TOC PREV NEXT INDEX

adobe logo

Practice Exercises for PDF Accessibility

The Practice Files and Solution Files for each exercise are located in the folder labelled Basic Exercises. These practice files are designed to let you try various scenarios involving different kinds of PDF files.

Scanned PDF Exercise
You can practice the steps necessary for making a scanned PDF file accessible using the software and practice files available on this tutorial's CD.
Software:

Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional

Practice File(s):
1_scan.pdf or 1_scan.tif
Solution File(s):
1_scan_solution.pdf
  1. Open the PDF File
Open one of the practice files for this exercise, either 1_scan.pdf or 1_scan.tif. If you use 1_scan.tif, Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional will rename it 1_scan.pdf.
  1. Page Analysis for the Scanned PDF
A glance at the PDF file for this exercise indicates it is a single page document that appears to be a letter of some sort. There are some graphic elements on the page - a logo and a signature. For the most part it looks as if it is a single column document, though there is a non linear read order due to the letter head and date at the top followed by the document's contents. You also note there appears to be a rule and a footer at the bottom of the page. It also appears slightly skewed which could be an indication that it originates from a scanned document (See Figure 2 - 28 Page Analysis for Step 3 Exercise) .
Figure 2 - 28 Page Analysis for Step 3 Exercise
Page analysis for this example with page elements highlighted


    1. Determine if the PDF File is a Scanned Image
    There are several ways to determine if a PDF file viewed inside of Adobe Acrobat 7.0 is actually a scanned image.
  1. Run Read Out Loud - View > Read Out Loud > Read This Page Only or type Ctrl + Shift + V. In Acrobat Professional 7.0 the scanned page alert will be displayed. (See Figure 2 - 29 Acrobat Professional 7.0 Scanned Page Alert) .
Figure 2 - 29 Acrobat Professional 7.0 Scanned Page Alert
ssible. If the user wishes to do this, then the OK button should be selected, otherwise the user would select cancel.


  1. Look for the presence of "Jaggies" in place of rounded smooth text. This is an indication of bit mapped text. These bitmaps are more easily revealed by magnifying the page (See Figure 2 - 30 Appearance of Jagged Text on the Page) . For a comparison of jagged text with smooth text, you can also refer to Figure 2 - 34 Before and After Results of OCR . The jagged text appears on the left in the panel labelled "Before OCR" with smooth text appearing on the right in the panel labelled "After OCR."
Figure 2 - 30 Appearance of Jagged Text on the Page
Screen shot of a scanned page in Adobe Acrobat. The letter "g" on the page has been magnified to show the jagged edges that are typical of a bitmapped image of text as opposed to actual text which would have smooth rounded edges.


  1. Search for a term on the page - Use Acrobat's Search command Edit>Search or using the keyboard shortcut Shift +Ctrl + F to look for a term that appears on the page. In the example provided shown in Figure 2 - 31 , the term "Dallas" is plainly visible, but the Search command indicates that no instances of the term were found. Another benefit to using the search command instead of the find command Edit>Find or keyboard shortcut Ctrl +F, is the search command will also launch the scanned page alert dialog which offers the user the opportunity to begin the Optical Character Recognition process "Recognize Text Using OCR" by selecting OK. If you do not want to begin OCR, then choose Cancel. Details regarding the OCR process are found in the section If the PDF is a Scanned Image of this tutorial.
Figure 2 - 31 Searching for a Term That Appears on the Page
image. In the example, the term "Dallas" is highlighted on the page to show that even though it is visible on the page, searching for the term on a scanned image yields no instances of the term were found by the search engine.


If the PDF is a Scanned Image
  1. Perform an Optical Charcter Recognition (OCR) with the "Recognize Text Using OCR" command. Document > Recognize Text Using OCR > Start. Be sure to use the Formatted Text and Graphics option for the PDF Output style (See Figure 2 - 32 Recognize Text Using OCR Dialog) .
Figure 2 - 32 Recognize Text Using OCR Dialog
ch. The edit button on the dialog is also highlighted to show how to make changes to any of these settings.


If either of the other two options for PDF Output Style are displayed as the PDF Output Style, either Searchable Image (Exact) or Searchable Image (Compact) select the Edit button to reveal the Recognize Text - Settings dialog. Use the drop down list to change the PDF Output Style to Formatted Text and Graphics (See Figure 2 - 33 Recognize Text - Settings Dialog) . Selecting OK after specifying the Formatted Text and Graphics output style will return you to the Recognize Text dialog.
Figure 2 - 33 Recognize Text - Settings Dialog
Screen shot of the Recognize text setting dialog for Adobe Acrobat. The drop down list indicating the preferred setting for PDF output style to be Formatted Text and Graphics is highlighted.


To begin the optical character recognition process select OK from the recognize text using OCR dialog (See Figure 2 - 32 Recognize Text Using OCR Dialog) . A progress bar will be displayed in the bottom left area of the Adobe Acrobat status window. Once that is completed all bitmapped text that the OCR engine recognized will be converted to searchable text with true font encodings. The comparison between bitmapped text as it appears before the OCR operation and formatted text which appears after the OCR process is completed is illustrated in Figure 2 - 34 .
Figure 2 - 34 Before and After Results of OCR
Before and after results of the Acrobat OCR command. On the left appears bit mapped text with jagged letters prior to the OCR command. On the right, letters are now smooth with rounded edges after the OCR process is complete.


  1. Reveal Suspects. From the Menu, select Document > Recognize Text Using OCR > Find All OCR Suspects. The suspects, items the OCR engine was not sufficiently confident in interpreting, will have red boxes around them (See Figure 2 - 35 Revealing the Suspects in an OCR Document)
Figure 2 - 35 Revealing the Suspects in an OCR Document
Screen shot showing how OCR suspects are highlighted with red boxes when find all OCR suspects is on


  1. Correct Suspects. Select Document > Recognize Text Using OCR > Find First OCR Suspect. This will result in the display of the Find Element Dialog (See Figure 2 - 36 FInd Element Dialog) .
Figure 2 - 36 FInd Element Dialog
Find element dialog for searching for OCR suspects


If necessary type corrections in the Suspect field and select "Accept and Find" or where the OCR is correct, simply select "Accept and Find" until you reach the "Find Completed" alert (See Figure 2 - 37 Recognize Text Using OCR Find Completed Alert) This means you are done verifying the document's suspects.
Figure 2 - 37 Recognize Text Using OCR Find Completed
Recognize text using OCR indicates search for suspects is complete

Alert
    1. Determine if the PDF File is Meant to be a Form
    This document does not appear to have form fields, there is no indication it is meant to be a form. Because it is not a form, you can proceed to the next step, determining if the file is a Legacy PDF.
    1. Determine if the PDF File is a Legacy PDF
    At this point in this example of making a scanned PDF accessible, you have created the equivalent of a legacy PDF file, because you performed an OCR on the file.
    1. Determine if the PDF File has been Tagged
    There are several ways to determine if a PDF file has been tagged (See Step 6: Determine if the PDF File is a Tagged PDF File) . For this exercise we'll use the document properties method. Reveal the document Properties dialog and select the Description tab. In the lower left note that Tagged PDF is indicated "no" (See Figure 2 - 38 Indication of an Untagged PDF) .
Figure 2 - 38 Indication of an Untagged PDF
Document properties dialog indicating the PDF file has not been tagged


If the PDF File Has Not Been Tagged

  1. Add Tags to the Document - From the menu, select Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document - scanned PDFs are most likely not going to be tagged (See Figure 2 - 39 Add Tags to Document)
Figure 2 - 39 Add Tags to Document
Add tags to document command in Adobe Acrobat


  1. Add Missing Alternative Text - The Add Tags Report will reveal which figures are missing alternate text (See Figure 2 - 40 Add Tags Report)
Figure 2 - 40 Add Tags Report
Add tags report indicates accessibility issues in the PDF file


  1. The hyperlink in the Add Tags report points to the specif figures in the document that are missing alternative text (See Figure 2 - 41 Finding the Figure with the Missing Alt Text) .
Figure 2 - 41 Finding the Figure with the Missing Alt Text
Using the accessibility report to find the figures with missin g Alt Text


  1. With the Touch Up Object Tool selected Tools > Advanced Editing > Touchup Object Tool The Touch Up Object Tool cursor is a small square. Place the Touch Up Object Tool cursor over the graphic. Click on the graphic to draw a bounding box around it.With the bounding box active, right click and select "Properties" from the drop down menu. This displays the TouchUp Properties dialog. Select the second tab in this dialog, which is labelled "Tag" and type in a meaningful alternate text description for the graphic in the field labelled Alternate Text (See Figure 2 - 42 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Object Tool Method) .
Figure 2 - 42 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Object Tool Method
Adding alternate text using the Touch Up Object Tool


  1. Alternatively you can select the Touch Up Read Order Panel - Advanced > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order...in order to help find tagging errors on the page (See Figure 2 - 43 Touch Up Read Order Panel (with Show Tables and Figures Option Checked)) .
Figure 2 - 43 Touch Up Read Order Panel (with Show Tables and Figures Option Checked)
The Touch Up Read Order Panel


  1. Select the Touch Up Read Order tool from the TouchUp Reading Order Panel (upper right corner). Move the cursor over the flag that indicates no alternate text exists somewhere around the letter "g" in the word "Figure" (See Figure 2 - 44 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Read Order Tool Method)
Figure 2 - 44 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Read Order Tool Method
Adding alternate text using the touch up read order tool


  1. With the cursor over the letter "g" in the word "Figure" for those graphics that are indicated to be missing alternate text, right click and select the "edit alternate text" option. You may have to reposition the cursor slightly in order to get the words "Edit alternate text" to appear (See Figure 2 - 45 Displaying the Edit Alternate Text Box)
Figure 2 - 45 Displaying the Edit Alternate Text Box
Displaying the Touch Up Tools alternate text edit box


  1. If you are successful, the Alternate Text Window will appear and you can type in the desired alternate text (See Figure 2 - 46 The Alternate Text Window) .
Figure 2 - 46 The Alternate Text Window
Text can be typed in the Alternate Text Window


    1. Determine if the PDF is Properly Tagged
    Use the TouchUp Reading Order Panel to determine if the document has been properly tagged.
  1. Select the TouchUp Read Order Panel - Advanced > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order... To make it easier to distinguish items on the page, you can use the color picker to use different colors to indicate elements on the page (See Figure 2 - 47 Changing the Color Indicators in the Touch Up Read Order Tool) .
Figure 2 - 47 Changing the Color Indicators in the Touch Up Read Order Tool
A color picker for the touch up read order tools indicators


  1. Verify Read Order by rearranging items on the page in their proper sequence. You do this by choosing the "Show Order Panel" button on the Touch Up Read Order panel to display the Content palette in the Navigation tabs section. Push items in the Content palette up or down until they are in the desired sequence (See Figure 2 - 48 Reading Order Panel) .
Figure 2 - 48 Reading Order Panel
Touch up read order panel and relationship to order panel


  1. Run the Accessibility Checker - Advanced > Accessibility > Full Check. Run the report and note the results. Typically there will be an error indicated (See Figure 2 - 49 Accessibility Checker Error) .
Figure 2 - 49 Accessibility Checker Error
The accessibility checker indicates an error


An accessibility report will also be generated and be displayed in the How to Pane of the the Acrobat User Interface (See Figure 2 - 50 Accessibility Report Hints for Repair)
Figure 2 - 50 Accessibility Report Hints for Repair
Accessibility report provides hints for reparing accessibility problems in PDF files


  1. Follow the hints for repair that appear in the accessibility report. In this example, the report has made a suggestion for specifying a language for the document (See Figure 2 - 51 Document Properties: Specifying a Language) .
Figure 2 - 51 Document Properties: Specifying a Language
The advanced tab in the document properties dialog allows you to specify an language


  1. Repeat this process until the Accessibility Checker Indicates no problems exist in the document (See Figure 2 - 52 A Clean Accessibility Check) .
Figure 2 - 52 A Clean Accessibility Check
An accessibility report indicating no problems with the document


Congratulations! You have completed the Scanned PDF Accessibility Exercise!
PDF Form Exercise
You can practice the steps necessary for making a PDF Form accessible using the software and practice files available on this tutorial's CD.
Software:

Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional

Practice File(s):
2_form.pdf
Solution File(s):
2_form_solution.pdf
  1. Open the PDF File
Open the practice files for this exercise, 2_form.pdf.
  1. Page Analysis for the PDF Form
A glance at the PDF file for this exercise indicates it is a two page document that appears to be a form of some sort. There are some graphic elements on the page - a logo and a bar chart. Viewing the document with the tags palette displayed indicates this document is not tagged. (See Figure 2 - 53 Page Analysis for Step 4 Exercise) .
Figure 2 - 53 Page Analysis for Step 4 Exercise
Analyzing a PDF document with the document's elements highlighted and labelled


    1. Determine if the PDF File is a Scanned Image
    There are several ways to determine if a PDF file viewed inside of Adobe Acrobat 7.0 is actually a scanned image. We'll use the accessibility quick check technique for this example. The entire list is found (See Step 3: Determine if the PDF is a Scanned Image) .
  1. Run the Accessibility Quick Check - Advanced > Accessibility > Quick Check (Shift + Ctrl + 6). If the Quick Check generates a report indicating the document contains no text, then that would indicate the PDF is a scanned document. This is not the case in this example (See Figure 2 - 54 Acrobat Professional 7.0 Scanned Page Alert) . The file is not a scan.
Figure 2 - 54 Acrobat Professional 7.0 Scanned Page Alert
ssible. If the user wishes to do this, then the OK button should be selected, otherwise the user would select cancel.


If the PDF is a Scanned Image
  1. This PDF is not a scan, it is not necessary to perform Optical Character Recognition.
If the PDF is Not a Scan
  1. This PDF is not a scan, you can proceed to Step 4 and determine if the PDF file is meant to be a form.
    1. Determine if the PDF File is Meant to be a Form
    This document does appear to have form fields, this is an indication it is meant to be a form. Because it is a form, and it is intended to be interactive, it will be necessary to add form fields with short descriptions to the document. We will use the Acroforms tools found in Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional for this example. For informtion on LiveCycle Designer accessibility, see Module 2 (See Adobe LiveCycle Designer) .
  2. Select the Forms Toolbar - Tools > Advanced Editing > Select Forms Toolbar. This displays the Forms Toolbar, you can allow it to float in the Document window or dock it in the toolbar area according to your preference (See Figure 2 - 55 Forms Toolbar) .
Figure 2 - 55 Forms Toolbar
Acrobat 7.0 Forms tool bar. Button tool, Check box tool, combo box tool, list box tool, radio button tool, text field tool, and digital signature icon


  1. From the Forms Toolbar select the Text Field Tool. The cursor changes to a cross-hair. Draw a box to occupy the area indicated by the box next to the word District on the form. Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the box, and while holding down the left mouse button, drag the cursor to the opposite lower left corner. You have defined the boundaries of the form field to be used for typing in the District name.
    When you release the cursor, the text field properties dialog will appear. Select the tab labelled "General" and type a meaningful descriptio in the tooltip field. This is what the screen reader will read when the field has focus (See Figure 2 - 56 Entering a Tooltip for a Text Field)
Figure 2 - 56 Entering a Tooltip for a Text Field
Entering a tool tip for a text field in a PDF form


  1. Continue this process until you have done all the form fields on the first page. If you like, you can also do the form fields and check boxes on the second page (See Figure 2 - 57 Text Fields Applied to the PDF Form) . Feel free to experiment.
Figure 2 - 57 Text Fields Applied to the PDF Form
Text fields applied to a PDF form


    1. Determine if the PDF File is a Legacy PDF
    It was determined this was not a scanned PDF, therefore it is a so called Legacy PDF. If you want to verify this for yourself use one of the techniques listed in (See Step 5: Determine If the PDF File is a Legacy PDF File) .
    1. Determine if the PDF File has been Tagged
    There are several ways to determine if a PDF file has been tagged (See Step 6: Determine if the PDF File is a Tagged PDF File) . For this exercise we'll use the document properties method. Reveal the document Properties dialog File > Document Properties (Ctrl + D) and select the Description tab. In the lower left note that Tagged PDF is indicated "no" (See Figure 2 - 58 Indication of an Untagged PDF) .
Figure 2 - 58 Indication of an Untagged PDF
Document Properties dialog indicating the PDF file is not tagged.


If the PDF File Has Not Been Tagged

  1. Add Tags to the Document - From the menu, select Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document - scanned PDFs are most likely not going to be tagged (See Figure 2 - 39 Add Tags to Document)
Figure 2 - 59 Add Tags to Document
Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document command in Acrobat


  1. Add Missing Alternative Text - The Add Tags Report will reveal which figures are missing alternate text (See Figure 2 - 40 Add Tags Report)
Figure 2 - 60 Add Tags Report
Add tags report indicating accessibility issues in the PDF file


  1. The hyperlink in the Add Tags report points to the specif figures in the document that are missing alternative text (See Figure 2 - 41 Finding the Figure with the Missing Alt Text) .
Figure 2 - 61 Finding the Figures with the Missing Alt Text
Use the add tags report to find those figures that are missing Alt text


  1. With the Touch Up Object Tool selected Tools > Advanced Editing > Touchup Object Tool The Touch Up Object Tool cursor is a small square. Place the Touch Up Object Tool cursor over the graphic. Click on the graphic to draw a bounding box around it.With the bounding box active, right click and select "Properties" from the drop down menu. This displays the TouchUp Properties dialog. Select the second tab in this dialog, which is labelled "Tag" and type in a meaningful alternate text description for the graphic in the field labelled Alternate Text (See Figure 2 - 62 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Object Tool Method) .
Figure 2 - 62 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Object Tool Method
Using the touch up object tool to add alternate text to graphics


  1. Alternatively you can select the Touch Up Read Order Panel - Advanced > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order...in order to help find tagging errors on the page (See Figure 2 - 63 Touch Up Read Order Panel (with Show Tables and Figures Option Checked)) .
Figure 2 - 63 Touch Up Read Order Panel (with Show Tables and Figures Option Checked)
The Touch Up Reading Order Panel in Adobe Acrobat


  1. Select the Touch Up Read Order tool from the TouchUp Reading Order Panel (upper right corner). Move the cursor over the flag that indicates no alternate text exists somewhere around the letter "g" in the word "Figure" (See Figure 2 - 44 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Read Order Tool Method)
Figure 2 - 64 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Read Order Tool Method
Using the touch up read order tool to add alternate text


  1. With the cursor over the letter "g" in the word "Figure" for those graphics that are indicated to be missing alternate text, right click and select the "edit alternate text" option. You may have to reposition the cursor slightly in order to get the words "Edit alternate text" to appear (See Figure 2 - 65 Displaying the Edit Alternate Text Box)
Figure 2 - 65 Displaying the Edit Alternate Text Box
Selecting the Edit Alternate Text option with the touch up read order tool


  1. If you are successful, the Alternate Text Window will appear and you can type in the desired alternate text (See Figure 2 - 66 The Alternate Text Window) .
Figure 2 - 66 The Alternate Text Window
Entering alternate text in the Touch Up Read Order Tool's Alternate Text Window


    1. Determine if the PDF is Properly Tagged
    Use the TouchUp Reading Order Panel to determine if the document has been properly tagged.
  1. Select the TouchUp Read Order Panel - Advanced > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order... To make it easier to distinguish items on the page, you can use the color picker to use different colors to indicate elements on the page (See Figure 2 - 67 Changing the Color Indicators in the Touch Up Read Order Tool) .
Figure 2 - 67 Changing the Color Indicators in the Touch Up Read Order Tool
Selecting the Touch Up Read Order tool's color picker to distinguish between elements on a PDF page


  1. Verify Read Order by rearranging items on the page in their proper sequence. You do this by choosing the "Show Order Panel" button on the Touch Up Read Order panel to display the Content palette in the Navigation tabs section. Push items in the Content palette up or down until they are in the desired sequence (See Figure 2 - 68 Reading Order Panel) .
Figure 2 - 68 Reading Order Panel
Relationship between the reading order panel and the touch up read order tool and page elements


  1. Run the Accessibility Checker - Advanced > Accessibility > Full Check. Run the report and note the results. Typically there will be an error indicated (See Figure 2 - 69 Accessibility Error) .
Figure 2 - 69 Accessibility Error
Accessibility error indicating the PDF file lacks a language specification


An accessibility report will also be generated and be displayed in the How to Pane of the the Acrobat User Interface (See Figure 2 - 70 Accessibility Report Hints for Repair)
Figure 2 - 70 Accessibility Report Hints for Repair
Accessibility report provides hints for repair


  1. Follow the hints for repair that appear in the accessibility report. In this example, the report has made a suggestion for specifying a language for the document (See Figure 2 - 71 Document Properties: Specifying a Language) .
Figure 2 - 71 Document Properties: Specifying a Language
Specifying a document language using the Advanced tab of the Document Properties dialog


  1. Repeat this process until the Accessibility Checker Indicates no problems exist in the document (See Figure 2 - 72 A Clean Accessibility Check) .
Figure 2 - 72 A Clean Accessibility Check
A clean accessibility report indicating no problems in the document


Congratulations! You have completed the PDF Forms Accessibility Exercise!
Legacy PDF Exercise
You can practice the steps necessary for making a Legacy PDF accessible using the software and practice files available on this tutorial's CD.
Software:

Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional

Practice File(s):
3_legacy.pdf
Solution File(s):
3_legacy_solution.pdf
  1. Open the PDF File
Open the practice file for this exercise, 3_legacy.pdf.
  1. Page Analysis for the Legacy PDF File
A glance at the PDF file for this exercise indicates it is a two page document that does not appear to have form fields. There are some graphic elements on the page - a logo and a pie chart. Viewing the document with the tags palette displayed indicates this document is not tagged. (See Figure 2 - 73 PDF Document Analysis) .
Figure 2 - 73 PDF Document Analysis
PDF document analysis showing page elements that have been labelled with their functions such as header, graphic, etc.


    1. Determine if the PDF File is a Scanned Image
    There are several ways to determine if a PDF file viewed inside of Adobe Acrobat 7.0 is actually a scanned image. We'll use the accessibility quick check technique for this example. The entire list is found (See Step 3: Determine if the PDF is a Scanned Image) .
  1. Run the Accessibility Quick Check - Advanced > Accessibility > Quick Check (Shift + Ctrl + 6). If the Quick Check generates a report indicating the document contains no text, then that would indicate the PDF is a scanned document. This is not the case in this example (See Figure 2 - 74 Acrobat Professional 7.0 Unstructured Page Alert) . The file is not a scan.
Figure 2 - 74 Acrobat Professional 7.0 Unstructured Page Alert
Screen shot of the Unstructured Page Alert dialog in Adobe Acrobat 7.0 The dialog alerts users the page is not structured so the reading order could be wrong


If the PDF is a Scanned Image
  1. This PDF is not a scan, it is not necessary to perform Optical Character Recognition.
If the PDF is Not a Scan
  1. This PDF is not a scan, you can proceed to Step 4 and determine if the PDF file is meant to be a form.
    1. Determine if the PDF File is Meant to be a Form
    This document does not appear to have form fields, this is a good indication it is not meant to be an interactive form. Because it is not a form, we can proceed to Step 5 and determine if the PDF file is a so called Legacy PDF file.
    1. Determine if the PDF File is a Legacy PDF
    It was determined this was not a scanned PDF, therefore it is a so called Legacy PDF. If you want to verify this for yourself use one of the techniques listed in (See Step 5: Determine If the PDF File is a Legacy PDF File) .
    1. Determine if the PDF File has been Tagged
    There are several ways to determine if a PDF file has been tagged (See Step 6: Determine if the PDF File is a Tagged PDF File) . For this exercise we'll use the document properties method. Reveal the document Properties dialog File > Document Properties (Ctrl + D) and select the Description tab. In the lower left note that Tagged PDF is indicated "no" (See Figure 2 - 75 Indication of an Untagged PDF) .
Figure 2 - 75 Indication of an Untagged PDF
In the Description tab of the Document Properties dialog (Ctrl +D) you can tell if a PDF file is tagged or not. This one is not


If the PDF File Has Not Been Tagged

  1. Add Tags to the Document - From the menu, select Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document - scanned PDFs are most likely not going to be tagged (See Figure 2 - 76 Add Tags to Document)
Figure 2 - 76 Add Tags to Document
Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document command provides structure to PDF files


  1. Add Missing Alternative Text - The Add Tags Report will reveal which figures are missing alternate text (See Figure 2 - 77 Add Tags Report)
Figure 2 - 77 Add Tags Report
The add tags report indicates and issues with the file's accessibility


  1. The hyperlink in the Add Tags report points to the specific figures in the document that are missing alternative text (See Figure 2 - 41 Finding the Figure with the Missing Alt Text) .
Figure 2 - 78 Finding the Figures with the Missing Alt Text
The add tags reports links errors to where they occur in the document


  1. With the Touch Up Object Tool selected Tools > Advanced Editing > Touchup Object Tool The Touch Up Object Tool cursor is a small square. Place the Touch Up Object Tool cursor over the graphic. Click on the graphic to draw a bounding box around it.With the bounding box active, right click and select "Properties" from the drop down menu. This displays the TouchUp Properties dialog. Select the second tab in this dialog, which is labelled "Tag" and type in a meaningful alternate text description for the graphic in the field labelled Alternate Text (See Figure 2 - 79 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Object Tool Method) .
Figure 2 - 79 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Object Tool Method
Using the Touch Up Object Tool to add alternate text to graphic objects in PDF files


  1. Alternatively you can select the Touch Up Read Order Panel - Advanced > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order...in order to help find tagging errors on the page (See Figure 2 - 80 Touch Up Read Order Panel (with Show Tables and Figures Option Checked)) .
Figure 2 - 80 Touch Up Read Order Panel (with Show Tables and Figures Option Checked)
The Touch Up Read Order Panel


  1. Select the Touch Up Read Order tool from the TouchUp Reading Order Panel (upper right corner). Move the cursor over the flag that indicates no alternate text exists somewhere around the letter "g" in the word "Figure" (See Figure 2 - 81 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Read Order Tool Method)
Figure 2 - 81 Adding Alternate Text: Touch Up Read Order Tool Method
Using the Touch Up Read Order Tool to add alternate text


  1. With the cursor over the letter "g" in the word "Figure" for those graphics that are indicated to be missing alternate text, right click and select the "edit alternate text" option. You may have to reposition the cursor slightly in order to get the words "Edit alternate text" to appear (See Figure 2 - 82 Displaying the Edit Alternate Text Box)
Figure 2 - 82 Displaying the Edit Alternate Text Box
The Touch Up Read Order tool allows you to edit alternate text


  1. If you are successful, the Alternate Text Window will appear and you can type in the desired alternate text (See Figure 2 - 83 The Alternate Text Window) .
Figure 2 - 83 The Alternate Text Window
Adding alternate text using the Alternate Text dialog


    1. Determine if the PDF is Properly Tagged
    Use the TouchUp Reading Order Panel to determine if the document has been properly tagged.
  1. Select the TouchUp Read Order Panel - Advanced > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order... To make it easier to distinguish items on the page, you can use the color picker to use different colors to indicate elements on the page (See Figure 2 - 84 Changing the Color Indicators in the Touch Up Read Order Tool) .
Figure 2 - 84 Changing the Color Indicators in the Touch Up Read Order Tool
You can use the touch up read order tool's color picker to distinguish between page elements.


  1. Verify Read Order by rearranging items on the page in their proper sequence. You do this by choosing the "Show Order Panel" button on the Touch Up Read Order panel to display the Content palette in the Navigation tabs section. Push items in the Content palette up or down until they are in the desired sequence (See Figure 2 - 85 Reading Order Panel) .
Figure 2 - 85 Reading Order Panel
The relationship between the touch up read order panel, the show order panel, and associated page elements.


  1. Run the Accessibility Checker - Advanced > Accessibility > Full Check. Run the report and note the results. Typically there will be an error indicated (See Figure 2 - 86 Language Specification Error) .
Figure 2 - 86 Language Specification Error
Example of an accessibility error, this one indicates the PDF file lacks a language specification


An accessibility report will also be generated and be displayed in the How to Pane of the the Acrobat User Interface (See Figure 2 - 87 Accessibility Report Hints for Repair)
Figure 2 - 87 Accessibility Report Hints for Repair
The accessibility report provides hints for repairing accessibility issues


  1. Follow the hints for repair that appear in the accessibility report. In this example, the report has made a suggestion for specifying a language for the document (See Figure 2 - 88 Document Properties: Specifying a Language) .
Figure 2 - 88 Document Properties: Specifying a Language
Specifying a language under the advanced tab of the Document Properties dialog


  1. Repeat this process until the Accessibility Checker Indicates no problems exist in the document (See Figure 2 - 89 A Clean Accessibility Check) .
Figure 2 - 89 A Clean Accessibility Check
A clean accessibility check indicating no problems were found in the document


Congratulations! You have completed the PDF Forms Accessibility Exercise!
For Those Who Like a Challenge
A scanned form is available on the CD for you to try to make accessible using these techniques. The name of the file is 4_formscan.pdf. (There is also a tiff version - 4_formscan.tiff of this file which will be converted to a PDF once it is opened in Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional.
Adobe Systems, Incorporated
http://www.adobe.com
Online Accessibility Information
  • Accessibility

    		•
    TOC PREV NEXT INDEX