Additional Resources; Pdf Documents And Accessibility; Characteristics Of An Accessible Pdf Document - Adobe 22020772 User Manual

Additional Resources

For more information on Adobe accessibility resources, visit
To download the latest version of Adobe Reader, visit
For more information on Adobe Reader keyboard shortcuts, visit
adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/reader/appx_a.html.
For more information on JAWS and Freedom Scientific, visit
For more information on Window-Eyes and GW Micro, visit

PDF Documents and Accessibility

Portable Document Format (PDF) is an electronic file format developed by Adobe Systems
Inc. PDF is one of the most popular file formats used on the Internet. The free Adobe Reader
software -- available for Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, and UNIX -- allows a PDF
document's visual integrity to hold true regardless of the computer used to view it.
Because PDF is used for such wide-ranging documents as product manuals, financial and legal documents,
government related forms, and educational materials, it is critically important that people using screen
readers have proper access to this format. PDF is an electronic format, giving it an advantage over paper
documents because PDF documents can be accessed via synthetic speech or refreshable Braille.
Unfortunately, PDF and screen readers do not always interact as users would like. The main barrier to
accessibility is that PDF documents are not always designed by their authors to be compatible with screen
readers. These issues, caused by lack of planning for accessibility, mirror Internet accessibility issues that
occur when a Web designer fails to follow the accessibility guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium's
Web Accessibility Initiative. Adobe has developed a number of tools and resources to make it easier for
authors to create accessible PDF documents; these are available at

Characteristics of an accessible PDF document

All accessible PDF documents have the following five characteristics:
A logical structure and reading order
For screen readers to read a PDF document effectively, the document must have an underlying
logical structure and reading order. This logical structure and reading order use behind-the-
scenes elements called tags, which a PDF author adds to the document. Tags define the intended
reading order of the content on each page. Screen readers rely on these tags to present text in a
way that makes sense when someone is hearing the text read out loud. The tags allow a screen
reader to interpret page elements such as headings, sidebars, tables, and multi-column text.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology
PDF Documents and Accessibility
www.adobe.com/accessibility
www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
www.
www.freedomscientific.com
www.gwmicro.com
http://www.adobe.com/accessibility
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