EDTECH 503 – Inclusively Designed PDFs

Evaluation Using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Did you know that most of the PDFs instructors use on campus are not inclusively designed? What do you think inclusively designed means?

Inclusively designed PDFs allow users (people with disabilities, English language learners, digital natives, digital immigrants, young, elderly, etc…) to use their technology (laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones, screen readers, text-to-speech engines, enlargement software, etc…) in different environments (school, work, home, gym, bus, train, airplane, library, etc…).

Students may not have equal access to the content within PDFs based on how they are created. For example, a blind student may not be able to use their screen reader to read a PDF that does not have copy and pasteable text.

This university wants to support all students in meeting curriculum objectives. In order to do that, content must be inclusively designed so that students have the same opportunity to succeed or fail.

This page is created for people who are new to identifying inclusive elements in PDF. It is not a comprehensive list but does highlight the most important elements that can be identified with the free software, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

Download Software

  1. Go to Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Follow prompts to install for free.

Locate Rubric

  1. Go to File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric. Complete rubric by evaluating the PDF using the inclusive elements elements below.

Naming Scheme

A best practice for naming scheme is to include at least 2 identifiers (author, title, year, etc…) that are easy to understand. A file should be named in a manner that any outsider can understand the content contained within the file and where the content originated from.

  1. Find PDF file used in course.
  2. Look at the file name. Decide if it has at least 2 identifiers.
  3. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF with poor naming scheme.

Example of PDF with good naming scheme.

Text Selectability/Text Accuracy of a PDF

Adaptive technology like screen readers and text-to-speech can read text within PDFs if the text is selectable, (meaning the text can be copied and pasted). This is one of the most important elements of an inclusively designed PDF. Copying and pasting text into another software is the fastest way to test the selectability of a PDF. Sometimes, the text that is visible to the human eye in a PDF is different from the text that adaptive technology reads.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Highlight text.
  3. Copy text.
  4. Paste text into a word processing software like (MS Word, TextEdit, Notepad, etc…).
  5. Look at the text pasted in the word processing software. Is it readable? Or are there misspelled words? Odd characters?
  6. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF that does not have selectable text.

Example of PDF that has selectable text but the quality is not good.

Contains Tags

Tags in PDFs are unseen identifiers contained within a PDF designed for a screen reader user to navigate a file. For example, sighted users can identify the headings or main sections of a PDF through a visual skim. Adaptive technology users can do the same thing by using their technology to find all of the heading 1s, then heading 2s, etc… Users can also isolate pictures, links and other parts of the file. This navigation is only possible if tags are included. However, the presence of tags does not mean that they were accurately included. An accessibility expert will need to identify if the tags are properly assigned to the various elements (pictures, links, headings) on a page.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Go to File -> Properties.
  3. Look for the field that says “Tagged PDF”.
  4. No means there are no tags. Yes means there are tags. *Please note that the existence of tags does not mean that parts of the file are tagged correctly.
  5. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF that doesn’t contain tags.

Example of PDF that does contain tags.

Rotation

Can the page be easily read without the need to rotate the page either clockwise or counterclockwise? Pages that are rotated decreases ease of use. Ensure text is upright.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Go to View -> Rotate View.
  3. Rotate PDF according to need.
  4. Save file.
  5. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF that needs to be rotated.

Handwriting, Underlining and Highlighting

While handwriting, underlining and highlighting may draw attention to certain parts of the text, they also may make legibility of the highlighted portions harder to consume. For example, scanning a physical article that contained highlighting causes the highlighted text to be in a darker shadow.

Most importantly, handwriting, underlining and highlighting impact the conversion process from an image file into a text-based file. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is when technology can scan text that is a picture and transform the words into text. Another way to think of it is the computer is re-typing the text for you, with minimal effort on your part. A computer cannot yet accurately transpose messy handwriting, text with lines underneath or detect the characters contained within shadowed areas.

OCR is used when files need to be converted into a format that can be read by technology, or when files need to be turned into braille. Reducing the amount of handwriting, underlining and highlighting will increase the speed of which files can be converted into a different format.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Scroll quickly through each page.
  3. Identify if there is any handwriting, underlining or highlighting.
  4. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF with handwriting, underlining and highlighting.

Text That is Distorted or Cut Off

Text that is cut off, or missing, denies all users the opportunity to consume the maximum benefit of the content. Files that have partial text should be avoided.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Scroll quickly through each page.
  3. Identify if there is any text that is cut off.
  4. Find another copy or re-scan to include all text.
  5. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF with text that is distorted.

Example of PDF with text that is cut off.

Blurry or Hard to Read Fonts

With the variety of fonts, instructors need to ensure that if the file was enlarged or converted using OCR technology, the font would still be readable. Avoid decorative and fancy fonts.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Scroll quickly through each page.
  3. Identify if there are any blurry or hard to read fonts.
  4. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF with blurry fonts.

Example of PDF with hard to read fonts.

161 Free Hard To Read Fonts · 1001 Fonts.” 2012. 27 Apr. 2016 <http://www.1001fonts.com/hard-to-read-fonts.html>

Good Contrast Between Text and Background

Consider the color of the font color in comparison to the background color. Ensure the text is still readable despite different colors. This is important for sighted users and for OCR technology.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Scroll quickly through each page.
  3. Identify if the font color is a good contrast against background color.
  4. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.

Example of PDF with bad color contrast.

Record Visual Elements in the PDF

Visual elements are pictures, images, charts, tables or other graphical content. Visual elements need to have alternate text in an inclusive PDF. Alternate text is a short explanation of the image that would be important for a user to know. Sometimes, elements do not offer any additional knowledge or information as they are decorative in nature. These elements can be ignored. However, visual elements that offer information that is not contained in the main body of text must have alternate text.

Unfortunately, there is NOT a way within Adobe Acrobat Reade DC to check if images have alternate text. However, getting a sense of how many images might need alternate text is important.

  1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Scroll quickly through each page.
  3. Count the number of pictures, graphics, images, charts, tables, etc… that offer information that is not contained in the main body of text.
  4. Record results in File Inclusive Design Evaluation rubric.