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About Us
We’re a family business with a primary focus on developing or remediating text documents for Rehabilitation Act Section 508 accessibility compliance and online public review. We also provide technical writing/editing and document consultation to government and commercial entities.
Our drive to work in Section 508 compliance is caused by an awareness that accessibility processing has been an overlooked legal requirement for so long that organizations now tend to ignore the law. Since 1998, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act has required that all federal employees and clients have equal or comparable access to electronic information and data whether they have recognized disabilities or not. This requirement went unfilled due to technological constraints for over a decade as information technology grew, and productivity software evolved. Microsoft Office for example, has been able to provide accessible electronic documents since the early 2000s, but as a group, government employees still haven't been trained to use most of those features. Even today, with about 4,000 lawsuits filed annually against U.S. federal and civilian agencies for failing to meet accessibility requirements, most employees aren’t trained to use the most common office productivity software to meet the accessibility requirements of law. Most of the software tools such as automated tables of contents based on heading levels styles that are used to automate document features are easier to apply using style features, more consistent in appearance, and can be used directly to make documents more accessible. Getting in line with Section 508 Compliance is crucial to U.S. federal agencies, the software is already effective, and accessibility has become an expected feature of electronic communications. Several U.S. states have committed to provide Section 508 compliance.William (Bill) Swears, our sole proprietor, is also available for Critical Incident Stress Management deployment during emergencies. He is certified to work with individuals and groups currently engaged in, or recently returned from, emergency operations. He was first certified in 1998, and most recently recertified in October of 2019. His most recent annual recertification occurred in early 2023.
Bill has completed 40+ years of public service in defense, education, and civil service. The Bleeding Edge Books team has over 55 years of public service, and 20+ years of technical writing/editing and organizational administration experience.