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Re: PDF Accessibility

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From: Geoff Freed
Date: Jan 20, 2010 8:12AM

> Unfortunately, for screen reader users, many people who are creating PDFs
> don't know how to format the original documents correctly.
> Education is key to resolving these issues.

I agree- addressing accessibility at the source-document level, when possible, is the best approach. With this in mind, NCAM recently published a set of accessible-multimedia/PDF guidelines on iTunes U:

http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/wgbh.org.2010579900

You can download the document directly from http://ncam.wgbh.org/file_download/103 if you don't have access to iTunes. Chapter 5 deals with PDF accessibility and shows how to use OpenOffice to generate accessible PDFs.

These guidelines were published as an accessible PDF; let me know if you have questions about or problems with the document.

Geoff Freed
WGBH/NCAM
WGBH Educational Foundation
http://ncam.wgbh.org




On 1/20/10 8:22 AM, "Julie Romanowski" < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

Creating accessible PDFs is actually rather easy as long as the original
document has been created to be accessible. Unfortunately, for screen
reader users, many people who are creating PDFs don't know how to format
the original documents correctly. Education is key to resolving these
issues. If you encounter inaccessible PDFs, let the document owners
know. Point them to resources that can provide assistance, such as Adobe
and Microsoft. Speaking from my experience, most people want to do
what's right and are happy to fix their inaccessible documents if
they're shown how. Don't just tell them there's a problem. Offer to help
them find a solution.