- Adobe acrobat x pro accessibility guide free
Forms tend to have relatively complex layouts compared to documents that have a simple, single-column structure. The success that an application has in analyzing and tagging a form depends largely on the original formatting and layout of a document, and the types of fields that it uses. When you design a form, include headings, instructions, and fields in which users are to enter data.
At a minimum, give each field a label. Also add special instructions for fields that need them. Use graphics tools to draw lines and boxes.
Adding descriptions to form fields enables screen readers to identify the fields to users. Users hear the description read aloud when they tab to the field. Write descriptions that are terse but complete. The tab order for form fields enables people with disabilities to use a keyboard to move from field to field in a logical order.
You can test the tab order of a form by using the following keyboard commands:. This tool also enables you to fix any reading order problems of the text labels for the form fields.
For example, you may need to split merged lines of fields into individual fields. Legal Notices Online Privacy Policy. User Guide Cancel. Workflow for creating accessible PDFs. At a high level, the process of creating accessible PDFs consists of a few basic stages:. Consider accessibility before you convert a document to PDF.
As needed, add fillable form fields and descriptions, and set the tab order. Add other accessibility features to the PDF. Tag the PDF. Evaluate the PDF and repair tagging problems. Additional resources. For more information about creating accessible PDFs, see these resources:. Add fillable form fields and descriptions, and set the tab order.
You can also use the Reading Order tool in Acrobat Pro to add descriptions to form fields. About watermarks and screen readers. Create a tagged PDF from a web page. Use the Accessibility Setup Assistant to set up Reader for either a screen magnifier or a screen reader. It reads text contained within a document window. Also the document must be accessible, otherwise it may not be read at all or it may be read in the wrong order.
Reflow a PDF to temporarily present it as a single column that is the width of the document pane. This reflow view makes the document easier to read.
Adjust Security Settings It is possible to specify that no part of an accessible PDF is to be copied, printed, extracted, commented on, or edited. This can be accomplished by encrypting the document with password security. In Acrobat 10 Pro, it is possible to maintain high-encryption-level security while at the same time providing the necessary access to assistive technologies. Note: An Acrobat user can only add bookmarks to a document only if the security settings allow it.
Bookmarks can also be generated automatically from various types of structure that will be in your document if you have tagged it properly:. Usage Notes At the time of testing March , Acrobat 10 Pro Windows enables the production of accessible digital documents. Acrobat 10 Pro includes an accessibility checking feature. These techniques can help you to use Acrobat 10 Pro to create documents that are: Intended to be used by people i. Document Conventions We have tried to write these techniques so that they are useful to all authors, regardless of whether they use a mouse.
Disclaimer and Testing Details: Following these techniques will increase the accessibility of your documents, but it does not guarantee accessibility to any specific disability groups. In cases where more certainty is required, it is recommended that you test the office documents with end users with disabilities, including screen reader users. The application-specific steps and screenshots in this document were created using Adobe Acrobat 10 Pro ver. Tasks completed in Technique 3 , Technique 4 , and Technique 5 cannot be undone.
It is recommended that you save your PDF document before and after you make significant changes. This document is provided for information purposes only and is neither a recommendation nor a guarantee of results.
If errors are found, please report them to: adod-comments idrc. Technique 1. To create an accessible source document Create a new document in the authoring application from the default blank template or from one of the prepackaged templates.
Replace Document Colors: Select this preference to choose from a list of contrasting color combinations for text and background, or you can create your own. Always Use The System Selection Color: When selected, the default selection color blue is overridden with a color that the system specifies. Files mode provides a better reading experience for people with disabilities, such as mobility impairments, blindness, and low vision.
Accessibility preferences in Documents panel. Each time a PDF is saved, the screen reader or magnifier must reload the document. Accessibility preferences in Forms panel. Fields Highlight Color and Required Fields Highlight Color: These preferences specify what colors are used to highlight fillable form fields.
Auto-Complete: Enables Acrobat Reader to automatically offer to complete some entries in form fields so that filling form fields requires fewer keystrokes. Accessibility preferences in Multimedia panel. Show Subtitles When Available. Play Dubbed Audio When Available. Accessibility preferences in Page Display panel. Zoom: Sets the onscreen magnification of documents and allows low-vision readers to read reflowed PDFs more easily.
Smooth Text: Controls anti-aliasing of text. To disable smoothing of text and make text sharper and easier to read with a screen magnifier, choose None.
Accessibility preferences in Reading panel. Reading Order: Specifies the reading order of documents. The reading order preferences also appear in the Accessibility Setup Assistant. Infer Reading Order From Document Recommended : Interprets the reading order of untagged documents by using an advanced method of structure inference layout analysis. Left-To-Right, Top-To-Bottom Reading Order: Delivers the text according to its placement on the page, reading from left to right and then top to bottom.
Override The Reading Order In Tagged Documents: Uses the reading order specified in the Reading preferences instead of what the tag structure of the document specifies. Use this preference only when you encounter problems in poorly tagged PDFs. Page vs Document: This preference determines how much of a document is delivered to a screen reader at a time.
This process can take a long time for a long document. Set Reader to deliver only the currently visible page so that it analyzes only a small piece of the document at a time. This consideration varies depending on the size and complexity of the document and on the features of the screen reader.
