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Adobe Acrobat

Accessibility Settings of PDF Tools - Part 1

Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader provide built-in accessibility settings to assist a user in reading, viewing and translating a PDF file. The accessibility settings include:

• Keyboard shortcuts.
• Checking the structure of the PDF.
• Reading order selection.
• Zoom and reflow.
• Alternative Text.
• High Contrast Mode.
• Saving PDF as text file.
• Read Out Loud function.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Individuals who have a disability that affects their fine and/or gross motor skills can sometimes have difficulty operating a mouse and may only use a keyboard. To enable easier navigation, keyboard shortcuts are provided for some of the common tasks and settings in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader (i.e., Control (Ctrl) + 'K' keys for preferences).

Note: Keyboard shortcuts may differ and have variable support in browsers and operating systems. When you open a PDF file within a web browser, keyboard shortcuts are first associated to the web browser. Consequently, some keyboard shortcuts may not work until after the focus is set (by selecting the window) for the PDF file.

For specific use of keyboard shortcuts:

1. Start Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
2. Do one of the following to open the Help manual:
   • Press the 'F1' key, or
   • Under the 'Help' menu, choose 'Adobe Help.'
3. Select a topic of your choice. On the left side of the help window is an index of topics. Near the very bottom is a listing for ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’. Expand this menu to see the various categories of shortcuts.

Structuring or Tagging Your Document

According to Adobe, a tagged PDF file:

• Includes complete logical structure plus additional information about the content that substantially increases accessibility.
• Allows precise control over reading order, including table data and form fields.
• Understands paragraph attributes, which is necessary for accurate text reflow.
• Enables the export of content and structure to other file formats, such as Rich Text (.rtf) and text (.txt).
• Support alternative text descriptions for graphics.
• Allows accessible interaction, such as filling in form fields and following links.
• Represents all text as Unicode - a standard for describing text characters - so characters and words are presented to assistive technologies in a clear manner. For example, differentiating between soft and hard hyphens so a word broken across two lines reads as a single word.

To check the structure of a PDF in Adobe Acrobat 8:

1. Start Adobe Acrobat 8.
2. Open a PDF file.
3. Go to the 'Advanced' menu and select 'Accessibility > Full Check'.
4. In the 'Accessibility Checker Options' dialog box, select 'OK' to accept the default settings and start the check.
5. When the check is complete, an 'Adobe Acrobat' dialog box appears with the information on the structure and any accessibility features of the PDF file.

To add tags to a PDF that has none in Adobe Acrobat 8:

1. Start Adobe Acrobat.
2. Open a PDF file.
3. Go to the ‘Advanced’ menu and search for ‘Accessibility’.
4. Under the ‘Accessibility’ submenu, select ‘Add Tags to Document’. Always verify that Acrobat tagged items appropriately once you have added them.

To check the structure of a PDF in Adobe Reader 8:

1. Start Adobe Reader.
2. Open a PDF file.
3. Go to the 'Document' menu and select 'Accessibility Quick Check.'
4. When the check is complete, an 'Accessibility Quick Check' dialog box appears with the information on the structure and any accessibility features of the PDF file.

Reading Order Selection

Individuals who are blind or have low vision may use screen readers or refreshable Braille systems to interact with the computer. In Adobe Reader 8, there are three choices for the reading order of the PDF file:

• Acrobat chooses the Reading Order (Infer reading order from document),
• Standard Word Order (Use reading order in raw print stream),
• Left to Right, Top to Bottom.

Note: By default, Adobe Reader is set to determine the structure and reading order. However, when a PDF file does not contain a logical structure and has not been optimized for accessibility, it is recommended that you choose a reading order. The option of 'Left to Right, Top to Bottom' does not work well with multiple-columned documents.

To choose a reading order:

1. Start Adobe Reader.
2. Do one of the following to open the Preferences dialog box:
   • Press the combination of 'Control (Ctrl)' + 'K' keys.
   • From the Edit Menu, select 'Preferences.'
3. In the dialog box, select 'Reading' from the left column.
4. From the Reading Order drop-down menu, choose one of the three choices ('Infer reading order from document', 'Left to Right, Top to Bottom', or 'Use reading order in raw print stream [word order]').
5. Select 'OK' to close the dialog box and save the settings.

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