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Re: PDFs: Logical Reading Order and Tags

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From: Alan Zaitchik
Date: Jun 2, 2016 12:12PM

Š And just to add to this scenario: when I have to use Acrobat¹s Edit PDF
to make a change (e.g. a change to some URL in a link) it seems to totally
screw up the tags all around the change site to some significant distance!
I¹m sure I needn't tell you how frustrating it is to do all the tags work
and then get asked to make some "small edit²! I don¹t know a whole lot
about editing PDFs in Acrobat, but now I am wondering if the fault is not
in my stars but in the product, to twist a famous phrase.

Alan Zaitchik | Senior Technologist / Senior Associate
200 Reservoir Street, Suite 202
Needham, Massachusetts 02494
www.center4si.com <http://www.center4si.com/>;




On 6/1/16, 6:11 PM, "Lucy Greco" < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

>I have seen 5 vary large pdfs in the last week that have been created in
>end design and they have all had the same weard reading order with one
>line on a page and the pageing in a strange order. so i would get page 6
>then some content on a line then page 2 and some content on a line and
>page 3 and then some content on a line and page one with a longer bit of
>content. also no hedders and no table markup at all.
> these were sent to ame as ones that had access work done on them is this
>part of the same problem
>
>Lucia Greco
>Web Accessibility Evangelist
>IST - Architecture, Platforms, and Integration
>University of California, Berkeley
>(510) 289-6008 skype: lucia1-greco
>http://webaccess.berkeley.edu
>Follow me on twitter @accessaces
>
>
>On Wed, Jun 1, 2016 at 6:09 AM, Chagnon | PubCom < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>wrote:
>
>> Wow. Did you bring up a sore point for me!
>> Just posted to an Adobe list about this...for the umpteenth time, too.
>>
>> #1. Please please please file a bug report/feature request in the Adobe
>> forums http://www.adobe.com/products/wishform.html. They've known about
>> this problem for 6 years, yet it's not getting fixed. Push them.
>>
>> #2. In Acrobat, you need to check your Role Map (options menu from the
>>Tag
>> panel) and make sure that every instance of the crazy-named tags from
>> InDesign is mapped to a standard PDF accessibility tag. Example: if the
>> crazy-named tag is <Big_Blue_Title> but it should be <H1>, the Role Map
>> utility should show it as Big_Blue_Tible / H1.
>>
>> Check every single tag and make sure it's mapped to the correct standard
>> tag. Role Map is a global tool, so all instances of <Big_Blue_Title>
>>will
>> map to <H1> throughout the document.
>>
>> #3. Here's a trick I teach in my InDesign + Accessibility classes. Name
>> your styles with the standard tag name so that it either converts to the
>> correct tag in the PDF, or is easier to check in the Role Map. Examples:
>>
>> Big Blue Title, rename it H1
>> Section Title, rename it H1 - Section
>> Big subhead, rename it H2
>> Sidebar head, rename it H2 - Sidebar
>>
>> This trick will help minimize the pain of this very costly, painful
>> difficiency in InDesign.
>>
>> Next item: reading order.
>> Yes, it's critical to have the tags sequenced top-down in a logital
>> reading order. But that's not something to address in an online post. I
>> teach a 2-day class in that!
>>
>> ‹
>> Bevi Chagnon | www.PubCom.com
>> Technologists, Consultants, Trainers, Designers, and Developers
>> for publishing & communication
>> | Acrobat PDF | Print | EPUBS | Sec. 508 Accessibility |
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On
>> Behalf Of Alan Zaitchik
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2016 8:38 AM
>> To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
>> Subject: [WebAIM] PDFs: Logical Reading Order and Tags
>>
>> When we get a PDF generated out of InDesign the tags are usually
>> non-HTML5-standard tags in a jumbled order. Yet often the logical
>>reading
>> order is fine, or can easily be fixed using the Acrobat tool for doing
>>so.
>> Testing in a screen reader like JAWS or NVDA seems to yield a pass as
>>well-
>> the content is read in the correct order.
>> How important is it that the tags themselves be (1) rearranged to match
>> the logical reading order, and (2) thoroughly reworked to use only HTML5
>> standard tags?
>> I imagine this turns on the question whether there are AT tools other
>>than
>> JAWS and NVDA that depend on these tags being standard and reordered.
>> Thanks,
>> A
>>
>> >> >> at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
>> >>
>> >> >> >> >>
>