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Question
What accessibility tools are available in Adobe Acrobat?
Answer
Overview
Adobe Acrobat Pro offers a suite of tools designed to make PDF documents accessible to individuals with disabilities. These tools help ensure that PDFs comply with accessibility standards, making them usable for people who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers.
Key Accessibility Tools in Adobe Acrobat Pro
Accessibility Checker
Purpose: The Accessibility Checker is used to identify and address issues that could affect the accessibility of a PDF document.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to `All Tools` > 'View more`> 'Prepare for Accessibility`.
3. Select the options to customize your check.
4. The accessibility full check can also be accessed from the toolbar.
Automatically tag PDF
Purpose: Tags define the structure of a PDF document and ensure that the content is properly read by assistive technologies.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and select `Prepare for accessibility` >, click on Automatically tag PDF.
2. Check the document's tags and edit or create new ones to ensure all content is tagged correctly.
3. Use the Tags panel to correct issues like missing tags, incorrect tag order, or misidentified elements.
Change reading options
Purpose: This tool allows users to customize how the document is read, providing options that improve navigation and comprehension for individuals with disabilities.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and select>`Prepare for accessibility`.
2. Switch between different reading modes (e.g., continuous, single page) to find the one that best fits the user's needs.
3. Modify settings to suit the preferences of different users. Options can include text size, contrast, and how multimedia elements are handled during reading.
Accessibility Checker
Purpose: This automated tool, provides a step-by-step guide to make an existing PDF document accessible.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and navigate to `Prepare for accessibility` > `Accessibility checker`.
2. Modify settings to suit the preferences of different users. Then click on 'Start Checking'.
3. Use the accessibility checker panel to review the results and fix any issues defined.
Open accessibility report
Purpose: Report provides a detailed summary of the checker where problems ere found, which may prevent the document from being fully accessible.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and navigate to `Prepare for accessibility` >'Open accessibility report'.
2. Navigate to the details of the report. Inside the table, there will be the rule, the status and the description outlined inside the report. The status of passed, skipped and failed will identify issues within the document, page content, forms, alternate text, tables, lists and headings.
Identify form fields
Purpose: Ensures that form fields are accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and navigate to `Prepare for accessibility` >'Identify form fields'.
2. Use the `Fields` panel to review and set field properties.
3. Ensure each form field has a tool tip that describes its purpose.
Add alternate text
Purpose: Provides descriptions for images, making them accessible to screen reader users.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and select `Prepare for accessibility` > `Add alternate text`.
2. Click OK at the pop-up window where Adobe will detect all images and display associated alternate text.
3. Enter a concise and descriptive text that conveys the meaning of the image in the pop-up window, as the images are detected.
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Use setup assistant
Purpose: The setup assistant will guide you through panels which will prompt you to make selections on options that will make document accessible.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and select `Prepare for accessibility` > `Use setup assistant`.
2. Adobe Acrobat can override the document's text colors and instead display the document using high contrast color in order to make the text easier to read.
3. The reading order for documents that are not tagged can be set.
4. Large documents can take a long time for assistive technology to read. Adobe Acrobat can set the document to read the visible pages or the entire document.
5. Another option would be to select the button to 'Use recommended settings and skip setup'.
Fix reading order
Purpose: Ensures that the content is read in the correct order by screen readers.
Usage:
1. Open the PDF and select `Prepare for accessibility` > `Fix reading order`.
2. Use the Reading Order panel to assign reading order and structure types (e.g., headings, paragraphs).
3. Drag to reorder content if necessary.
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