What You Need to Know About Accessible PDF Gaby de Jongh, IT Accessibility Specialist UW-IT, Accessible Technology Services uw.edu/accessibility

What is it Like Using a Screen Reader? Hadi Rangin, using a screen reader Explore with Hadi: 2nd Thursday of each month 9:00am – 10:00am Access Technology Center (MGH 064D)

Which File Format is Most Accessible?

HTML Comprehensive set of semantic tags Fully accessible forms Headings, lists, tables, etc. Alt text + long description on images Fully accessible forms Accessible math via MathML Accessible video including captions and audio description Accessibility features are well-supported by browsers and assistive technologies

MS Word Stylistic features have been repurposed for accessibility Heading styles, table headers Alt text for images Simple tables can be accessible, complex tables cannot Accessible math via the MathType plugin Built-in accessibility checker Easy to fix accessibility problems Well-supported by assistive technologies Forms are not accessible

Portable Document Format (PDF) Three types Image Document with text but no underlying structure Tagged, well-structured document Tagged PDF is similar to HTML Forms have minimal accessibility (tooltips) Supports accessible complex tables Does not support accessible math Built-in accessibility checker Well-supported by screen readers in Windows only Difficult to fix accessibility problems

The Basics of PDF Accessibility

Standards, Success Criteria, & Validation PDF/UA – the standard intended to make the content within a PDF available for accessibility WACG 2.0 Level AA – a guideline that covers a broad range of requirements from visual, audio output, cognitive challenges, and some guidelines for PDF accessibility PAC 3 – checks for Section 508, PDF/UA, and WACG 2.0 Level AA compliance

The Source Document is Supreme Things to consider when creating the source document: Does the authoring tool of the source document allow the author to create an accessible document? Example: MS Word has an Accessibility Checker to help the author make the document more accessible Does the author know how to create an accessible document? Example: In Word, are Styles used to apply Headings, or are Headings “created” by changing the font size and weight REMEMBER: It is always easier to create an accessible source document than to remediate a PDF document. PDF documents are not created from scratch, rather they are created by converting a document in another format, e.g., a Word .docx document, to a PDF document. It is always easier to make the source document accessible before converting it to a PDF document, even if that means going back and fixing the source document and then reconverting it to a PDF. In this training, we will not be going into the details of individual applications and how to create an accessible source document but it does make sense to walk through the issues to consider. We will use Word as an example. DEMO: 1_syllabus_accessible.docx, export to PDF and show beautifully mapped tag tree

A Word or Two About Scanning

Hierarchy of Tasks Is it a scanned document? Does it have form fields? Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Does it have form fields? Add Form Field controls using Acrobat Does it have hyperlinks? Add links using Create Links Does it have multimedia? Add multimedia and include alt text, captioning, and/or video description Remember the three types of PDF? Image Document with text but no underlying structure Tagged, well-structured document The first thing authors need to understand is the hierarchy of tasks. You need to know what is contained in your document so you know how to convert it and in what order to proceed.

Fixing Inaccessible PDF Documents

Creating a Basic Accessible PDF Convert scanned image to text Enhance Scans > Recognize Text > In This File AutoTag document Accessibility > AutoTag Document Make accessible Action Wizard > Make Accessible The Make Accessible action walks you through the steps required to make a PDF accessible. It prompts to address accessibility issues, such as a missing document description or title. It looks for common elements that need further action, such as scanned text, form fields, tables, and images. AutoTag just tags the structural elements and requires the document creator to manually go through the document and look for elements such as form fields, tables, and images. Congratulations, your document is accessible! But is it useable?

Common Areas for Review Lists - must have <L> and <LI> tags, may also have <Lbl> and <Lbody> tags Images – images with meaning must have alt-text, figures with captions can be artifacted, decorative images should be artifacted Guidelines for writing alt-text for STEM content Tables – Column and Row Headers are tagged <TH>, data cells <TD> Table Editor to define scope and span for complex tables Links - correctly tagged link has a sub-node <Link-OBJR> Forms – use tool tips to convey instructions to screen reader DEMO: 5_form.pdf if there is time

TURO Tool Touch Up Reading Order Access via Order Panel Manual tagging and clean-up Finite number of tags tinyurl.com/PDFtags CONTENT SHALL BE TAGGED IN A LOGICAL READING ORDER. DEMO: 3_syllabus_notags.pdf, demo manual tagging 4_ugly_tag_tree.pdf, show tag tree with weird tags then clean it up Cover: Lists Images/figures Tables Links

Fix Lingering Errors with Accessibility Checker Accessibility > Full Check The report lists items in various categories such as Document, Page Content, etc. Each item is preceded by an icon indicating that the item either passes, fails, or requires manual inspection. Right click on any item to see a list of options for fixing the problem or learning more about it.

Review: Basics of a Properly Tagged PDF Document has tags Tags must be appropriate for the content Tags must be in logical reading order Use Headings when appropriate Heading levels must be nested properly <H1> <H2> <H3> etc. Tables must have Table Header <TH> tags Images must have Alt Text Decorative images must be artifacted Document must have a core language selected If multilingual, appropriate language attribute must be used Tab Order for links and form controls must be correct

UW Document Conversion Service tinyurl.com/uw-doc-convert Limitations of this service: Source file needs to be GOOD quality Most file outputs will require additional editing after conversion This service is intended to provide a quick temporary solution, it is not the final solution for accessibility The service is free to anyone with a UW NetID, and can be accessed at the link listed.

Resources (1 of 2) Adobe Acrobat Pro DC PDF Accessibility Overview Accessibility Repair Workflow Using the Accessibility Checker Accessible Forms and Interactive Documents

Resources (2 of 2) Microsoft Accessibility Word PowerPoint Lynda.com Learning Videos InDesign Accessibility Basics LevelAccess webinar series

questions Questions? Gaby de Jongh gabyd@uw.edu 206 685-6252