1. AT Access to Flash and PDF
Featuring Adobe Acrobat 9
and Flash Player 10
Matt May
25 Mar 2010
Introduction
Today our topic is about achieving results in PDF files that make them accessible to individuals with disabilities. We’ll be using Adobe Acrobat 8 to enhance PDF files in order to make them accessible.

2. Adobe Acrobat 9 Accessibility Overview
All products in the Acrobat family, Reader, Acrobat Standard, and Acrobat Professional work with conventional assistive technology products such as the popular screen readers JAWS, NVDA and Window Eyes.
All of the Acrobat products also have built in accessibility features such as Read Out Loud speech synthesis, the ability to control the contrast between background and text, and the ability to provide a large type display using the Reflow feature.
Pro versions provide authors the ability to validate and create accessible PDF documents and forms from a variety of original sources including scanned paper documents.

3. Product Features: Lowering Barriers to Accessibility
Works in Conjunction with Conventional Assistive Technology
Screen Readers:
Windows: IBM Home Page Reader, JAWS, SuperNova (Reader / Magnifier), Window-Eyes
Linux: Orca
Mac OS: VoiceOver
Voice Recognition: Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Windows)
Screen Magnifiers: Lunar, ZoomText (Windows)
Built-in Features in Adobe Reader 9 and all versions of Adobe Acrobat 9 Mean There is Accessibility without Additional Software
Incorporates Operating System Accessibility Features
Read Out Loud, Reflow, High Contrast View, Autoscroll, Accessibility Setup Assistant
There are built in accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader which do not require the use of additional third party software products. Acrobat and Reader are designed to incorporate the accessibility features that are available from the operating system or are specific functions of Acrobat or Reader. Examples include the text to speech facility of read out loud, the reflow function that displays content in large type without losing the edges, high contrast settings for certain visual disabilities, and autoscroll for limited moblility. There is also a configuration wizard which allows users to configure Acrobat or Reader in a way that optimizes their use with accessibility preferences or with 3rd party assistive technology.
Conventional assistive technology products are 3rd party applications that individuals with disabilities rely upon to aid them in using computers effeciently. Acrobat and Reader work with popular screen readers on a variety of platforms, including JAWS, Window Eyes, and SuperNova. Other popular products that Acrobat and Reader work with are the Dragon Naturally Speaking Voice Recognition application and the Lunar and Zoomtext screen magnifiers to name a few.

4. Accommodation Achieved With or Without 3rd Party Assistive Technology
Product Features: Providing Accommodation for a Variety of Disabilities
Accommodation Achieved With or Without 3rd Party Assistive Technology
Blindness (Text to Speech functionality: Read Out Loud and Screen Reader Compatibility also support for Braille output – refreshable keyboards, Braille embossers)
Low Vision (Text to Speech functionality, Support for Magnification and Large Type Display: Reflow, High Contrast Viewing, Read Out Loud, Screen Magnifier Compatibility)
Limited Mobility (Autoscroll, numerous keyboard equivalents, compatibility with alternate input devices, Support for Voice Recognition - Dragon, ViaVoice)
Cognitive (Read Out Loud, Compatibility with TextHelp’s PDFAloud which highlights content as it is being spoken)
While the issues of the blind are the most prominent regarding accessibity, Acrobat and Reader provide accomodation for a number of disabilities which may afflict computer users. For the blind, accomodation is achieved by providing text to speech functionality, either through the built in read out loud function or using a screen reader. Also there is support for Braille output to paper using a Braille embosser or through a refreshable keyboard.
Low vision is accomodated with text to speech functionality and the ability to magnify the page providing large type display. Some conditions can be accomodated by setting high contrast views of the page.
Limited mobility is provided support with auto scroll, the ability to use keyboard shortcuts, compatibility with alternate input devices that are more ergonomically friendly or use another body part such as the head for driving a pointing device, or support for voice recognition software that allows you to issue commands to the computer using speech.
Cognitive disabilities, such as dyslexia or reading comprehension problems are dealt with using Read Out Loud or the PDFAloud plug-in available from TextHelp.

5. Product Features: Built In Accommodations
Export to Other File Formats
Reader: Save as Accessible Text
Acrobat: Export to:
Word Document
Rich Text Format (RTF)
HTML
XML
Text
High Contrast View
Alters text and background colors
Edit > Preferences (Ctrl-K)
Select Accessibility
Check “Replace Document Colors”
Adobe Acrobat 8 and Adobe Reader 8 have built in accessibility features that offer no cost accomodations. These are not meant to replace conventional assistive technology, but serve as a substitute if 3rd party assistive technology products are not available to the user who needs them.
Autoscroll moves the page on the screen automatically. Speed and direction are controlled by the up or down arrows.
Certain users will prefer to save the contents of a PDF file to another format and Acrobat supports the export of text to a variety of formats include Microsoft Word and rich text format. Reader supports the export of PDF documents to plain text.
Users also have the ability to establish contrast preferences between the text and background of a PDF file.
Read Out Loud is Acrobat and the Adobe Reader’s built in Text to Speech engine which makes it possible to listen to the text in a PDF file being read aloud by the computer’s speech engine.
Reflow provides users with a large type display that features text wrapping so content is not lost in the margins. This is a benefit to users with low vision who find it easier to read larger fonts.

6. Product Features: Built In Accommodations
Read Out Loud – Reads to You
View > Read Out Loud > Activate Read Out Loud
Shift + Ctrl + Y Activates Read Out Loud
Shift + Ctrl + V reads the current page
Shift + Ctrl + B reads the entire document
Shift + Ctrl + C pauses reading
Shift + Ctrl + E stops reading
Adobe Acrobat 8 and Adobe Reader 8 have built in accessibility features that offer no cost accomodations. These are not meant to replace conventional assistive technology, but serve as a substitute if 3rd party assistive technology products are not available to the user who needs them.
Autoscroll moves the page on the screen automatically. Speed and direction are controlled by the up or down arrows.
Certain users will prefer to save the contents of a PDF file to another format and Acrobat supports the export of text to a variety of formats include Microsoft Word and rich text format. Reader supports the export of PDF documents to plain text.
Users also have the ability to establish contrast preferences between the text and background of a PDF file.
Read Out Loud is Acrobat and the Adobe Reader’s built in Text to Speech engine which makes it possible to listen to the text in a PDF file being read aloud by the computer’s speech engine.
Reflow provides users with a large type display that features text wrapping so content is not lost in the margins. This is a benefit to users with low vision who find it easier to read larger fonts.

7. Product Features: Built In Accommodations
Form Fields
Edit > Preferences (Ctrl +K) select Reading and select “Read Form Fields”
Reflow – Large Type Display
View > Zoom > Reflow
Ctrl + 4
Alt + V + Z + R
Adobe Acrobat 8 and Adobe Reader 8 have built in accessibility features that offer no cost accomodations. These are not meant to replace conventional assistive technology, but serve as a substitute if 3rd party assistive technology products are not available to the user who needs them.
Autoscroll moves the page on the screen automatically. Speed and direction are controlled by the up or down arrows.
Certain users will prefer to save the contents of a PDF file to another format and Acrobat supports the export of text to a variety of formats include Microsoft Word and rich text format. Reader supports the export of PDF documents to plain text.
Users also have the ability to establish contrast preferences between the text and background of a PDF file.
Read Out Loud is Acrobat and the Adobe Reader’s built in Text to Speech engine which makes it possible to listen to the text in a PDF file being read aloud by the computer’s speech engine.
Reflow provides users with a large type display that features text wrapping so content is not lost in the margins. This is a benefit to users with low vision who find it easier to read larger fonts.

8. Adobe Acrobat Advanced > Accessibility> Setup Assistant
Product Feature: Optimize Adobe Acrobat / Adobe Reader for Best Results
Accessibility Setup Assistant Configures the User Agent for Optimal Performance with Assistive Technology
Adobe Acrobat Advanced > Accessibility> Setup Assistant
Adobe Reader Help>Accessibility Setup Assistant
Accessibility settings are scattered about the Acrobat and Adobe Reader interface. This may pose a challenge to someone using assistive technology, so Adobe provides an Accessibility Setup Assistant which uses a wizard to assist users in configuring their copy of Acrobat or Adobe Reader in a way that works best with the assistive technology they are using.

9. Adobe Acrobat Pro Versions Accessibility Details
Compatible with Conventional Assistive Technology
Has Built in Accessibility Accommodations
Read Out Loud
High Contrast
Reflow
Autoscroll
Accessibililty Setup Assistant
Facilitates Accessible Authoring
OCR
Add Tags
Touch Up Read Order Tool
Accessibility Checker

10. The File Format: Accessibility Requirements
Logical Reading Order – Does it make sense when you listen to it?
Alternate Text Descriptions for Non-Text Elements – Have alternate text descriptions been added to graphics for those with visual disabilities?
Logical Tab Order (Forms) – Can you navigate the form in a way that makes sense?
Short Descriptions (Forms) – Are audible short descriptions added to form fields for those with visual disabilities?
Any file format, including PDF has to be able to be structured in such a way that the content can be conveyed in a meaningful way.
For PDF, as with other formats, this means that you need to be able to establish a logical reading order – in other words, establish a text flow that makes sense when listening to it. For PDF forms this means establishing a logical tab order for navigating through the form’s fields in a sensible manner.
The other strucutural mechanism a file format has to support as an accomodation to individuals with limited or no vision is a means for providing alternate text descriptions for non text elements such as graphics and illustrations that are part of the content.
For PDF this means an ability to add ALT text for graphics and images. For the PDF form, the short description performs this function for form fields.
For PDF’s meant to be used as interactive forms, the equivalents to read order and alternate text description are called tab order and short description. Setting the tab order allows a user to navigate in a logical way using the tab key to move from one field in a form to the next in a logical manner. First name, last name, street address for example rather than first name, street address, last name.
The short description attaches a label to the form field that conveys the meaning of the lable to assistive technologies. This allows blind users to know they are in the field asking for their first name or have landed in the check box indicating gender.
Adobe has also introduced a tool exclusively dedicated to the creation of interactive PDF forms. The tool is the Adobe LiveCycle Designer. In addition to a rich set of features which make for compelling interactive online forms, the Adobe Designer includes tools for adding features to these forms which provide accessibility.

11. Product Feature: Acrobat TouchUp Read Order Tool
TouchUp Reading Order Tool in Acrobat 9 Professional for PDF Accessibility Repair
Review and correct reading order
Review and correct basic tagging issues
Add Alternate Text to Figures
Add Short Descriptions to Form Fields
Tag simple tables quickly and easily
Benefits
Quick and easy to detect tagging errors
Easy to fix most common errors
The Touch Up Reading Order tool makes creating accessible PDFs less of a chore.
It makes it easier to perform critical accessibility functions such as reviewing and correcting read order, reviewing and correcting the tagging of figures, adding alternative text descriptions to non text elements in PDF files, and facilitates the tagging of simple tables quickly and easily.
The benefits of the touch up read order tool are summed up in ease of use. The Touch Up Reading Order tool makes it quick and easy to detect and repair tagging errors and the touch up read order tool makes it easy for users to fix the most common errors.

12. The Future for Acrobat and Reader
IAccessible2 support in the next major version
Support for Portfolios

13. Flash accessibility architecture
MSAA
Flash Player
Flex SDK
Flash content
Flex content
Assistive technology
Flash components
Custom Flash
content

14. Building Accessible Applications
MSAA Overview
MSAA is a standard method of sharing accessibility information
By default many Microsoft controls contain MSAA contexts.
Flash Player creates an MSAA server within the application that will send MSAA information to a client such as a screen reader or screen magnifier
JON

15. Building Accessible Applications
Assistive Technology support has multiple dependencies
Flash player support for an accessibility API - Flash player uses Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA)
Assistive technology support for the accessibility API, including any connection to the Flash player's support
Presence of appropriate and required information within the Flash SWF file.
JON

16. Common problems with Flash content
“Flash movie start. Flash movie end.”
Support on non-Windows platforms

17. The Future for Flash Player and Flex
IAccessible2 support in the next major version of Flash Player
Support for WAI-ARIA in the following version of Flex