Transcript Achieving Accessibility with PDF Featuring Adobe Acrobat 9 Matt May (@mattmay) 3 Feb 2010 Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Achieving
Accessibility with PDF
Featuring Adobe Acrobat 9
Matt May (@mattmay)
3 Feb 2010
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
Agenda

What is Accessibility?

Why is it Important?

Acrobat 9 and PDF Accessibility Overview

LiveCycle Designer Accessibility Techniques
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
What is Accessibility?

Accessibility involves two key issues:

How users with disabilities access
electronic information

How content designers, developers, and
authors produce content that functions
with assistive devices used by
individuals with disabilities.
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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ACCESSIBILITY
®
Adobe Acrobat 9 Accessibility Overview

All products in the Acrobat family,
Reader, Acrobat Standard, and
Acrobat Professional work with
conventional assistive technology
products such as the popular screen
readers JAWS and Window Eyes.

All of the Acrobat products also have
built in accessibility features such as
Read Out Loud speech synthesis,
the ability to control the contrast
between background and text, and
the ability to provide a large type
display using the Reflow feature.

Pro versions provide authors the
ability to validate and create
accessible PDF documents and
forms from a variety of original
sources including scanned paper
documents.
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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Product Features: Lowering Barriers to Accessibility

Works in Conjunction with Conventional Assistive Technology


Screen Readers:

Windows: NVDA, JAWS, SuperNova (Reader / Magnifier), Window-Eyes

Linux: Orca

Mac OS: VoiceOver

Voice Recognition: Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Windows)

Screen Magnifiers: Lunar, ZoomText (Windows)
Built-in Features in Adobe Reader 9 and all versions of Adobe Acrobat 9 Mean
There is Accessibility without Additional Software

Incorporates Operating System Accessibility Features

Read Out Loud, Reflow, High Contrast View, Autoscroll, Accessibility Setup Assistant
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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Product Features: Providing Accommodation for a Variety of Disabilities

Accommodation Achieved With or Without 3rd Party Assistive
Technology

Blindness (Text to Speech functionality: Read Out Loud and Screen Reader
Compatibility also support for Braille output – refreshable keyboards, Braille
embossers)

Low Vision (Text to Speech functionality, Support for Magnification and Large Type
Display: Reflow, High Contrast Viewing, Read Out Loud, Screen Magnifier
Compatibility)

Limited Mobility (Autoscroll, numerous keyboard equivalents, compatibility with
alternate input devices, Support for Voice Recognition - Dragon, ViaVoice)

Cognitive (Read Out Loud, Compatibility with TextHelp’s PDFAloud which highlights
content as it is being spoken)
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
Product Features: Built In Accommodations

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Auto-scroll: moves the page for
you

View > Automatically Scroll

Keyboard: Shift +Ctrl+H
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Product Features: Built In Accommodations


Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Export to Other File Formats

Reader: Save as Accessible Text

Acrobat: Export to:

Word Document

Rich Text Format (RTF)

HTML

XML

Text
High Contrast View

Alters text and background colors

Edit > Preferences (Ctrl-K)

Select Accessibility

Check “Replace Document Colors”
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®
Product Features: Built In Accommodations
Read Out Loud – Reads to You

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
View > Read Out Loud >
Activate Read Out Loud

Shift + Ctrl + Y activates Read Out
Loud

Shift + Ctrl + V reads the current
page

Shift + Ctrl + B reads the entire
document

Shift + Ctrl + C pauses reading

Shift + Ctrl + E stops reading
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Product Features: Built In Accommodations
Form Fields


Edit > Preferences (Ctrl +K) select
Reading and select “Read Form Fields”
Reflow – Large Type Display

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

View > Zoom > Reflow

Ctrl + 4

Alt + V + Z + R
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Product Feature: Optimize Adobe Acrobat / Adobe Reader for Best
Results

Accessibility Setup Assistant
Configures the User Agent for
Optimal Performance with
Assistive Technology

Adobe Acrobat
Advanced > Accessibility>
Setup Assistant

Adobe Reader
Help>Accessibility Setup
Assistant
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ADOBE®
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®
Adobe Acrobat Pro Versions Accessibility Details

Compatible with Conventional
Assistive Technology

Has Built in Accessibility
Accommodations

Read Out Loud

High Contrast

Reflow

Autoscroll

Accessibility Setup Assistant

Facilitates Accessible Authoring

OCR

Add Tags

Touch Up Read Order Tool

Accessibility Checker
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The File Format: Accessibility Requirements
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Logical Reading Order –
Does it make sense when you
listen to it?

Alternate Text Descriptions
for Non-Text Elements –
Have alternate text descriptions
been added to graphics for
those with visual disabilities?

Logical Tab Order (Forms) –
Can you navigate the form in a
way that makes sense?

Short Descriptions (Forms) –
Are audible short descriptions
added to form fields for those
with visual disabilities?
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®
Product Feature: Acrobat TouchUp Read Order Tool
TouchUp Reading Order Tool in
Acrobat 9 Professional for PDF
Accessibility Repair


Review and correct reading order

Review and correct basic tagging
issues

Add Alternate Text to Figures

Add Short Descriptions to Form Fields

Tag simple tables quickly and easily
Benefits

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
•
Quick and easy to detect tagging errors

Easy to fix most common errors
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Scenarios for Accessible PDF

You Have a PDF File

Scanned PDF

PDF Forms



Searchable PDF
You Intend to Create a PDF File


Applications that Create Tagged PDF

PDF Maker (for Microsoft Office)

Other Applications
PDF Form

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Acrobat Forms
(Forms Toolbar in
Acrobat 9 Professional)
LiveCycle Designer
(Application Distributed with
Acrobat 9 Professional)
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The PDF Accessibility Workflow....

Ask Yourself a Series of Questions in this
Order

Is the PDF a Scanned Image?

Is the PDF Intended to be a Form?

Is the PDF Tagged?

Are the Items Properly Tagged?


Verifying read order

Verify proper tagging (i.e., figures,
tables, etc.)

Add alternate text descriptions to
graphics

Add short descriptions to form fields
Have I Missed Something?

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Run the Accessibility Checker
 Make recommended and appropriate
repairs until no problems found
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®
1. Open the PDF File

From Acrobat

From the Menu


Keyboard Shortcut


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Ctrl + O
Accelerator Keys


File > Open
Alt + F + O
From Outside of Acrobat

Tab to file and select (begin typing file
name)

Click on a PDF file

Right Mouse Click (“Open With...”)
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2. Analyze the Content – Give Yourself an Idea of What Lies
Ahead

Determine the Complexity of the
Document / Page

Short document (a few pages) or a long
document (many pages)

Single Column / Multi Column?

Are there graphics present?

Tables?

Does it appear to have multiple
headings?

Does it appear to have form fields?

Is the layout easy or difficult to follow
(side headings for example)?
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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ACCESSIBILITY
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3. Determine if the PDF File is a Scanned Image

Verify the presence of searchable
text

Zoom In, Look for “Jaggies”

Search for Text on the Page (Ctrl F)
Run “Read Out Loud” on the Page
(First, Activate Read Out Loud:
View > Read Out Loud, or Shift + Ctrl + Y,
or Alt + V + A + A)
Menu: View > Read Out Loud > Read This
Page Only


Keyboard: Shift+ Ctrl+V

Alt + V + A + P
If it is an image, Read Out Loud will prompt
you to run the optical character recognition
engine, “Recognize Text Using OCR”
(see next slide)

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
3. Determine if the PDF File is a Scanned Image


Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Perform the Quick Check

Advanced > Accessibility > Quick
Check

Shift + Ctrl + 6

Alt + A + A + Q
Perform the Full Check

Advanced > Accessibility > Full
Check

Alt + A + A + F
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®
If it is a Scanned Image... Perform OCR

Optical Character Recognition

Menu:
Document >
OCR Text Recognition >
Recognize Text Using OCR

Formatted Text and
Graphics (ClearScan for Acrobat 9)

Verify Language

Lowest Downsampling (600 dpi)

Alt + D + Z + S
Search for and Correct “Suspects”


Menu: Document > OCR Text Recognition
> Find First OCR Suspect
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Proofread (Touchup Text Tool)

Read Out Loud Can Also
Launch OCR
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ACCESSIBILITY
®
4. Locate URLs and Activate Links
Use Acrobat’s Create Links from
URLs Command

This has the effect of converting URLs in a PDF
document to active hypertext links

Advanced > Document Processing >
Create Links from URLs

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ALT + A + D + C
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ACCESSIBILITY
®
5. Determine if the PDF File is Meant to be a Form

Visual Inspection

Does the Document Appear to be
Soliciting Information – Name, Address,
Social Security Number?

Read Out Loud / Screen Reader Also
Offer Clues for the Visually Impaired
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
If the PDF File is Intended to be an Interactive Form...Add Form Fields

Automatically detect Form Fields

Forms > Run Form Field Recognition

Alt + O + R
or if you prefer

Advanced > Accessibility > Run Form
Field Recognition


Alt + A + A + U
Add form fields using the Acrobat
Forms Tools

Menu: Tools > Forms> Show Forms
Toolbar

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Alt + T + R + B
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If the PDF File is Intended to be an Interactive Form...Add Form Fields
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Add Form Fields to the Tags

Add Tags after adding form
fields: Advanced >
Accessibility > Add Tags to
Document

Advanced > Accessibility > Add
Form Fields to Tags

Alt + A + A + D
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Or Manipulate the Form in the Adobe Designer
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Or Manipulate in the Adobe
Designer

Menu: Advanced > Forms > Make
Form Fillable in Adobe
Designer…(Alt + A + F + M)

Other LiveCycle Designer Options
Available by Selecting from the
Menu: Advanced > Forms from
the Menu > Make Form Fillable in
Adobe Designer
(Alt + A + F + M)
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Using the Designer: Open in the Designer from Acrobat

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Open the Form in the Designer

Forms > Create New Form

Alt + O + N

Start with an Electronic Document

Use the current document

Run Auto Field Detection
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Using the Designer: Verify Designer’s Accessibility Settings


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Open the Accessibility Palette

Window > Accessibility

Alt + W + C

Shift + F6
Verify that Screen Reader
Precedence is properly set
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®
Using the Designer: Do This, Not That

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Combine Text Field Objects with
Captions
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Using the Designer: Merge Fields and Captions

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Merge as Caption Command

Layout > Merge as Caption

or Right Mouse Click and select the
Merge as Caption option.
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®
Using the Designer: Verify Tab Order

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View > Tab Order

Alt + V + T

Or use the tab order button

Shift + Click the First Item

Click remaining items in the
desired order
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6. Determine if the PDF File is a “Searchable PDF”

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
If you have performed the
previous steps on the other PDF
file types, your PDF will be a
“searchable” PDF at this point

You Have Ruled Out or Corrected for
the Scanned Document

You Have Ruled Out or Corrected for
the Form

Now It Behaves as if it Came from a
Word Processing or Desktop
Publishing Application
(Print > Adobe PDF)
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ACCESSIBILITY
®
7. Determine if the PDF File is Tagged

Verify the presence of tags, add
tags if necessary

Verify Document Properties
(Lower left corner of document
properties dialog)


Menu: File > Document Properties

Keyboard: Ctrl + D
Display the Tags Panel and use
the Options Menu to verify
Document is Tagged PDF

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Menu: View > Navigation Panels >
Tags

Run a Quick Check

Run a Full Check
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®
If the PDF File is Not Tagged...then add Tags to the File

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Add Tags to Document

Menu: Advanced > Accessibility >
Add Tags to Document

ALT + A + A + A
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ACCESSIBILITY
®
8. Determine if the Items are Properly Tagged


Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Use the TouchUp Reading
Order Tool

Menu:
Advanced > Accessibility >
TouchUp Reading Order

ALT + A + A + T
Verifying read order (Follow the
Numbers)
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®
8. Determine if the Items are Properly Tagged

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Show Order Panel Button on
TouchUp Reading Order Tool

Menu:
View > Navigation Panels >
Order

ALT + V + N + O

Add alternate text descriptions to
graphics

Add short descriptions to form
fields

Verify proper tagging
(i.e., figures, tables, etc.)
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
9. Make Sure You Have Not Missed Anything

Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Run the Accessibility Full
Check

Menu:
Advanced > Accessibility > Full
Check

ALT + A + A + F

Make recommended and
appropriate repairs –

Read the Report, Follow the
Hyperlinks

Repeat this process until “No
Problems Found”
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
Microsoft Word to Accessible PDF – Use the Adobe
PDFMaker

Add Alternative Text to Graphics
in the Word File


Do NOT Use Spaces, Tabs to
create tables, use the Table
Editor

Do NOT Use Character
formatting for Headings, Use
Styles

Set Your Preferences

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38
Select an image, use Format Picture
dialog, add ALT text using the Web
tab

From the Microsoft Word Menu:
Adobe PDF > Change Conversion
Settings

ALT + B + S
Make sure “Enable Accessibility
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
and Reflow with Tagged
PDF”
®
Microsoft Word to Accessible PDF – Use the Adobe
PDFMaker

Convert with Adobe PDFMaker

From the Microsoft Word Menu:
Adobe PDF > Convert to Adobe PDF

ALT + B + C

Select the icon

Check the Results in Adobe
Acrobat 9


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39
Alt + A + A + F
Follow the Suggestions for
Repair, Repeat Until No Errors
Detected
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ACCESSIBILITY
®
A Caution Regarding Automated Checking
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

There is NO Accessibility Button

Tell Your Customers Accessibility
Requires Human Testing in addition
to Automated Checking

Checking Can Only Detect for the
Presence or Lack of Required Items

Cannot Check if an Item is Correct
or Appropriate

Accessibility is a New Item for the
Production Workflow – Like
Authoring, Layout, Proofreading, etc.

Note Also, Publishers Will Need to
Employ a Variety of Techniques and
Methods
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
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Loose Ends (Some Common Errors That Crop Up)

Check the Language Attribute in Acrobat

File > Properties (Ctrl D)

Choose the Advanced Tab, Select the
Appropriate Language

Use Tags Panel to Provide Table
Headers <TH> in First Table Row

In LiveCycle Designer, First Page
Subform Needs to Have a Language Set

Fix Tab Order Does Not Correspond with
Read Order Error
Display
the Pages Panel: View > Navigation
Panel > Pages
Select
a Page and then
Select All (Ctrl + A)
Select
Page Properties and Check “Use
Document Structure”
Copyright 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®
For More Information

Adobe’s Accessibility Website:
Your Resource for
Acccessibility Information for Adobe Products


www.adobe.com/accessibility
Adobe’s Voluntary Product
Accessibility Templates (VPATs)

http://www.adobe.com/resources/accessibility/tools/vpat/
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42
ADOBE®
ACCESSIBILITY
®