1. How to create accessible documents and contribute to a barrier-free education
Lars Ballieu Christensen
Advisor, Ph.D., M.Sc.
Tanja Stevns
Director, Special Education Teacher

2. Contents What is digital accessibility? Word, PDF, XXX
Why is digital accessibility important?
What is an accessible document?
Word, PDF, XXX
What and how?
Creating accessible documents with Word
Creating accessible PDF documents from Word
Converting inaccessible PDF into more accessible formats

3. What is digital accessibility?
A set of universally accepted design principles with the aim to ensure that
digital contents can be accessed by as many people as possible, from as many technological platforms as possible, and in as many different situations as possible
Christensen & Stevns, HCII 2015

4. Why is digital accessibility important
Cross-platform
Browsers, operating systems, resolutions
Navigation, orientation, interpretation
Assistive technologies
Conversion
Braille, audio books, large-print, e-books, …

5. Designing for Alternate Media
Digital Accessibility
Use tech correctly, tag structure, provide alternatives, set language, …
Universal Design
Active language, short sentences, illustrations, holistic, …
Specific Design
Dyslexic, Low Vision, Blind,…
Christensen & Stevns, HCII 2015

6. What is an accessible document?
Authored in accordance with appropriate accessibility guidelines
Authoring tools have been used as intended
Features of the authoring tools have not been abused
Prerequisite for
access with assistive technology
automated transformation into alternate formats

7. What is an accessible Word document?
Authored in accordance with the guidelines from Microsoft
Word used as intended
Word features not abused
In practice:
Minimum metadata defined (title, author)
Structural elements tagged
Content and content alternatives authored correct (alt text, tables, MathType)
The master language set and language changes marked

8. Things to keep in mind Reading order must be logical Avoid text boxes
Avoid important information in headers and footers
Avoid text boxes
Avoid WordArt
Avoid Drop Caps
General accessibility principles:
Colour not the only means
Sufficient contrasts (4½:1, 3:1)
Link text understandable outside context
Be aware of inaccessible document templates

9. Word – Meta data Minimum:
Title
Author
Used for title pages, bookshelf entries, library listings, …

10. Word – Language Master language
Any changes to the natural language throughout the language
Used for spell-checking, grammar-checking, speech synthesis, Braille transcription

11. Word – Headings Nested, strictly hierarchical
Change appearance of style rather than use another style
Used for TOC, navigation

12. Word – Illustrations
All non-textual contents must have alternate text associated
Alt-text must have the same meaning/the same function in the particular context (= do not reuse without thinking)
Not the same as a caption
Used by screen readers, for search indexes, …

13. Writing alt text
Meaning?
Function?

14. Word – Tables Used for tabular-type information Rows and colums
Headers must be marked up
Don’t mix up with columns

15. Word – Columns
Used for newspaper-type flow of text into columns of text
Do not mix with tables

16. Word – Lists Numbered lists Unnumbered lists (bullet lists)
Use the appropriate tools
Do not use own random symbols for bullets

17. Word – Footnotes, End notes
Use the footnote, end note tools
Important for the logical reading order

18. Word – Headers/Footers
Use the appropriate tool
Important for screen readers
Important when reflowing

19. Accessible, multilingual Word document
Example - Conversion
Accessible, multilingual Word document
Talking e-book

20. Word – Math Use proper equation editor
Do not insert pictures of equations
Do not type equations as plain text with formatting

21. Accessible, Word document with math equations
Example - Conversion
Accessible, Word document with math equations
Talking math book

22. Accessibility Checker
Included in several tools
Can check many issues
Is not a replacement for human validation

23. What is accessible PDF PDF is many things: Accessible PDF:
Image-only PDF
Text PDF
Tagged PDF
Accessible PDF:
Is in Tagged PDF format
Is tagged up in accordance with the semantic structure of the document
Does not have protections that prevent access from assistive technologies

24. Creating accessible PDF
Preferably created from accessible source document (Word, InDesign, …)
PDF converter must be able to
Create tagged PDF
Transfer semantic mark-up from source to PDF
”Content Extraction for Accessibility” rights must be granted

25. Creating accessible PDF cont.
Good PDF converters
Save-As-PDF (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, …)
Adobe PDF Maker
SensusAccess
Poor PDF converters
Print-to-PDF solutions
Scan-to-PDF

26. Making inaccessible PDF accessible
Adobe Acrobat touch-up
SensusAccess
Convert to DOCX (or plain text)
Edit result
Convert to final format

27. Example - Conversions 1. 2. 3. More accessible Word document
Inaccessible, image-only PDF
More accessible Word document 1. 2.
Edit
Accessible Word document
Reflowable
e-book 3.

28. In summary Universal principles Accessible documents can be
Used cross-platform
Accessed with assistive technology
Repurposed into alternate formats
It’s not difficult – use technology as intended
Use accessible PDF, appropriate tools, reasonable protection
Accessibility can be improved with few means

29. Resources
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):
Guidance on Applying WCAG 2.0 to Non-Web Information and Communications Technologies (WCAG2ICT):
SensusAccess alternate media and accessibility self-service for academic institutions:

30. Questions; comments ?!

31. Contact information
Lars Ballieu Christensen
Mail:
Phone:
Tanja Stevns
Mail:
Phone: