1 Creating Section 508 Compliant PDF Documents I ASPA Web Communications and New Media Division

2 PDF I Class Objectives This course has been created to assist document publishers in converting documents to accessible PDFs After completing this class you will be able to: Describe the HHS requirements for creating PDFs Describe how to create an accessible PDF ÷In Adobe Acrobat Professional ÷In Microsoft Word Structure a PDF for accessibility using tags Identify techniques for developing accessible PDFs

3 Creating Section 508 Compliant PDF Documents I Module 1 – Introduction and HHS Document Requirements

4 HHS PDF Document Layout and Formatting Requirements The document should be properly tagged The document language should be specified The document should have a logical reading order Table of Contents (TOC) and Bookmarks must be functioning correctly

5 HHS PDF Document Layout and Formatting Requirements All URLs must contain the correct hyperlink and display the fully qualified URL All URLs must be linked to an active Web Destination All Acrobat Comment and Markup items must be removed from the document All Acrobat Accessibility Tags must be correctly applied to the document

6 HHS PDF Document Layout and Formatting Requirements A Full Accessibility Report must be run on the document Documents that contain multi-column text, tables, or call-out boxes should be checked for correct reading order using assistive technology or the Acrobat Reader Read Out Loud function Any document that is unable to be made accessible will need to have a separate accessible version available for disabled users to access This version must have all of the capabilities (e.g. bookmarks) of the PDF

7 HHS PDF Document Images Requirements All images, grouped images or non-text elements must have Alternative Text associated with them Documents comprised of scanned images of text are not 508 compliant Complex images must have descriptive text immediately after the image Multiple associated images must be grouped as one object (i.e. single flattened image) All multi-layered objects must be flattened into one image and use one alternative text (alt tag) for this image

8 HHS PDF Document Tables Requirements Documents containing data tables should have readily identifiable row and column headers Tables should be used to organize information into a tabular format Data tables should have a logical reading order from left to right and top to bottom

9 HHS PDF Document Tables Requirements Table cells should be logically associated with the Row/Column Header Tables should be named, have a table number (if applicable) and have a description below the table All cells within a data table, that are not part of the header row, must be designated as data cells

10 HHS PDF Document Best Practices A visual check should be done to the document to ensure that no hidden data from any application used to create the original document is present in the resulting PDF file The document file name must not contain spaces or special characters

11 HHS PDF Document Best Practices The document file name must be concise, generally be limited to characters, to make the content of the file clear in the context in which it is presented Scanned signatures within documents are a considered a theft-of-identity risk and should not be used The document must utilize the recommended fonts i.e. Times New Roman, Verdana, Arial, Tahoma and Helvetica

12 Use Document Properties as Best Practices Properties Summary tab Shows document creator and ownership ÷Gives author of the document ÷Further contact information

13 PDF - Overview You have completed Module 1 You can now describe the HHS requirements when creating a PDF document Here is the link to the HHS PDF Checklist

14 Creating Section 508 Compliant PDF Documents I Module 2: Creating PDF Documents

15 Creating an Accessible PDF There are several methods for converting a document to PDF 1.Converting Microsoft Office documents to PDF using Adobe Acrobat 2.Converting files into PDF within Microsoft Office applications using the Adobe Acrobat plug-in 3.Converting a Paper Document to PDF (covered in PDF II)

16 Creating Documents in Adobe Acrobat Professional

17 Converting Documents using Adobe 1.Open Acrobat and from the File menu select Create PDF 2.Select the original file or method to create the PDF

18 Converting Documents using Adobe 1.Create PDF can be also chosen from the Advanced Editing tool bar 2.Select the original file or method to create the PDF

19 Converting Documents using Adobe 3.After selecting the file location and type in the browse field, select Open a.The file will automatically convert into a PDF b.Now the file will need to be remediated within Adobe Acrobat Professional

20 Conversion to PDF within Microsoft Office Using the Adobe Acrobat Plug- in

21 Converting files into PDF within Microsoft Word Start with a document that has been checked for best practice for accessible Word documents. Here is the link to the HHS Word checklist olicies/checklistword.html olicies/checklistword.html Before you can perform the actual conversion process, you must first check the conversion settings

22 Conversion Settings 1.Open the desired Office document source file 2.From the Office applications Main Menu bar, select Adobe PDF > Change Conversion Settings

23 Conversion Settings 3.From the Settings tab, under Applications Settings check the following checkboxes: a.Attach source file to Adobe PDF b.Add Bookmarks to Adobe PDF c.Add links to Adobe PDF d.Enable Accessibility and Reflow with Tagged Adobe PDF

24 Conversion Settings 4.Select the Advanced Settings button a.Change the Capability combo box selection to your version of Acrobat Professional b.Ensures the latest accessibility features 5.Select OK to save conversion settings

25 Converting files into PDF within Microsoft Word 1.Select Adobe PDF from the Main Menu 2.Select Convert to PDF from the Adobe PDF dropdown menu a.This creates a tagged PDF b.When prompted, name the file and save it c.Once the conversion process is completed, Adobe Professional will launch and display the newly created PDF file to be checked for accessibility.

26 Module 2 – Creating PDF Documents You have completed Module 2 You can convert a Word document into a PDF Using Adobe Acrobat Professional Using Microsoft Word

27 Creating Section 508 Compliant PDF Documents I Module 3: Structuring Documents

28 Structure Document structure gives a logical reading order A document that is well-structured and logically organized can easily be: Read and navigated by assistive technology Exported to other applications, with minimal adjustment to maintain accessibility Certain specifications need to be identified for text elements, non-text elements (images, tables, and diagrams), organizational aids and navigation aids

29 Adobe Acrobat: PDF Accessibility PDF tags create accessibility For a PDF document to be accessible it must contain the following: Actual text, scanned images are not accessible Tags that create the appropriate document structure Reading order specified for columns and tables Alternative text for images

30 Adobe Acrobat: PDF Accessibility Navigational aids as needed Fonts that allow characters to be extracted to text Security settings that do not interfere with assistive technology

31 Tagged PDF Tags are a text only representation of the PDF file that is presented to Assistive Technology (AT). They create the documents structure and functionality PDF documents use tags to indicate the page elements that define the documents content structure and how elements relate to one another Elements include: headers, paragraphs, tables, graphics and lists

32 Tag Types Tag DescriptionAcrobat Generated Word Generated Heading, Heading 1, Heading 2 Paragraph or List Figure, Table Table Row Table Header Cell Table Data Cell

33 Tag Types as seen in Acrobat

34 Document Status Verify Status Using the Tag tab, will denote if the document is tagged or not ÷If no tags appear, the document is untagged From the Content tab, review the document s content ÷If no text appears in the Content pane, the document is a legacy PDF or image Selecting the Order tab will reveal the reading order ÷If the document is untagged or does not contain actual text, the reading order will not exist

35 Document Status Content and Order Panes

36 Tagging Converted Documents Converting documents to PDF may generate an untagged PDF Untagged or poorly tagged PDFs are not accessible Combining several PDFs or other files into a single document results in a poorly tagged PDF [covered in PDF II]

37 Tagging an Untagged PDF Select Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document

38 Accessibility review of documents From Office formatted document: From the Order tab, review the documents reading order Remove empty containers and adjust reading order Edit tags Test for accessibility From legacy PDF or paper document (covered in PDF II)

39 Accessing the Tools Gain access to the Content, Order and Tags panes by: 1.From the Acrobat toolbar select View 2.From the View menu select Navigation Panels 3.From Navigation Panels select Content, Order, Tags 4.Drag all tabs into one panel

40 Creating Tags Use the Touchup Reading Order Tool to: Create a basic tagged structure of the document Add fillable edit fields with labels Establish the tab order Create and adjust reading order Use the Tags pane to: Add descriptive text to tags Add alternative text to Images Adjust/add table headers Adjust/add bookmarks

41 Touchup Reading Order From a Word Document Starting with the Word Document: 1.Make sure the document is structured with text elements styles such as Headers, Sub headers, list, formatted tables and make sure that all images have alternative text ÷90% of making a PDF accessible is done 2.Create PDF by using the Convert to PDF tool 3.From the Acrobat Order Panel, review and adjust the reading order as necessary 4.Demote artifacts to background 5.Go to the Tags panel and edit tags

42 Manually Adjusting PDF Tags If a document element was improperly tagged, the tag can quickly be converted to a more appropriate tag 1.Open the Tag Panel by selecting View>Navigation Panels>Tags from Acrobats main menu

43 Manually Adjusting PDF Tags 2.Right click on the desired tag, and select Properties a.This will open the Touchup Properties window

44 Manually Adjusting PDF Tags 3.From the Type combo box, select the correct tag and then close the window 4.The updated tag will appear in the Tags tree

45 Editing/Adding Tags Before editing or adding tags, review tag options by right clicking on a tag New Tag ÷Creates new tag in the tags list and must be dragged to the right location Highlight Content ÷Highlight corresponding content to the selected tag

46 Editing/Adding Tags Find Tags from Selection ÷From the toolbar, use the Select tool to select document text, and then click Find Tag from Selection Create Tags from Selection ÷From the toolbar, use the Select tool to select document text, and then click Create Tag from Selection

47 Editing/Adding Tags Properties ÷Change tag type ÷Add alternative text to Figure tags ÷Change document text style

48 Editing/Adding Tags Add Alternative text to images: 1.Select the Tags panel and right click on a Figure tag 2.Select Properties 3.Enter a title for the image 4.Type actual text that appears on the image 5.In the Alternative Text box type a text description that conveys the purpose of the image

49 Editing/Adding Tags Demote tagged images to the background: 1.Reveal child elements below the tag by left clicking on the plus sign to the left of the tag 2.Right click on the child element and then select Change Tag to Artifact 3.Define artifact type ÷Page ÷Pagination ÷Layout Artifacts are invisible to AT

50 Touchup Reading Order for Poorly Tagged Documents (e.g. MS Publisher) Working in the Order panel select Options 1.Select Show reading order panel 2.Next the Touchup Reading Order tool will appear 3.Select Clear page structure to clear any existing tags

51 Touchup Reading Order ButtonTag/Description Text Form Field Heading 1- Heading 3 Figure Image Figure/Caption Image with text Table Cells Table row and column headers Formula Background

52 Touchup Reading Order 4.Create Containers for document elements by highlighting the text of image a.A blue boundary box should appear around the select element. 5.Select a tag type from the Touchup Reading Order tool to assign a tag to the element and add it to the reading order

53 Touchup Reading Order 6.When tagging the document, the reading order may not be correct 7.Go to the Tags panel and edit tags as necessary

54 Manually Adjust Reading Order The reading order determines the order a screen reader reads document elements Sometimes Physical View (print view) and Content View (reading order) are not the same Then reading order needs to be adjusted to match the Physical View

55 Manually Adjust Reading Order To change the reading order: 1.From Acrobats main menu, select View>Navigation Tabs>Order

56 Manually Adjust Reading Order a.Once the Order Panel is displayed, numbers will appear on the document, revealing the documents reading order

57 Manually Adjust Reading Order 2.Identify the first element that is out of place and in the Order Panel click on the box to the left of the element and drag the element to the proper location 3.Continue this process until all elements are in the proper order

58 Adding Alternative Text Alternative text is used to convey the purpose of images and objects embedded in documents Without alternative text, valuable information is lost, and the document may not be completely understood by users accessing the document with assistive technology and alternative devices

59 Adding Alternative Text Looking at the tagged document using the Order tab, an image without alternative text looks like this:

60 Adding Alternative Text 1.Right click on the desired tag in the tags tree and select Properties

61 Adding Alternative Text 2.Go to the Alternative Text field located on the Touchup Properties window and add the appropriate alternative text

62 Alternative Text 3.Close the window and move to the Order tab, the image will change to show the alternative text

63 Setting the Documents Language Language selection is changed in the main Document Properties screen Setting the proper document language enables screen readers to choose the correct synthesizer for reading the document If the wrong synthesizer is chosen, the document will not read correctly

64 Accessible Tables Reading order must be specified for tables Use the Tags pane to: Adjust/add table headers Tags for tables are - Table - Table Header - Table Row - Table Data

65 Adobe Acrobats Workflow Suggestions Web pages Multiple files to combine in PDF File in authoring application Create PDF document Convert scan to PDF, apply OCR Create a single PDF document Create a tagged PDF document Scan-based document Step 1 Start from the document You have Step 2 Process PDF document As form (if needed) Step 4 Evaluate accessibility, fix common problems Step 6 Edit tag tree to fix advanced problems (Optional) Add fillable, accessible form fields Step 3 Tag PDF document (if not already tagged) Tag PDF document (if not already tagged) Check accessibility Fonts OK? Fix reading order and Basic tagging PDF document (not a scan) Step 5 Add other accessibility features Create bookmarks, set Language, etc. Fix tables, complex reading order, etc Yes No Stop File is inaccessible

66 Validating PDF Accessibility Five techniques for validating PDF accessibility 1.Run Accessibility Full check 2.Use Reflow (resets visual reading order to match tagging order) 3.Save as Accessible Text 4.Use assistive technology a.AT used by a person with a disability e.g. JAWS or Window-Eyes 5.When assistive technology is not available use Read Out Loud - Built-in PDF reader

67 Adobe Acrobat Reader: Read Out Loud When assistive technology is not available use the built-in PDF reader to test the PDF s reading order: 1.From the View menu select Read Out Loud 2.Select either Read This Page Only or Read to End of Document

68 Adobe Acrobat: Quick Tips Save PDF files frequently after each significant change, using a different file name - undo is not an option. Use (*) to expand all elements in the Order, Content or Tag panel Create Bookmarks to assist with navigation Avoid using reverse type or shadow type Provide the Author's contact information, so that document clarification can be provided as necessary

69 Module 3 – Structuring PDF Documents We have completed Module 3 We have: Discussed the importance of structuring a document Discussed how to use and modify tags Listed five techniques for validating PDF accessibility

70 Resources – Accessible PDF Creation Adobe Professional Tutorials WebAIM Planet PDF/Duff Johnson PDF News and Tips (e-zine): Web Accessibility for All

71 Resources - Government Web Communications & New Media Division Includes policies, checklists, and best practices for HHS document accessibility Federal Government 508 Policy, Training and Resources

72 ASPA Web Communications and New Media Division Creating Section 508 Compliant PDF Documents I