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How PDF/UA makes a PDF Document More Accessible than WCAG Alone

Presented at 3:30pm in Windsor on Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

#9225

Speaker(s)

  • Bevi Chagnon, Designer, Senior Accessibility Trainer, PubCom.com

Session Details

  • Length of Session: 1-hr
  • Format: Lecture
  • Expertise Level: Beginner
  • Type of session: General Conference

Summary

How the PDF/UA standard can make a PDF more functional and useful for those using assistive technologies. Demonstrations of PDF/UA features with assistive technologies. Tips for preparing Word source files that generate PDF/UA compliant PDFs when exported with Acrobat.

Abstract

Although WCAG was designed to be technology neutral, it doesn’t address many of the unique features in PDFs that can improve navigation, readability, flexibility, and accessibility of PDF files. That’s where PDF/UA comes in. Designed to mesh with WCAG, it tailors WCAG’s core concepts to the PDF file format and also takes advantage of PDF features that aren’t available in HTML. It creates a better, more accessible PDF in a shorter amount of time. Because the PDF code structure doesn’t resemble HTML at all, users find it difficult to discern the WCAG tea leaves and apply them to PDFs. So rather than try to push a square peg into a round hole, content creators can simplify their work by using PDF/UA for their PDF documents, as well as for their source MS Word and PowerPoint files. The end result: better, more accessible PDFs that take less time to create, test, and remediate.

Keypoints

  1. PDF/UA hones the WCAG standards to only those needed for accessible PDF files.
  2. Session reviews how the PDF/UA and WCAG standards mesh.
  3. Includes tips for preparing Word source files that export to PDF/UA compliant PDFs. Cheat sheet included.

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Mobility, Vision

Topic Areas

Accessible Course Design, Alternate Format, Assistive Technology, Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access

Speaker Bio(s)

Bevi Chagnon

Bevi Chagnon has been active in the standards community for 25 years, and currently is a US Delegate to the ISO committees for PDF and PDF/UA. With a long career in publishing, she’s an expert for Adobe InDesign, Acrobat, MS Office, and accessibility. She’s a professional educator, award-winning designer, and former faculty member at Washington DC-area colleges/universities. Bevi is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, and a contributor on many forums, including the Adobe Community Forums where she is an invited Community Expert.