Beginning I believe with Acrobat Pro version 9, which came out in mid-2009, Adobe introduced a built-in Accessibility Checker (AC) to assist users in making PDF documents accessible to people with disabilities. This was the first product I can remember to have this feature and the new feature was readily welcomed by those of us in the accessible design business. Since that time I have sung the praises of Adobe and the AC in presentations I’ve given, in e-mails to colleagues and in articles that I have written for Maine CITE and the State of Maine Office of Information Technology. The AC was simply a wonderful tool which made is very easy to check and fix accessibility errors in just about any PDF. What was best about the AC was that when run with the Full Scan settings, the application would create a complete and detailed report (the Accessibility Report) which listed the errors, AND provided links to the exact location in your document where the error occurred, AND provided a specific set of directions for how to fix the problem. This was a godsend to people eager to review and edit their PDFs to ensure accessibility. And it made it easy for anyone to make their PDFs accessible.

So last week I purchased and installed Adobe Acrobat X on my Windows 7 machine and have been running it through the paces. It all ran perfectly until I tried the accessibility checker on my first test document. It took a little while to find this feature since it is not automatically loaded in the Tools section that is a new feature in version X. But one of the neat features of Acrobat Pro X is the customizable menu bar (called Quick Tools). Using the Customize Quick Tools feature, I was quickly able to add a button which will activate the Full Scan Accessibility Checker.

But then the fun began. While reading the Accessibility Report and particularly the remediation directions provided in the Report, it became quickly apparent that it was impossible to proceed further. The directions for fixing errors were all wrong! I was stunned; the directions provided were for Acrobat Pro version 9, not Adobe Acrobat Pro X!

To make sure, I ran the test again on several other documents and each time, the AC provided remedies for fixing documents using version 9 of Acrobat Pro. The directions had not been updated!

In fairness, not everything is wrong. Apparently, for the new version of Acrobat Pro, the good people at Adobe reduced the number of editing tools, reorganized them and combined them into a smaller collection. The vast and complex number of tools was actually a shortcoming in version 9 and the new setup is much easier to understand in version 10. But changing the names and locations of the tools has made the directions for fixing error obsolete and incorrect.

So the good news is that the new Adobe Acrobat Pro X does have a great Accessibility Checker, and it will accurate work and find all of the accessibility errors in the PDF documents you scan. But for figuring out how to fix your document, you are currently on your own until Adobe updates the application and puts in the correct remediation directions.

Some might say that this is a minor annoyance and obviously just an oversight. To them I say: making documents – particularly PDFs – into accessible documents has always created contention since it is perceived as being difficult to do. As a result, very high proportion of the digital documents created everyday fail to be accessible for people with disabilities. Anything that can make the process smoother, faster, easier is a step in the right direction. The Accessibility Checking built into Adobe Acrobat Pro was this kind of step.

I’ve sent an e-mail to my friend Andrew Kirkpatrick, Adobe’s Group Product Manager for Accessibility, expressing my concerns and asking for a target date as to when this will be fixed. In the meantime, I don’t recommend that anyone upgrade to version X until this is fixed.

To help those of you who have already taken the plunge, I have figured out the correct directions for three of the most common accessibility errors: Creating PDF Tags, Adding Alternative Text to images and Specifying the Language of a document. The first most common accessibility error is the absence of any tagging in the document and this should always be the first thing you do after you run the Accessibility Checker.

Please note that there may be other ways to accomplish these remedies; I am only reporting those I have found so far by trial and error.

If you find errors or additions, drop me a line!

Here are the old directions and the corrected directions for fixing common accessibility errors in Adobe Acrobat Pro

Tagging the document

Directions for Acrobat Pro v 9 – Creating PDF Tags

If your document is not tagged, the AC will note this and offer these directions:

• Re-create the PDF file from the authoring application with tagging enabled (this primarily is for documents created with Adobe InDesign)
• Choose Advanced > Accessibility > Add Tags to Document to infer the tags.
• Choose Advanced > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order Tool to create the Tags tree manually using the TouchUp Reading Order Tool.
• Create the Tags manually using the Tags panel.

Corrected Directions for Acrobat Pro v 10 – Creating PDF Tags

If your document is not tagged, the AC will note this and offer these directions:

• Re-create the PDF file from the authoring application with tagging enabled (this primarily is for documents created with Adobe InDesign)
• Choose Tools on the Menu bar, Choose Accessibility (if Accessibility is not viewable, find the tiny “show or hide panels” button in the upper right part of the Tools menu, click on it and unhide Accessibility). Choose Add Tags to Document to infer the tags.
• Choose the Tags view panel. Where it says “No Tags available,” right click on this and choose Add Tags to Document.

Alternative text for images/figures

Directions for Acrobat Pro v 9 – Adding Alternative Text

Before repairing this problem, you must add tags to the document. (See directions above)

• To add alternate text to an image, choose Tools > Advanced Editing > TouchUp Object Tool. Click on the image. Right click and choose Properties…from the context menu. Click on the Tag tab and fill in the alternate text field.

Corrected Directions for Acrobat Pro v 10 – Adding Alternative Text

Before repairing this problem, you must add tags to the document. (See directions above)

• To add alternate text to an image, choose Tools on the Menu bar. Choose Content, and select the Edit Object tool. Click on the image. Right click and choose Properties…from the context menu. Click on the Tag tab and fill in the Alternate Text field.

Specifying Language attributes

Direction for Adobe Acrobat v 9 – Specifying a Language (adding language attribute to the document)

• Set the default language for the entire document by choosing File > Document Properties > Advanced tab and setting the Language field
• Set the language for all the text in a subtree of the Tags trees by selecting the element at the root of the subtree, right click and choose Properties, clicking on the Tag tab, and filling in the Language field
• Set the language of any amount of text by selecting the text in the Content panel, choosing Options > Properties, clicking on the Tag tab, and filling in the Language field.

Corrected Direction for Adobe Acrobat v 10 – Specifying a Language (adding language attribute to the document)

• Set the default language for the entire document by choosing File > Document Properties > Advanced tab and setting the Language field
• (There is no change here)Set the language for all the text in a subtree of the Tags trees by selecting the element at the root of the subtree, right click and choose Properties, clicking on the Tag tab, and filling in the Language field
• Select Tools from the top menu bar. Choose Content and select the Edit Document Text tool. Set the language of any amount of text by selecting the text with the Edit Document Text tool. Right click and choose Properties. Select the Tag tab in the TouchUp Properties window, select Language from the drop-down menu.

I have disliked Flash for a long time, primarily due to its problems with assistive technologies; it often does not play well with screen readers, especially if it has not been developed correctly. In my mind, many Flash developers are graphic artists, illustrators or animators, and don’t really understand web design.

Add to this the fact that more people are now accessing web content via a non-traditional user agent (i.e., not a traditional browser) and you see why I agree with Bradley that Flash may be past its prime.

It’s ironic that Adobe developed Acrobat to find a way to share documents at a time just prior to the “invention” of HTML. Flash, build on the same business principles, was developed for the same reason. And once again, a new standard (HTML 5) may usurp their position. And, I should point out that the new standard will be accessible to screen readers.

But just as those who predicted the demise of Adobe Acrobat 15 years ago were wrong, I suspect it is not quite time for Adobe to throw in the towel and hire the undertaker. Look for Flash to be around for some time to come. But at least for some of us, there will be other options.

This will be interesting to watch.

I have been on a quest to get the latest information about the various distance learning and conferencing software on the market and their accessibility. And I have not been having much success.

It seems that every day there is a new videoconferencing service or webinar package being created and most – if not all – have no information about accessibility and their use with assistive technologies. For example, my research about Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro has turned up nothing but some personal observations – all negative regarding access – and a VPAT that is less than stellar. The company claims that updates made last fall make it “more accessible” but I have not seen anything definitive other than the company’s own White Paper on the topic. Yet, I know of at least one state government agency that is using this application despite concerns about accessibility.

I do not mean to be picking on Adobe; it just so happens that Connect Pro is the last one I have been researching.

As people scramble with declining budgets, more and more organizations are cutting their travel budgets and will be relying on technology to connect people for continued learning and professional development. But will this be leaving out a multitude of people in the process if the DL tools are inaccessible?

You thoughts and resources would be appreciated. I would really like to know if there is anyone out there studying this.

~jeb

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Image used through license from Creative Commons - Goddard Video and Multimedia

~John Brandt