Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Accessibility

Defining PDF Accessibility

PDF Tags

When people talk about "accessible" PDF files, they usually refer to "tagged" PDF files. PDF tags provide a hidden, structured representation of the PDF content presented to screen readers. They exist for accessibility purposes only and have no visible effect on the PDF file. There is more to an accessible PDF file than tags, but an untagged PDF would not be considered "accessible."

HTML and PDF tags often use similar tag names (e.g., both have tags named h1) and organization structures. If you are comfortable with HTML, you will probably have an easier time creating and editing tagged PDF files, but knowledge of HTML is unnecessary.

Adobe, Acrobat, and PDF

Adobe, Acrobat, and PDF are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. The relationship between these terms is similar to the relationship between Microsoft, Word, and DOC(X).

• Adobe is a company; they are the creator of PDF (the format) and Acrobat (the product).
• Acrobat describes a series of tools created by Adobe for viewing, creating, and editing PDF files.
• PDF is a format or type of document. Its main purpose is to preserve the formatting of a document. It was created by Adobe but is now an open format that can be created and displayed by other programs.

There are 3 Acrobat Tools:

1. Acrobat Reader allows users to view and interact with a PDF (including the accessibility features of a PDF), but it cannot be used to create new PDFs or edit existing ones.
2. Acrobat Standard adds the ability to create a PDF, along with other features like converting a scanned PDF to a searchable file. However, you cannot view or edit accessibility information.
3. Acrobat Pro is the only version of Acrobat that can be used to view and edit the accessibility information of a PDF.

Other programs can be used to view, create, and edit tagged PDFs (e.g., tools created by Nuance and Foxit), but we will focus on Acrobat in this article.

Converting Documents to PDFs

Overview

Much effort is often devoted to remediating PDF files with accessibility issues. This is sometimes necessary, but most of this work can be avoided by choosing a source document that supports PDF accessibility, making the document as accessible as it can be, and then converting it correctly to a PDF.

PDFs are typically created in one of two ways:

• They are generated from scratch (e.g., from information in a database). The accessibility of these PDFs typically depends on the program or code creating the file.
• Someone creates a source document (e.g., in Microsoft Word) and then converts it to a PDF. While the accessibility of these PDFs also depends on the programs used, the person who creates and converts the file greatly controls the outcome.

This article will focus on converting existing documents to PDF using Acrobat DC and Office 2016.

Start with the Source Document

Several programs support creating accessible documents and keep their accessibility information intact when converted to PDF. These include Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, or Excel), Adobe InDesign, LibreOffice, and OpenOffice.org.

The most popular of these tools—Microsoft Office—has good overall accessibility that continues to improve with each version. For example, a document created in Word should contain almost all the information necessary for an accessible PDF, including:

• Headings
• Alternative text for images
• Table structure
• Descriptive Links
• Lists
• Columns
• Legible text size
• Good contrast
• No color reliance
• Document title

After the PDF conversion, some cleanup in Acrobat may still be necessary. Decorative images will need to be hidden in older versions of PowerPoint (choose "Mark as decorative" in Office 365), table headers will need to be assigned a scope, and tables with multiple levels of headers will require more significant work (which should encourage creating simpler tables when possible). But these are the exception—other accessibility information should carry over cleanly.

Recreate the source document

Suppose you receive an untagged PDF where the tag structure is incomplete or incorrect. It is usually best to return to the source document, make the necessary accessibility repairs, and then re-create the PDF. If the source document is unavailable, you can use Acrobat to convert a PDF back to a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file. Select File > Export To, then choose your desired format.

This doesn't always create a workable document, but because most fixes are easier to make in the source document format, this has the potential to save a great deal of effort.

Creating PDFs in Acrobat

To create a PDF in Acrobat Standard or Pro, select File > Create > PDF from File.

If you are on Mac, there is an additional step in this process. After selecting the file to convert, check the Use Adobe Create PDF cloud service checkbox.

Acrobat should remember this selection for future PDFs, but it is probably best to confirm this checkbox is checked every time you create a PDF. Because this PDF is created using Adobe's cloud service, there may be times when the PDF does not look identical to the original file, but this is unavoidable.

Acrobat Tab in Office

When you install a compatible version of Acrobat on your computer, Adobe will also install an add-in called PDFMaker that allows you to create a PDF without leaving Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. On Windows, this PDF will be identical to the PDF created through Acrobat.

To create a PDF using this feature, select the Acrobat tab, then Create PDF.

 

If you have Acrobat installed (not just the free Acrobat Reader) and do not see this tab, see Adobe's troubleshooting article. Selecting File > Save as Adobe PDF on Office for Windows accomplishes the same thing as using the Acrobat Tab.

 

A tagged PDF is created by default. If this is not the case, select Preferences from the Acrobat tab.

and make sure Enable Accessibility and Reflow with tagged Adobe PDF is checked.

Acrobat tab on Mac

On Mac, the Acrobat tab only works correctly in Word. To convert a PowerPoint or Excel file to a tagged PDF, you must open Acrobat and create the PDF. It also requires some setup when using it for the first time in Word.

Before creating your first PDF, click the Preferences button on the Acrobat tab.

Then, check the Prompt for using the Adobe Create PDF cloud service checkbox and click OK.

To create a PDF:

1. Click Create PDF on the Acrobat tab.
   
2. The Adobe Create PDF dialog will appear. Check the Remember my choice box, and then select Yes. You will only have to do this once
   
3. Select Open from the dialog that appears.
   
4. Save the file after it opens in Acrobat.

"Save As" PDF

Saving as a PDF in Office allows you to create tagged PDF files without installing Acrobat. The tagging process will not be as clean as with the Adobe add-in, so we recommend using Acrobat if you have it. As with the Acrobat tab, this process differs for Windows and Mac.

"Save As" on Windows

To create a PDF in Office, Select File > Save As.

Open the file type menu, select the PDF (*.pdf) file type, and choose Save.

This should create a tagged PDF by default. If it does not, choose More options... before you save the file. A new window will appear. Select Options, make sure Document structure tags for accessibility is checked, then save the file.

"Save As" on Mac

On Mac, the "Save As" option will only create tagged PDFs in certain programs. Only Word is supported in Office 2016, Word and Excel are supported in Office 365, and PowerPoint is currently not supported in any version of Office for Mac.

If you have a supported program, open the File application menu and select Save As...

A dialog will appear. Under File Format, select PDF. Then choose the Best for electronic distribution and accessibility (uses Microsoft online service) radio button, then Export.

If you do not see this option, your program does not support creating tagged PDFs.

 

Never choose a "Print" to PDF option in Office or in any other program. A screen reader user may still be able to access the text of a PDF created this way, but heading structure, alternative text, and any other tag structure will be lost.

 

Continue to learn more from WebAim:

Page 3: Acrobat and Accessibility

Page 4: Accessible Forms in Acrobat

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