Creating Accessible PDF Files from Microsoft Word

Handouts

Presented at 2:15pm in Denver 4-6 on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.

#38084

Speaker(s)

  • Chad Chelius, Trainer/Consultant/Accessibility Wizard, Chax Training and Consulting

Session Details

  • Length of Session: 2-hr
  • Format: Lab
  • Expertise Level: Beginner
  • Type of session: General Conference

Summary

Microsoft Word is arguably the most widely used applications for creating content today. Because of this, it's a natural requirement to create PDF files from those Microsoft Word documents. In this session, you'll learn the requirements needed to successfully transform your Word documents into accessible PDF files that can be read by all users.

Abstract

Microsoft Word allows you to easily generate PDF files from your Word documents. But getting those PDF files to be accessible doesn't happen automatically. You need to understand the requirements for a PDF file to be accessible and you need to understand the features that exist in Microsoft Word that facilitate the process of creating accessible PDFs.

In this session, we'll walk you through the features that Microsoft Word possesses that will facilitate the creation of an accessible PDF file. You'll learn what works and what doesn't and what you can do to overcome those limitations.

Accessibility starts with the source application. The more you can do in the source, the easier the process becomes and the more efficient you can work. By leveraging the features in Microsoft Word, you'll see how easy it can be to ensure that your PDF files are accessible as they can be from the start.

Keypoints

  1. Accessibility starts with the source application (Microsoft Word) for best results.
  2. Leverage the functionality in Microsoft Word to facilitate the creation of accessible PDFs.
  3. Learn about the features in Microsoft Word to make creating accessible PDFs easier.

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Mobility, Vision

Topic Areas

Accessible Educational Materials, Assistive Technology, Uncategorized

Speaker Bio(s)

Chad Chelius

Chad Chelius is a trainer, author, consultant, and speaker as well as Director of Training Solutioins and Principal for Chax Training and Consulting. He resides in the Philadelphia area and has been using Adobe products for over 25 years. He began his career in the design and publishing industry. As an Adobe Certified Instructor and consultant he teaches and advises on all Adobe print and web products, specializing in InDesign and InCopy workflows, Illustrator, automation, and PDF accessibility using InDesign, Word, and Adobe Acrobat. He works with clients both large and small in and outside of the United States, helping them to solve design, workflow, and accessibility challenges using Adobe products. Chad is a LinkedIn Learning author and you can connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Handout(s)