Accessibility of PDF Files Andrew Downie Centre for Learnin g Innovation NSW Department of Education & Training

Andrew Downie

Centre for Learnin g Innovation

NSW Department of Education & Training

What we will cover Brief overview of screen readers etc History of PDF accessibility Different forms of PDFs Creating widely accessible PDFs Benefits of properly structured PDFs Repairing PDFs Creating PDF forms

Brief overview of screen readers etc

History of PDF accessibility

Different forms of PDFs

Creating widely accessible PDFs

Benefits of properly structured PDFs

Repairing PDFs

Creating PDF forms

Adaptive Technology Overview Screen readers Synthetic speech and/or electronic Braille output Essentially limited to reading text Sophisticated facilities for displaying visual presentation Text/graphics enlargement software Many magnification and colour selection options Optional augmentation with synthetic speech Learning/reading difficulties Inexpensive speech output products Sophisticated reading assistance incorporating synthetic speech

Screen readers

Synthetic speech and/or electronic Braille output

Essentially limited to reading text

Sophisticated facilities for displaying visual presentation

Text/graphics enlargement software

Many magnification and colour selection options

Optional augmentation with synthetic speech

Learning/reading difficulties

Inexpensive speech output products

Sophisticated reading assistance incorporating synthetic speech

History of PDF Accessibility Initially completely inaccessible Acrobat V4.5 introduced a plugin – text but no formatting Acrobat V5 introduced tagging (structure) MSAA (Microsoft Active Accessibility) utilised The reader must choose single page or whole document display Adobe and adaptive technology developers continue to refine access Many (probably most) PDFs are still created without structure PDFs still viewed negatively by advocates Partly based on historical inaccessibility Partly due to low standards compliance

Initially completely inaccessible

Acrobat V4.5 introduced a plugin – text but no formatting

Acrobat V5 introduced tagging (structure)

MSAA (Microsoft Active Accessibility) utilised

The reader must choose single page or whole document display

Adobe and adaptive technology developers continue to refine access

Many (probably most) PDFs are still created without structure

PDFs still viewed negatively by advocates

Partly based on historical inaccessibility

Partly due to low standards compliance

Image Only PDF Files What is it? Paper document scanned into Acrobat as a picture Problems: Cannot adjust colour Cannot search for text Cannot be read with screen readers etc Some work-arounds Acrobat has OCR capability and preserves page structure Can use other OCR software Print to Microsoft Office Document Imaging from Adobe Reader Not equitable access

What is it?

Paper document scanned into Acrobat as a picture

Problems:

Cannot adjust colour

Cannot search for text

Cannot be read with screen readers etc

Some work-arounds

Acrobat has OCR capability and preserves page structure

Can use other OCR software

Print to Microsoft Office Document Imaging from Adobe Reader

Not equitable access

Unstructured PDF Files May or may not be accessible Acrobat and Adobe Reader report to adaptive technology Changing reading order may help Automatic tagging with Acrobat may help Manual tagging an option Protected files: Structure cannot be corrected without password Cannot be saved to accessible formats

May or may not be accessible

Acrobat and Adobe Reader report to adaptive technology

Changing reading order may help

Automatic tagging with Acrobat may help

Manual tagging an option

Protected files:

Structure cannot be corrected without password

Cannot be saved to accessible formats

Structured PDF Files Positives: Text should be fully accessible Basic data tables should read well Page numbers essentially correct Internal and external links fully operable Bookmarks a great feature if present Alt text on images accessible if present Protected files are accessible Negatives: Paragraph location problematical but improving Font attribute information etc not available

Positives:

Text should be fully accessible

Basic data tables should read well

Page numbers essentially correct

Internal and external links fully operable

Bookmarks a great feature if present

Alt text on images accessible if present

Protected files are accessible

Negatives:

Paragraph location problematical but improving

Font attribute information etc not available

Accessibility Setup Shortcut to Acrobat/Reader Preferences ctrl-k Colours set under Accessibility Settings for screen readers under Reading Reading order Setting for number of pages in a large document Read out loud options – page or file

Shortcut to Acrobat/Reader Preferences ctrl-k

Colours set under Accessibility

Settings for screen readers under Reading

Reading order

Setting for number of pages in a large document

Read out loud options – page or file

Easy Structured File Creation with MS Office Use formal document styles Formal hierarchical heading styles List styles for lists Paragraph styles for paragraphs Alt text on images Right click the image Select Size Select the alt text tab Replace the filename with meaningful text Do not: Use text boxes Use tables for layout Split table rows across pages

Use formal document styles

Formal hierarchical heading styles

List styles for lists

Paragraph styles for paragraphs

Alt text on images

Right click the image

Select Size

Select the alt text tab

Replace the filename with meaningful text

Do not:

Use text boxes

Use tables for layout

Split table rows across pages

Microsoft Word to PDF Acrobat adds menu item to Word Default settings will create tagged PDF file Free Microsoft plugin will create PDF In Options be sure to check Tags for Accessibility

Acrobat adds menu item to Word

Default settings will create tagged PDF file

Free Microsoft plugin will create PDF

In Options be sure to check Tags for Accessibility

Repairing PDF Files in Acrobat Professional Automatic tagging of untagged file Advanced menu; Accessibility; Add tags to document Produces a report – take with a grain of salt Manual tagging tools: Tag tree View Menu; Navigation Panels; Order View Menu; Navigation panels Touch up Reading Order Advanced Menu; Accessibility;

Automatic tagging of untagged file

Advanced menu; Accessibility; Add tags to document

Produces a report – take with a grain of salt

Manual tagging tools:

Tag tree

View Menu; Navigation Panels;

Order

View Menu; Navigation panels

Touch up Reading Order

Advanced Menu; Accessibility;

Creating PDF Forms Open Live Cycle Designer from Acrobat (V8 or later) Forms Menu If using an existing PDF, should be untagged Can use MS Word, RTF file etc as template Most fields should be recognised automatically Click Accessibility tab Add tool tip to fields

Open Live Cycle Designer from Acrobat (V8 or later) Forms Menu

If using an existing PDF, should be untagged

Can use MS Word, RTF file etc as template

Most fields should be recognised automatically

Click Accessibility tab

Add tool tip to fields

Some Screen Readers VoiceOver: Built in to all new Apple Macintoshes NVDA: Free from http://www.nvda-project.org/ System Access To Go: Free while connected to www.satogo.com Window-Eyes (free 30-minute demo) from www.gwmicro.com JAWS (free 30-minute demo) from www.freedomscientific.com

VoiceOver: Built in to all new Apple Macintoshes

NVDA: Free from http://www.nvda-project.org/

System Access To Go: Free while connected to www.satogo.com

Window-Eyes (free 30-minute demo) from www.gwmicro.com

JAWS (free 30-minute demo) from www.freedomscientific.com

Resources Karen McCall’s publications available through IRTI ( http://www.irti-cat.peachhost.com/ct_CGtutorials_booksandeducationalmaterial.htm ) Logical Document Structure handbook: Word 2003, ISBN 0-9738370-3-9– teaches how to make an accessible Word document that can be repurposed to create a tagged PDF and to make for easier Braille conversion Accessible and Usable PDF Documents: Techniques for Document Authors, ISBN 0-9738246-1-1– walks document author or repair technician through what can go wrong and how to fix it in either a tagged or untagged PDF file http://www.karlencommunications.com/PDF-resources.htm for accessible PDF resources http://adobe.com/accessibility for information on creating accessible PDFs http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/reader/ for PDF on Adobe Reader and screen readers NetCentric at www.net-centric.com for creating Section 508-compliant PDFs Save as PDF or XPS plug-in for Office 2007 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4d951911-3e7e-4ae6-b059-a2e79ed87041&displaylang=en http://www.alistapart.com/articles/pdf_accessibility comments by Joe Clark on PDF usage

Karen McCall’s publications available through IRTI ( http://www.irti-cat.peachhost.com/ct_CGtutorials_booksandeducationalmaterial.htm )

Logical Document Structure handbook: Word 2003, ISBN 0-9738370-3-9– teaches how to make an accessible Word document that can be repurposed to create a tagged PDF and to make for easier Braille conversion

Accessible and Usable PDF Documents: Techniques for Document Authors, ISBN 0-9738246-1-1– walks document author or repair technician through what can go wrong and how to fix it in either a tagged or untagged PDF file

http://www.karlencommunications.com/PDF-resources.htm for accessible PDF resources

http://adobe.com/accessibility for information on creating accessible PDFs

http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/reader/ for PDF on Adobe Reader and screen readers

NetCentric at www.net-centric.com for creating Section 508-compliant PDFs

Save as PDF or XPS plug-in for Office 2007 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4d951911-3e7e-4ae6-b059-a2e79ed87041&displaylang=en

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/pdf_accessibility comments by Joe Clark on PDF usage

Contacting Andrew Phone: (02) 9715-8347 Email: [email_address] News and Reviews: http://www.cli.nsw.edu.au/cli/e-learning/adaptive_technologies/adapt_tech_reviews.shtm

Phone: (02) 9715-8347

Email: [email_address]

News and Reviews:

http://www.cli.nsw.edu.au/cli/e-learning/adaptive_technologies/adapt_tech_reviews.shtm