“Tags” sounds like HTML, doesn’t it? What’s that got to do with PDF? PDF was invented to provide an electronic equivalent of paper. As such, it’s perfectly natural for PDF files to contain characters and images located at such-and-such coordinates on a page – and that’s it. No concept of paragraphs, sentences or even words. […]
View PostIt’s not obvious how Section 508 applies to PDF content, and that’s frustrating. What is for sure is that perceived accessibility and usability depend on making the document work well rather than work poorly, no matter how formally “compliant” it is. Here, we offer a few issues worthy of consideration when developing your Section 508 […]
View PostMyth: Section 508 doesn’t apply to PDF documents WRONG. Most website accessibility efforts begin with a focus on ensuring that HTML content complies with the terms of the law – which makes sense, because most websites are based in HTML Government websites often use PDF for a high proportion of overall site content, and in […]
View PostNearly four years in the making, AIIM’s PDF/UA Committee today agreed to submit their draft standard to ANSI to be submitted to ISO as an ISO NWI (New Work Item). It’s the first formal step from the Working Group’s document to begin the full international process. AIIM and Adobe launched the PDF/UA effort knowing that […]
View PostAdobe today posted a new set of content designed to enhance end-user understanding of accessibility in PDF. These documents are edited by Adobe PDF accessibility specialist Greg Pisocky, and they pull together know-how from many sources. Anyone interested in Section 508 compliance and accessibility in PDF files should download and check them out! …and from […]
View PostPDF was originally designed to do one thing: deliver an author’s intent to screen or printer in an efficient, precise and platform-independent manner. This “print paradigm” persists today, and colors the issue of accessible PDF in subtle but pervasive ways. To understand how the print orientation in PDF presents a challenge to accessibility, begin with […]
View PostTo optimize HTML, you need to really know your way around the HyperText Markup Language. Optimizing PDF with usability features that will satisfy the vast majority of users is much easier. The following guidelines for optimizing PDF documents are not a panacea for bad or thoughtless design. If you insist on multi-column pages, exotic text […]
View PostAccessibility is not an especially familiar concept in the computing world. Most of us encounter the idea of accessibility often enough by way of special vehicle parking spaces, ramps, braille signage, beeping crosswalks, and so on. Improving accessibility is more than a courtesy, it is an accepted and vital goal of any advanced society. Both […]
View PostA blind person cannot read from a screen any more than from a printed page. Technologies nonetheless exist that allow blind and other disabled users impressively full-featured access to documents. To be accessible, however, the document contents must be available to these so-called “assistive” technologies. To address the needs of visually impaired and other users […]
View PostAccessibility: Why is it important to Adobe Systems? Government demands it. Schools need it. Users want it. But when it comes to making electronic documents friendly to assistive technology, the great strengths of the PDF format are also its weakness. The very flexibility of PDF and the tremendous power of Acrobat make real accessibility (also […]
View PostAdobe’s Current Strategy (as described on access.adobe.com) Enhance the PDF format with MSAA-aware capabilities (tags) that document developers may use to improve accessibility. This approach is rooted in the belief that accessibility is operationally defined as the ability to interact with the user’s choice of screen reader software. Usability is not part of this definition. […]
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