Presented by Leyon Gudinho - Functional Accessibility Tester, BarrierBreak at Techshare India 2014

1. Creating Accessible PDF
Document
By Leyon Gudinho
Functional Accessibility Tester
BarrierBreak
Tel: +91-22-26860485/6
Web: www.barrierbreak.com
Email: sales@barrierbreak.com

2. Objectives
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Identify the need for accessible PDF documents
Learn how to create Accessible PDF document
Identify Content Structure
Check PDF documents for Accessibility

3. PDF documents
• Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
• Open standard file format
• World-wide standard for distributing electronic
documents

4. Accessibility Issues - Screen readers
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Difficulty to distinguish structure from content
Illogical reading order
Difficulty to access complex layouts
Difficulty to access columnar content
Older versions failed to read PDF documents on
the web

5. PDF and Accessibility
• Screen readers failed to read the PDF
documents
• Support for accessibility included with the
release of Acrobat 10.0
• Content needs to be tagged to support assistive
technology access

6. PDF accessibility levels
• Non structured
• Structured
• Tagged

7. Method of creating accessible PDF
Approach 1 # Convert from Word
Approach 2 # Existing PDF

8. Content structure
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Text
Headings
Lists
Images
Table
Links

9. Convert Word into PDF
• Select ‘Convert to Adobe PDF’ option—Adobe
PDF menu
• Click on the ‘Convert to Adobe PDF’

10. Convert Word into PDF
• Conversion settings:
– Check ‘Enable Accessibility’ option
– Check ‘Reflow with tagged PDF’ option
• Use Styles and Formatting options to control the
presentation
• Select the ‘Convert to PDF’
• Set Language settings
• Set Document structure for pages

11. Convert Word into PDF
• Work with Artifacts
– Explain Artifacts
– Find Artifacts option
• Check Reading order
• Full check
• User testing

12. Conversion settings
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13. Formatting options in Word
Use styles and formatting options available:
• Styles
• Lists
• Columns

14. Language Settings
1. Select Project > Project Properties >
Language Settings
2. Set a document‟s language using the
„Document Properties‟ option from the „File‟
menu
3. Set the language of the alternate text using
the “Touch Up Properties” dialog box

15. Language Settings Window

16. Document Structure

17. Conversion from Existing PDF
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Tag document
Set Language settings
Set Document structure for pages
Work with Artifacts
Check Reading order
Full check
User testing

18. Document Structure
• Identify different element tags
– Block level elements (Part, Sect)
– Heading and paragraph elements
– List elements
– Table elements
– Other elements (Figure, Link, Caption)
• Add tags
– Entire document using tool
– Manually
• Best Practice of tags

19. Reading Order
• Ensures maximum accessibility
• Is very important in the case of complex layouts
• Examples:
– Columns
– Nesting lists
– Complex tables

20. Accessibility Checker
• Helps to identify potential accessibility errors in
a document
• Acrobat 10.0 provides two options:
– Quick Check
– Full Check
• Select “Advance>Accessibility” submenu

21. Contd. Accessibility Checker
• Check Reading order
– Touch up reading order feature
– Reflow option
• Perform Accessibility check
– Quick check
– Full check
– User testing

22. Touch Up Reading Window

23. Advanced Check

24. Quick Check option

25. User Testing
• Is performed to finally check the accessibility
with the screen readers
• Identify the issues and implement the changes.

26. Bookmarks

27. Let Technology be Inclusive!
Assistive Technology
Accessibility Services
Accessible Web
Development
Accessible
Conversion
POUR Accessibility
Testing
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Empower persons with disabilities
Provide equal access to technology
Build inclusion and diversity
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Testing by persons with disabilities
Meet your social and legal requirements
Comply with accessibility guidelines

28. Where to Contact Me?
Email: leyon@n-syst.com
Office: +91-26860485/6 Extn: 117