Introduction; Pdf Accessibility; Each Pdf File Is Different; Two Workflows For Creating Accessible Pdf Files - Adobe 22020772 User Manual

PDF Accessibility

A document or application is accessible if it can be used by people with disabilities—such as mobility
impairments, blindness, and low vision—and not just by people who can see well and use a mouse.
Accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) make
it easier for people with disabilities to use PDF documents and forms, with or without the aid of assistive
software and devices such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, and braille printers.
Making PDFs accessible tends to benefit all users. For example, the underlying document structure that
makes it possible for a screen reader to properly read a PDF out loud also makes it possible for a mobile
device to correctly reflow and display the document on a small screen. Similarly, the preset tab order of an
accessible PDF form helps all users—not just users with mobility impairments—fill the form more easily.

Each PDF File is Different

Not all PDFs are the same. PDF files are created in a variety of ways, from a variety of applications, and for a
variety of purposes. In addition to applying the proper accessibility enhancements to PDF documents,
achieving your accessibility goals for an individual PDF file requires understanding the nature of the PDF
and the uses for which it is intended.
Using the guide Adobe® Acrobat® 9 Pro Accessibility Guide: PDF Accessibility Repair Workflow, you will learn
how to assess existing PDF files for certain characteristics which influence their accessibility. The order in
which this assessment is conducted is important. By following these procedures in the recommended order,
users can efficiently proceed through the analysis of a PDF file in a systematic fashion. Systematically ruling
out or confirming certain characteristics which a PDF file may possess will guide you to the most
appropriate next step for making an individual PDF accessible.
This series also discusses techniques for converting source files to accessible PDF. Using the Adobe
PDFMaker with Microsoft Word as an example, this guide provides best practices for designing your source
document with accessibility in mind so that the original document can be efficiently transformed into an
accessible PDF version. Refer to the guide entitled Adobe® Acrobat® 9 Pro Accessibility Guide: Creating
Accessible PDF from Microsoft® Word for complete information.
Note: These Best Practices techniques assume the user has access to Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 or
Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended for Windows. Adobe Reader 9 and Adobe Acrobat 9
Standard do not have the complete set of tools needed to create and validate PDF
documents for accessibility.

Two Workflows for Creating Accessible PDF Files

The PDF format is a destination file format. PDF files are typically created in some other application. What
this means is that the author who is concerned with PDF accessibility will be confronted with one of two
situations:
• Individuals working with an existing PDF file will want to know how to edit/update it to be
an accessible PDF file.
• Authors will want to know how to use some other software application, such as a word processing
or desktop publishing application, to generate an accessible PDF file from that application if
possible.

Characteristics of Accessible PDF files

The Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is the native file format of the Adobe® Acrobat® family of
products. The goal of these products is to enable users to exchange and view electronic documents easily and
Adobe Acrobat 9 and PDF Accessibility
1

Introduction