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Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires Federal agencies to ensure that web pages and other electronic information are accessible to all federal employees with disabilities and people with disabilities seeking information or services from the federal government.Many corporations, educational institutions, and government agencies use Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files to distribute documents to the public or to groups within their organizations. Adobe PDF is a platform-independent, format-preserving way of sharing electronic information via the World Wide Web, corporate networks and intranets, e-mail, or on CD-ROM.
Adobe PDF files, however, are not intrinsically accessible to persons with blindness, low visual acuity, motor impairment, or other disabilities. The key to making PDF files accessible is to create content in such a way that it can be properly converted into Adobe Tagged PDF files, which provide the structural information that is used by screen readers in presenting information to a visually-impaired person.Creating an accessible PDF document is much easier if you start at the beginning of the document life cycle. But content authors and document designers are not always familiar with the requirements of successful accessible document creation. They must plan for accessibility in the way information is presented, and software must be used that produces documents which preserve the intended content ordering, and provides alternate descriptions for visuals such as tables and images.You should design for accessibility as much as possible in your original documents and select publishing tools that support accessibility features. While it's possible to modify a Tagged PDF document, it can be incredibly time-consuming. In addition, it is not possible to save and reapply your modifications to a document's Tagged PDF on the next revision of the document.
Use the latest version of publishing tools that support accessibility features. The latest versions of Word, InDesign, PageMaker, and Quark create better tagged Adobe PDF files, which have greater functionality for accessibility than the structured Adobe PDF created from older versions of software.
Define a logical reading order for your document. Logical reading order, or logical structure, refers to the organization of a document, such as the title page, chapters, sections, and subsections. This logical structure provides a mechanism to indicate the precise reading order and improve navigation, particularly for longer, more complex documents. In addition, when viewing a tagged Adobe PDF file in which the logical read order has been clearly defined, a user can use Acrobat's Reflow feature to zoom in to any portion of the document and the text will automatically reflow to fit the available screen space.
Use application-based styles to format text and define and create document structure such as titles, chapters, headings, and paragraphs. Styles provide structure information when you create a tagged Adobe PDF file. For example, do not use the Enter key to add space between paragraphs. Instead, use the "Spacing Before" and "Spacing After" paragraph properties to achieve this effect.
Create column layouts using your application's column layout feature. Don't use tabs to simulate double-column text. For example, if a document has been correctly authored using two columns to create a two-column format, the screen reader knows it should read all the way down the first column and then proceed to the second column. On the other hand, if the writer used tabs to imitate the look of two-column text, the screen reader would simply read horizontally, going from the first line in the first column and then tabbing over to the first line in the second column.
Create tables using your application's table creation feature. Don't use tabs or graphics to create a table. It is also helpful to use table formats in the authoring application, such as table column heading, row heading, table cell data, etc.
Avoid complicated table structures using merged and split cells, and nested and combined tables to produce a desired layout. Avoid using tables for layout purposes. Complex tables are difficult to impossible to export accessibly, and you will end up spending hours re-tagging your tables in Acrobat.
Use Unicode text, which is a standard for describing text characters. This ensures that all characters and words are presented to assistive technologies in a clear and understandable manner. Unicode also differentiates between soft and hard hyphens. As a result, a hyphenated word that spans two lines, such as "com-puter," can be read as a single word.
Embed all fonts when creating a PDF file from your publishing application. This will allow for touch-ups that might become necessary in your final PDF file. If the font has been subsetted, you will not be able to edit the text from within Acrobat.
Group complex illustrations. If you created an illustration out of several smaller illustrations, use the Group command to group them into a single illustration.
Add alternate text to images. Include equivalent text descriptions for graphics, so that a blind person using screen reader software can understand the purpose of the graphics. Keep in mind that repeating images with long text descriptions will become very tiresome—so label accordingly. Some graphics are present to add color and visual appeal to a document. These document elements, which are referred to as artifacts, do not need alternate text since they are not adding to the message of the document.
Do not rely on color to convey information. If color is used to convey important information, an alternative indicator must be used, such as an asterisk (*) or other symbol.
Add bookmarks and hyperlinks to make it easier for users to navigate your document.
Testing for PDF Accessibility is the topic of our December's newsletter. Don't miss it! View it on our website, or eMail us at info@criterion508.com to subscribe.