Accessible PDFs

Accessibility is not an especially familiar concept in the computing world. Most of us encounter the idea of accessibility often enough by way of special vehicle parking spaces, ramps, braille signage, beeping crosswalks, and so on. Improving accessibility is more than a courtesy, it is an accepted and vital goal of any advanced society.

Johnson, Duff. PlanetPDF. Design>Document Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat

Accessible PDFs

How can I generate a Table Header Cell Element (TH) field automatically with Acrobat?

PDFzone (2004). Design>Information Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Techniques

Some sites would hardly exist at all if they took down their PDF files (PDF stands for 'Portable Document Format'). This format is an incredibly useful format for some situations, providing a method to post content on the Web that will print exactly as the author intended it to. Creating PDF files is faster and easier than creating HTML files in many cases. This increases its allure for Web developers.

WebAIM (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat

Advanced Techniques for Creating Accessible Adobe® PDF Files  

A step-by-step guide that covers more advanced techniques for optimizing Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files so that they can be made accessible to users with disabilities such as blindness or low vision.

Adobe (2004). Books>Web Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat

Facts and Opinions About PDF Accessibility

PDF accessibility is not as straightforward as HTML accessibility. But it can be done, if you put the same care into marking up your PDFs that you put into marking up websites. Joe Clark tells all.

Clark, Joe. List Apart, A (2005). Design>Document Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat

How To Make PDFs Compliant With Section 508  

First, if you don't produce forms for federal government, it is wasted time, but there is information available. Adobe has the accessibility section on its Web site with useful documentation. There are other Web sites about accessibility in general on all the federal government sites, and finally, there are further links from there. Also, if you are providing forms for a federal government agency, you should get in touch with their 'Section 508 representative,' who will give you guidelines for that agency's way to implement it.

Wyss, Max. PDFzone (2000). Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat>Section 508

PDFs and Accessibility

Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format that allows the page creator to ensure that all fonts, formatting and graphics etc are preserved throughout the document regardless of the platform on which it is being viewed. Due to the control the author has over the style of the document, a number of accessibility problems can be identified.

Draffan, E.A. and Sue Harrison. TechDis (2002). Design>Information Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat