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Re: PDFs and Smartphones-A Match Not Made in Heaven?

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From: L Snider
Date: Nov 28, 2014 6:26AM

Hello Gijs and Marco,

So nothing has improved? This makes me mad...I just don't get it. I was
hoping someone would say that I was wrong and missed something...

So my next question is-what do we do?

Do people who are blind use apps that show the structure?

If not, then how can we use PDF at all? I try to structure PDFs so they are
readable, but without tags it is just a jumble...

What if a PDF is warranted (as is the case for most of what I have to look
at or produce)? I am now thinking of offering HTML as an alternative, so at
least that might help. Does anyone have any good Word>HTML convertors that
take out the mess of Word code? I haven't had to do that in a while, so if
anyone has a favourite do let me know.

Wow, this is really going back to the early 2000s, how sad.

Cheers

Lisa



On Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 5:54 AM, Marco Zehe < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> my experience is that, aside from Adobe Reader on Windows plus
> supporting screen readers, PDF tags or whatever it's called nowadays
> isn't supported by anyone. Even apps such as Voice Dream Reader do not,
> as far as I know, expose PDF tag information. And neither does Adobe
> Reader for iOS. The Mac version of that isn't even VoiceOver accessible
> at all.
>
> On Android, according to my limited testing, the situation is just as
> dismal.
>
> Marco
>
> On 28.11.2014 09:31, Gijs Veyfeyken wrote:
> > Apple doesn't support PDF tags.
> > All the structural information in tags (tables, headings, lists,
> alt-texts, etcetera) is lost for VoiceOver users.
> > Not only in iOS but also in Mac OS.
> > http://duff-johnson.com/2013/03/01/inaccessible-by-choice-pdf-on-macos
> >
> > Gijs
> >
> >> On 27 Nov 2014, at 20:00, <EMAIL REMOVED> wrote:
> >>
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> >> 1. PDFs and Smartphones-A Match Not Made in Heaven? (L Snider)
> >>
> >> From: L Snider < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> >> To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> >> Date: 26 Nov 2014 20:37:08 CET
> >> Reply-To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> >> Subject: [WebAIM] PDFs and Smartphones-A Match Not Made in Heaven?
> >>
> >>
> >> HI Everyone,
> >>
> >> My last discussion got me thinking about PDFs, iphones and android
> phones.
> >>
> >> I can make a pretty accessible PDF (using a pretty accessible Word doc).
> >> However, I am now researching PDFs and smartphones, which don't seem
> that
> >> smart now...
> >>
> >> I have read about apps that might help with 'reading' the PDF, but in
> the
> >> end are PDFs doomed? What if one needs to use a PDF that has tables,
> etc.
> >> for a specific use, ie: a handbook that does not lend itself to html?
> >>
> >> I can still produce my lovely pretty accessible PDF, but if a mobile
> user
> >> who has VoiceOver reads it, then they rely on reading order alone for
> the
> >> most part? Would love to hear what all of you think and what you are
> doing
> >> with your PDFs.
> >>
> >> Cheers
> >>
> >> Lisa
> >>
> >> PS-Two articles were of particular interest:
> >> I found a couple of articles that peaked my interest:
> >>
> http://webguide.gov.au/accessibility-usability/accessibility/pdf-accessibility/
> >>
> https://www.ssbbartgroup.com/blog/2013/09/06/pdf-accessibility-on-mobile-devices/
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> > >> > >> > > > > > > >
> > > >