WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Word Documents header and footer areas not exported to PDF tag tree

for

From: Dana McMullen
Date: Dec 13, 2024 9:10AM

Hello Ryan,

To clarify my response, I was responding to what happens during the
conversion process from Word to PDF, and why these header/footer areas
convert from Word to PDF as artifacts instead of content that is available
to assistive technology.

But I am aware that we have the ability to change our mark up once we edit
our PDF's. That didn't seem to be the focus of the original question unless
I'm just not reading it correctly.

Respectfully,

Dana

On Fri, Dec 13, 2024 at 9:32 AM Ryan E. Benson < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
wrote:

> Welcome Dana,
>
> Any content can be marked up as an artifact, and it is up to the
> content author or the person doing the remediation to make that
> decision. For example, in word, to make the top row a header, you have
> to select the "repeat header row" option regardless of if the table
> spans multiple pages. If the table does span across multiple pages,
> marking the repeated text an artifact should be done because it can
> create confusion/distraction as Karen said in her comments.
>
> --
> Ryan E. Benson
>
> On Thu, Dec 12, 2024 at 7:52 PM Dana McMullen
> < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >
> > Hello all,
> >
> > Hello everyone, This is my first time participating in this community,
> and
> > I'm excited to finally contribute. I wanted to join this conversation
> about
> > PDF conversion and share some insights regarding why headers and footers
> > are often considered "PDF artifacts" and are hidden from assistive
> > technology. This practice is beneficial for users with disabilities. To
> > clarify, I assume that when you refer to these elements, you mean that
> they
> > are: 1. Not part of the main content (like paragraph headers) 2. Intended
> > solely for layout purposes. A PDF artifact is defined as an element in a
> > PDF document that: 1. Is not intended to be part of the main content, 2.
> Is
> > typically used for layout purposes, and 3. Is usually ignored by screen
> > readers and other assistive technologies. Artifacts can include:
> >
> > - Page Numbers - Often treated as layout elements rather than content.
> > - Watermarks - Decorative or security features not intended for
> content
> > reading.
> > - Background Graphics - Images or patterns used solely for design
> > purposes. By skipping these types of elements, we ensure that users
> with
> > disabilities receive only relevant content read to them. This
> significantly
> > enhances both accessibility and usability.
> >
> > ===
> > Dana McMullen
> > Web Developer | Lead Accessibility Specialist | Tester| Consultant
> > Remote Digital Office Practitioner
> >
> > On Thu, Dec 12, 2024 at 12:29 PM Jon Brundage via WebAIM-Forum <
> > <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >
> > > Thank you so much, Karen
> > >