Guide to Creating Accessible Portable Document Files (PDF) u.s. Department of the Interior

Transcription

1 Guide t Creating Accessible Prtable Dcument Files (PDF) u.s. Department f the Interir

2 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Creating an Accessible Prtable Dcument Frmat (PDF) Backgrund: In 1998, Cngress amended the Rehabilitatin Act t require Federal agencies t make their electrnic and infrmatin technlgy accessible t peple with disabilities. Called Sectin 508, this law applies t all Federal agencies when they develp, prcure, maintain, r use electrnic and infrmatin technlgy. Inaccessible technlgy interferes with an individual's ability t btain and use infrmatin quickly and easily. Sectin 508 was enacted t eliminate barriers in infrmatin technlgy, t make available new pprtunities fr peple with disabilities, and t encurage develpment f technlgies that will help achieve these gals. The PDF was develped by Adbe, Inc. in the early 1990 s t allw electrnic dcuments t be shared amng cmputer users withut the need t have the riginating sftware installed. Its easily shared frmat and the availability f the reader sftware has made the PDF a very ppular means t distribute infrmatin. Putting 508 int Actin: Many peple require the use f screen reader prgrams such as Jaws r Windw-Eyes t read electrnic files, including PDF s, n their cmputers. These prgrams literally read alud what is n the cmputer screen. Federal Web managers have been mandated t make their Web sites 508 accessible t individuals that use screen readers s they can btain the infrmatin they need. Histrically, PDF s were left ut f this requirement but recent Department f the Interir plicy has mandated that ALL PDF dcuments intended fr distributin via Web r e- mail be created s they can be read using the screen reader technlgy. This guide ffers an intrductin t using MS Wrd in cnjunctin with Adbe Acrbat sftware t create accessible PDF s. Additinally yu will be able t: Explain why creating accessible PDF s is imprtant; Cite examples f MS Wrd features that will create better PDF dcuments; Create a pdf file frm a Wrd dcument; Add, delete and mdify pages in a pdf file; Add prperties t a pdf file; and Mdify a pdf file s that it can be read prperly by a screen reader. Last Revised: 11/6/2007 1

3 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Mst Adbe PDF dcuments begin n cmputers as Micrsft Wrd dcuments; then are cnverted t PDFs at the end f the prcess fr distributin. This guide explres hw t prduce a Micrsft Wrd dcument s that, when exprted t an Adbe PDF dcument, it will allw screen readers t crrectly and cmpletely read the dcument. There are many elements that affect accessibility in a dcument, such as clr use and cntrast. Hwever, the main fcus f this guide is t make yu aware f hw t frmat Micrsft Wrd dcuments s that screen readers can read yur exprted PDF files prperly. Fr mre detailed infrmatin abut clrs and cntrast, please reference the Other References page at the end f this dcument. Instructins fr creating accessible PDF s frm scanned dcuments are als included in this guide. Tips fr Structuring a Micrsft Wrd Dcument fr an Accessible PDF Exprt: The fllwing are suggestins fr structuring a Wrd dcument fr easier cnversin t PDF. Keep Yur Wrd Dcument Layut Simple: Keep all f yur cntent in a linear single clumn prgressin. This will allw screen readers t btain a prper reading rder f yur dcument. Mre cmplex dcument layut design can scatter the dcument s reading rder fr screen readers. Cmplex dcuments will need t be crrected manually after cnversin by using the TuchUp Reading rder feature f Adbe. Use Styles Instead f Text Attributes: T prvide structure t yur dcument use the style frmatting tl instead f the text blding feature fr text editing. Sme screen readers can read ut the dcument's heading labels alng with the dcument's text. Fr example, the reader will read ut lud "Heading 3" fr the heading abve this paragraph. These headers will becme bkmarks in the PDF. Create Alternative Text fr Phtgraphs r Graphic Images within Micrsft Wrd: Right muse click yur dcument image and select the Frmat Object frm the ppup menu and click the Web tab t type an alternative text passage in the text field describing the image. Add Hyperlinks t yur Dcuments: If yu want the screen reader user t access a web link frm yur PDF, use the Micrsft Wrd's Hyperlink tl by selecting the Insert menu and chse the Hyperlink menu t hyperlink a web address. Use Standard Text Fnts: Use standard text fnts such as Times New Rman and Arial. Data Tables: Avid nested tables. Use the Insert Table ptin instead f creating a table with text bxes r layers. Read the Table guidelines tips sectin fund in the Other References sectin at the end f this dcument. Add a Blank Page t the End f Yur Dcument: Make sure yu add ne blank page at the end f the wrd dcument r else the accessible screen reader may Last Revised: 11/6/2007 2

4 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments nt read the last part f yur dcument. Once yur dcument has been cnverted t PDF, check the tabbing rder t be sure that the dcument reads as intended. Things t Nte: When using Rman numerals, screen readers will read Rman numerals as a letter instead f a number equivalent. Instead f using Rman numerals, use numbers. Use the Bullet and Numbering feature frm the Frmat menu when bullets are required. Sme screen readers will read ut the wrd "bullet" t the user if the dcument is frmatted prperly. Use prper punctuatin t allw fr natural pauses and breaks in yur lists. Screen readers will pause when cming t a punctuatin mark. Infrmatin in the Header and Fter are NOT read by screen readers nce the dcument is cnverted t PDF. Avid using Wrd based check bxes and blank lines fr frms since the screen reader cannt detect these items fr the end user. Once the dcument is cnverted t PDF, use the frms feature in Adbe Acrbat t create the frm fields. Adjust Adbe Acrbat s Preference Settings: Befre cnverting a Wrd dcument int a PDF file yu must adjust Acrbat Prfessinal's Preference settings with the fllwing steps. (The fllwing is shwn fr Adbe Acrbat 8 and may differ depending n the Adbe versin yu are using) 1. Open Adbe Acrbat. 2. Chse Edit and Preference frm the tp menu. 3. Chse Cnvert T PDF in the Categries field and select Micrsft Office Wrd in the Cnverting T PDF field, and select the Edit Settings buttn. 4. In the Adbe PDF Setting fr supprted dcuments menu bx chse Standard frm the Adbe PDF Settings drp dwn menu. (Nte: see truble shting sectin if accessibility is nt available in the drp dwn menu) 5. Check the Add bkmarks, Add links and Enable accessibility & reflw bxes. 6. Finally, select the OK buttn t save each ne f yur menu preference bx changes. Last Revised: 11/6/2007 3

5 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Basic PDF file creatin Adbe cntinues t make it easier t create PDF files and ffers multiple ways f using Acrbat t accmplish this task. When yu have Adbe Acrbat installed prperly, yu can create a PDF file with a single click directly frm Wrd. Yu can als create a PDF file by using the Print cmmand and selecting Adbe PDF as yur printer. Hwever, be aware that sme features d nt cnvert frm MS Wrd when creating PDF's this way. Last Revised: 11/6/2007 4

6 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Optimizing PDF Files The versatility f PDF allws the frmat t be used n the Web, where small file size is imprtant, and als in the print industry, where the quality f the finished prduct is much mre imprtant than file size. When creating a PDF, yu shuld take steps t ptimize the PDF fr the apprpriate purpse. Acrbat has sme built-in settings that yu can use r mdify t create yur wn. In Wrd, g t: Adbe PDF > Change Cnversin Settings Click Advanced Settings t custmize the cnversin settings. Mdifying the PDF File 1. Add Prperties Once yur PDF file is created, yu ll want t add prperties that describe the file. These prperties g with the PDF file and may be used by search engines t discver and reference the PDF in searches. The language specificatin is referenced by accessible technlgy. The dcument prperties screen is fund under File - > Prperties. At a minimum, yu shuld always add the fllwing prperties t yur dcument. Title Authr Subject Keywrds Language Last Revised: 11/6/2007 5

7 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Nte: Sme f this infrmatin culd have carried ver frm the riginal surce dcument, which may nt be apprpriate. The language specificatin field is fund n the Advanced tab f the Prperties screen under reading ptins. Last Revised: 11/6/2007 6

8 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments 2. Delete, Rearrange, Insert Pages Alng the left side f the Acrbat windw are a series f tabs. See the Pages tab? If nt, select pages frm View > Navigatin Tabs > Pages. Click n the pages tab t see a thumbnail f each page in the PDF dcument. Frm this windw yu can rearrange r delete pages, extract ne t create a separate PDF file, r insert anther PDF file. 3. Tuch Up Text Acrbat allws limited editing f PDF files. If yu need t change a wrd r tw, crrect a number, r make similar changes, g t: Tls > Advanced Editing > TuchUp Text Tl. Select the text that yu need t change, and type in the new infrmatin. If extensive changes t text is required, it is suggested that yu access the riginal Wrd dcument t make thse changes and then cnvert the new dcument t PDF. Last Revised: 11/6/2007 7

9 4. Changing a Scanned Dcument t Real Text A PDF file made frm a scanned dcument, such as a signed mem, may lk t cntain text, but it is really just a picture f text. Zm in n a prtin f the text. If yu see jagged edges r ther imperfectins, yu re prbably lking at a scanned dcument. Try using the TuchUp text tl. If yu can t select text, it s prbably just a picture f text. In rder t be able t edit the text, r in rder fr a screen reader t read the text, the text must be recgnized frm the scan and cnverted t real text. This is what ptical character recgnitin (OCR) is. A cmputer prgram, in this case Adbe Acrbat, lks at the scan and determines what characters are being depicted. It then replaces the image f the text with editable text. PDFs created frm scanned dcuments are frequently the biggest ffenders in regards t accessibility. T crrect this: G t: Dcument > Recgnize Text Using OCR > Start Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments In the Recgnize Text dialgue bx, yu can chse which pages yu want recgnized. Mre imprtantly, yu can chse hw yu want Acrbat t utput the text t the PDF file. T change the utput settings, click n the Edit buttn in the recgnize text windw. Chse the Frmatted Text & Graphics in the PDF Output Style t create a screen readable dcument. Acrbat can retain the image and hld the text behind the scenes. This allws the search functin t wrk, but desn t allw yu t edit text r fr a screen reader t read the file. Or it can replace the text image with real text. This is preferable fr accessibility, editing, and file size; but it can require a lt f cleanup. Last Revised: 11/6/2007 8

10 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Finding Suspects: After the OCR has cnverted the image t real text, yu must review the dcument fr suspects. These are instances where the text image wasn t clear enugh fr Acrbat t make a gd interpretatin. Yu shuld prgress thrugh the dcument, suspect by suspect, and crrect Acrbat s errrs. T see and crrect suspects, g t: Dcument > Recgnize Text Using OCR > Find First OCR Suspect Acrbat will ffer a suggested reading. Yu can accept that r type in yur wn. As yu re wrking thrugh this task, yu may find anther prblem: Acrbat has recgnized sme text but put it in the wrng fnt. This happens typically with pr scans r pr riginals (phtcpies, faxes, etc.). T fix this, yu must change the prperties fr that bit f text. First, select the text using the TuchUp text tl. Then, right-click (CTRLclick n the Mac) and select Prperties frm the resulting drp-dwn menu. In the prperties windw, change the fnt, size, and any ther prperties t give the selected text the apprpriate characteristics. Last Revised: 11/6/2007 9

11 5. Make a PDF Dcument Accessible final steps There are tw things yu need t d t make a PDF file accessible t peple wh need t have the dcument read alud. 1. Yu must establish a structure and reading rder s that Acrbat knws hw t read thrugh the dcument. Acrbat is willing t take a stab at establishing the reading rder autmatically. G t: Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags t Dcument Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Unfrtunately, this desn t wrk very well if the dcument has multiple clumns, phts, and captins. Yu ll prbably find yurself having t red much f Acrbat s wrk manually. Frtunately, while it can be tedius, it s fairly simple wrk. Wrk thrugh the dcument page-by-page. First, set the reading rder. G t: Advanced > Accessibility > TuchUp Reading Order... Then use yur muse t draw rectangles arund the page cntent in the rder in which the cntent shuld be read. Frm the TuchUp text windw, click the buttn that describes the cntent. Last Revised: 11/6/

12 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments 2. Yu must give a textual descriptin f nn-text items such as graphics and charts. If yu added Alternate text t yur graphics in Wrd, thse descriptins shuld have cnverted t the PDF. What abut graphics? If the graphic is purely decrative, yu may want t skip it altgether. If it is nt referenced at a specific pint in the text, yu may want t include it in the reading rder at a cnvenient pint, fr instance, at the end f a paragraph. Fr graphics with captins, enclse them bth within a bx and click the figure with captin buttn. Using an ALT tag. The ALT tag gives a text descriptin f the figure. Once yu ve placed the figure int the reading rder, right-click (ctrl-click n the Mac) inside the bx cntaining the figure. Frm the drp-dwn menu that results, select edit alt tag. Enter a cncise descriptin f what the figure depicts. This takes a bit f artistry, as yu must decide what infrmatin cntent there is in the figure that wuld be f value t smene wh can t see it. Right click here; chse Edit Alt Text frm drp-dwn menu Prceed in this manner until yu reach the end f the dcument. T test yur wrk, have Acrbat read the dcument back t yu. G t: View > Read Out Lud > and chse hw much f the dcument yu want read back t yu. Fr testing purpses, yu shuld prbably stick t reading ne page at a time. Return t the TuchUp text reading rder tl if yu need t re-d a page. Last Revised: 11/6/

13 Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments Other References: 1. Adbe s Web Site: r 2. WebAIM s Web Site: Alternate Text fr Images Tutrial 3. Natinal Center n Disability & Access t Educatin: 4. Micrsft Wrd's Tip and Tls fr Accessibility (Featuring Tables) 5. University f Wiscnsin: Micrsft Wrds Structural Markup Tutrial Table guidelines tips as quted: "If yu have ne rw f headers acrss the tp, yu can set this rw as a header by selecting the table and chsing Table >Table Prperties > Rw tab > Repeat as Header Rw at the tp f each page. If a table has mre than ne rw f headers, r it has a set f clumn headers, it is nt pssible t add prper headings." (NCDAD Web site, 12/6/2006). 6. IBM's: Creating Accessible Micrsft Wrd's Dcuments. (Featuring Tables) Table guidelines tips as quted: D nt use tabs r spacing t create tables. While it may visually lk like a table, it will nt be recgnized as a table by assistive technlgy and will nt be accessible Simple tables created in Wrd using Table-Insert-Table are accessible withut any mdificatin. Cmplex tables created in Wrd using Table-Draw Table may nt be accessible because they usually have cells f different heights r a varying number f clumns per rw. There is n functin prvided in Wrd t assciate the rw and clumn headers fr cmplex tables D nt use nested tables. Add a captin abve r belw the table t summarize the purpse f the table. D nt use patterned backgrunds n tables," (IBM's Web site, 12/6/2006). Last Revised: 11/6/

14 Last Revised: 11/6/ Guide t Creating Accessible Dcuments