free, 1-800-829-1040
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).
Regarding PDF accessibility, Adobe has lots of excellent resources including guides and video tutorials on making PDF forms accessible. Adobe accessibility