PDF Accessibility

Portable Document Format

• Designed for printing
• Enhanced with bookmarks, links, forms, etc.

Benefits

• Looks the same on-screen & printed
• Viewed in free, cross-platform reader
• Contains text, images & styles in one file

Behind-the-Scenes

1. Physical View - what you see
2. Content - text used for search, indexing, etc.
3. Tags - logical structure, like HTML

PDF Documents

• Add Tags
• Add Alternate Text
• Mark-up Headings and Lists
• Mark-up Table Headers
• Correct Reading Order

PDF Forms

• Add Tool Tips
• Set Tab Order

Acrobat's Accessibility Tools

• Quick Check
• Full Check
• TouchUp Reading Order (TURO)
• Content & Tags Panels
• Save As Accessible Text & Read Out Loud

Acrobat's Accessibility Limitations

• Checks can be misleading
• TURO doesn't show headings, lists
• TURO doesn't show reading order
• Content & Tags must be kept in sync
• Workflow....

Accessibility Workflow

1. Create in Word, Publisher, etc.
2. Convert to PDF
3. Add bookmarks, links, form fields, etc.
4. Check/correct accessibility
5. Repeat....

Adobe LiveCycle Designer

• Comes with Adobe Acrobat Professional
• True form authoring tool
• Automates accessibility (mostly)

CommonLook for Adobe Acrobat

• Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat
• Automatically synchronizes content & tags
• Shows headings, lists, actual reading order
• Integrates checks/checklists

IBHE CommonLook Trial Program

• Try CommonLook for FREE
• Open to public universities & colleges
• Share your experiences
• http://ibhe.cita.uiuc.edu/commonlook.php

Keys to Success:

• If possible, address accessibility before converting to PDF
  • Use your authoring tool correctly for documents
  • Use LiveCycle Designer for forms
• Quick Check, Full Check, Save as Accessible Text
• Use the TouchUp Reading Order Tool first;
  Use the Tags Panel when necessary
• If you do it a lot, try CommonLook