1. Making PDFs Accessible
Corinne Gilroy
Manager of Access MSVU Layout The Partnership Journal
2:30 – 3:30 PM, Wednesday, December 5, 2018

2. Overview
Session focus: improving readability and accessibility of PDFs scanned from print book chapters or articles.
Software used: Adobe Acrobat Pro XI.
Hardware used: Konica multi-function scanner/copier.
Check the accessibility of any document or web page using a screen reader application, such as:

3. PDF Scanning Workshop Do I have to scan this? Do I have other options?
Licensed or free e-text available?
Born digital documents are usually more accessible than scans.
Can I scan this effectively?
Is it a clean copy? (No highlighting, underlining, marginalia.)
Clear font?
Wide gutters?
Thick, opaque paper?

5. PDF Scanning Workshop
If this document isn’t fit to scan, what are my options?
For Reserves: better copy available from instructor?
Put in a doc del request?
Would your Library consider purchasing a new print copy?
For a student with a print disability: support from Accessibility Office?
Dictation / audio recording?
Transcription?

6. PDF Scanning Workshop Effective scanning:
High-speed multi-function printer/scanner preferable to a desktop flatbed.
Scan 2 pages at a time. Up scan area size to B4 or A3.
600 x 600 DPI will result in better OCR (text recognition) in Adobe.
Files too big for ? Use (or set up) a networked folder.
Hold pages flat, steady, and flush.
Worried you skipped a page? Do it again.
Include title page.
Consider including endnotes, where applicable.

7. PDF Scanning Workshop
Process your scan in Adobe Acrobat Pro (not Adobe Reader!)
Add metadata (title, author, language)
Duplicate and crop pages
Set page numbers to reflect book/journal pagination
Add OCR (text recognition)
For general requests (Reserves, Doc Del) this is usually sufficient.

8. PDF Scanning Workshop Review document and delete scanning artifacts
Clean up reading order
Add alt text to images and figures
Add bookmarks for navigation
Run Adobe’s accessibility checker
Now, let’s go through this in a bit more detail.

9. MSVU Procedures At minimum, we produce high-quality scans and add OCR.
Universal design: helpful to all patrons.
Most students with print disabilities have personal or institutional access to software that can properly parse/process a high-quality scan with OCR
We take the time to add more accessibility features when we know the request is coming from a disabled patron (self-identified, or flagged with us via Accessibility Services).
Library / Print Shop / Accessibility have teamed up on a new repository for alternate format requests.

10. Questions? Corinne.Gilroy@msvu.ca 902-457-6204
The Partnership Journal: