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Number of posts in this thread: 14 (In chronological order)

From: Alan Zaitchik
Date: Tue, Apr 03 2018 4:37PM
Subject: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
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Some time ago I asked about table cells that span page boundaries and what people do to make it possible for screen readers to handle them. I thought I was implementing the advice I received, but apparently this has not resulted in success. I would greatly appreciate more advice!

The tables are generated from a Word document, and the header rows are marked as repeating on every page, while other rows are not. All rows are allowed to span page boundaries (because otherwise the document looks atrocious, with tremendous extents of white space). In the PDF I retagged as needed so that a cell does indeed include all the contents it should. That is, if the Word-to-PDF conversion screwed up in some way I manually fixed the situation. (Or I think I did.) I have passed all the PDFs through CommonLook PDF Global Access and they pass with no Failures in any of the multiple standards it tests against. Same for Acrobat Accessibility Checker. I set Acrobat to allow scrolling rather than 1 page view.

BUT what I find is that both JAWS and NVDA do not see the "continuation" of the table onto the next page. Instead they hit the edge of the table on the first page and announce they are at the bottom of the column and the end of the table. If I manually move to the next page JAWS sees a "new" table. Since quite often only one of the cells from the previous page is continuing onto the next page, this "new" table is not really correct in the information it imparts to the listener. The user loses the connection between what is inside the cell that is continuing and the information in the cells that are not continuing (and which exist only on the previous page).
I have tried this with repeating the headers and with not repeating the headers from the first page onto the next. No good either way.

Is this a known limitation of screen readers in general? What do users dependent on screen readers need to be able to handle this situation? My ability to restructure and redesign the tables is very limited, basically none at all! So I guess I am hoping to hear that there is some "header indexing" trick I might use or some magical setting in Acrobat reader which I have neglected or that AT-dependent users are familiar with this situation and work around it. Or that there is nothing I can do but apologize to the client that this is the way it is...

A

From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Tue, Apr 03 2018 5:22PM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

Alan, Acrobat has a setting to deliver only a single page's contents to screen readers when a threshold number of pages is met. See Acrobat > Edit > preferences > reading > Screen reader Options > for large documents only read the currently visible page. The default is 50. This is a user setting. Try changing this option to read the entire document or adjust the threshold and see if that makes a difference.

Jonathan

Jonathan Avila
Chief Accessibility Officer
Level Access
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
703.637.8957 office

Visit us online:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Blog

See you at CSUN in March!

From: glen walker
Date: Tue, Apr 03 2018 7:19PM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

We've run into the Acrobat setting for large documents before but it
sounded like this was a separate issue. I made a simple table in Word that
spanned several pages. When I saved as PDF, the resulting tagged PDF had a
<table> tag on every page with its own <thead> and <tbody>, so there was
literally one table per page. That sounds like a bug in Word.

I hand edited the PDF and moved all the <tbody> tags into the first table
then deleted all the remain <table> tags (and their subsequent <thead>
tags). It didn't work perfectly but at least now the screen reader only
saw one table with a bunch of rows, just like it was in Word. I'm sure I
could tweak it some more but the concept seemed to work.

But hand editing isn't a viable solution for large documents or a large
number of documents. Perhaps you might have luck contacting MS directly
(stifled laugh), although if you call with an accessibility issue, maybe
they'll be responsive. If the Word doc only has one table in it, the
resulting PDF should only have one table in it.


On Tue, Apr 3, 2018 at 5:22 PM, Jonathan Avila < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
wrote:

> Alan, Acrobat has a setting to deliver only a single page's contents to
> screen readers when a threshold number of pages is met. See Acrobat > Edit
> > preferences > reading > Screen reader Options > for large documents only
> read the currently visible page. The default is 50. This is a user
> setting. Try changing this option to read the entire document or adjust
> the threshold and see if that makes a difference.
>
> Jonathan
>
> Jonathan Avila
> Chief Accessibility Officer
> Level Access
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> 703.637.8957 office
>
> Visit us online:
> Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Blog
>
> See you at CSUN in March!
>
>

From: Duff Johnson
Date: Tue, Apr 03 2018 7:28PM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

> We've run into the Acrobat setting for large documents before but it
> sounded like this was a separate issue. I made a simple table in Word that
> spanned several pages. When I saved as PDF, the resulting tagged PDF had a
> <table> tag on every page with its own <thead> and <tbody>, so there was
> literally one table per page. That sounds like a bug in Word.

More specifically, a bug in the software that's converting the Word file to a PDF.

> But hand editing isn't a viable solution for large documents or a large
> number of documents. Perhaps you might have luck contacting MS directly
> (stifled laugh), although if you call with an accessibility issue, maybe
> they'll be responsive.

Yes, they will be responsive. This is *precisely* the sort of feedback they need, and I've observed them to act on it before. Nothing will happen unless people *say something*.

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f-4dd2-9ff4-23cf144cfb11

> If the Word doc only has one table in it, the
> resulting PDF should only have one table in it.

Absolutely; anything less is a bug, pure-and-simple.

Duff.

From: chagnon
Date: Tue, Apr 03 2018 8:25PM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

Glen Walker wrote:
<Quote> We've run into the Acrobat setting for large documents before but it sounded like this was a separate issue. I made a simple table in Word that spanned several pages. When I saved as PDF, the resulting tagged PDF had a <table> tag on every page with its own <thead> and <tbody>, so there was literally one table per page. That sounds like a bug in Word. </Quote>

It was a bug in the Word-to-PDF conversion, but has been corrected with the latest versions of Word and the Acrobat plug-in for Office, PDF Maker. Sounds like one or both of your software programs is at least a year out-of-date.

Solution: Update both software programs. Current versions are:
Word 2016 version 1803 or Word 365
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC version 2018.011.2038
Adobe PDF Maker version 18 (the plug-in is installed with Acrobat)

There's a slight chance some operator error slipped into your file too, so make sure the following is done in the Word file:

1. Select the header row and ensure that the Header Row check box is selected in the Table/Design ribbon.

2. With header row selected, also go to Table Properties / Row / and check Repeat as header row at the top of each page.

With the right software and the right settings in Word, you'll get a perfect table. Well, other than right now we get only 1 row automatically tagged as the header, but understand that Microsoft is aware of that shortcoming and we should be able to set multiple rows as repeating headers in the future.

— — —
Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
— — —
PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
consulting ' training ' development ' design ' sec. 508 services
— — —

From: glen walker
Date: Tue, Apr 03 2018 9:52PM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

I do have the latest Office. I don't use PDF Maker (that I know of). From
Word, I just do a Save As and choose PDF as the file type. I looked in
Word > Options > Add-ins (and COM Add-ins) and there aren't any Adobe
plugins. I don't have Acrobat.

And yes, the table in my word document has a header row and row properties
checked.

But while I'm at it, is there a way to make row headers in a table? Column
headers are easy. But I want the first column in my table to serve as the
row headers so that when I navigate vertically through a column, I'll hear
the row header before the cell value. I know I can add a bookmark within
Word itself, and that seems to work when reading the document with word,
but if I save as PDF, the row header information isn't saved. I want
something like <th scope='row'> in my resulting PDF (or resulting HTML).


On Tue, Apr 3, 2018 at 8:25 PM, < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> Glen Walker wrote:
> <Quote> We've run into the Acrobat setting for large documents before but
> it sounded like this was a separate issue. I made a simple table in Word
> that spanned several pages. When I saved as PDF, the resulting tagged PDF
> had a <table> tag on every page with its own <thead> and <tbody>, so there
> was literally one table per page. That sounds like a bug in Word. </Quote>
>
> It was a bug in the Word-to-PDF conversion, but has been corrected with
> the latest versions of Word and the Acrobat plug-in for Office, PDF Maker.
> Sounds like one or both of your software programs is at least a year
> out-of-date.
>
> Solution: Update both software programs. Current versions are:
> Word 2016 version 1803 or Word 365
> Adobe Acrobat Pro DC version 2018.011.2038
> Adobe PDF Maker version 18 (the plug-in is installed with Acrobat)
>
> There's a slight chance some operator error slipped into your file too, so
> make sure the following is done in the Word file:
>
> 1. Select the header row and ensure that the Header Row check box is
> selected in the Table/Design ribbon.
>
> 2. With header row selected, also go to Table Properties / Row / and check
> Repeat as header row at the top of each page.
>
> With the right software and the right settings in Word, you'll get a
> perfect table. Well, other than right now we get only 1 row automatically
> tagged as the header, but understand that Microsoft is aware of that
> shortcoming and we should be able to set multiple rows as repeating headers
> in the future.
>
> — — —
> Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> — — —
> PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
> consulting ' training ' development ' design ' sec. 508 services
> — — —
>
> > > > >

From: Karlen Communications
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 4:16AM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

Yes, as of Word 2016/Office 365 if you have First Column checked in the Table Tools, Design Ribbon, it will identify the cells in the first columns as TH cells. This was added about a year ago.

Cheers, Karen

Sent from my iPad

> On Apr 3, 2018, at 11:52 PM, glen walker < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> I do have the latest Office. I don't use PDF Maker (that I know of). From
> Word, I just do a Save As and choose PDF as the file type. I looked in
> Word > Options > Add-ins (and COM Add-ins) and there aren't any Adobe
> plugins. I don't have Acrobat.
>
> And yes, the table in my word document has a header row and row properties
> checked.
>
> But while I'm at it, is there a way to make row headers in a table? Column
> headers are easy. But I want the first column in my table to serve as the
> row headers so that when I navigate vertically through a column, I'll hear
> the row header before the cell value. I know I can add a bookmark within
> Word itself, and that seems to work when reading the document with word,
> but if I save as PDF, the row header information isn't saved. I want
> something like <th scope='row'> in my resulting PDF (or resulting HTML).
>
>
>> On Tue, Apr 3, 2018 at 8:25 PM, < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>>
>> Glen Walker wrote:
>> <Quote> We've run into the Acrobat setting for large documents before but
>> it sounded like this was a separate issue. I made a simple table in Word
>> that spanned several pages. When I saved as PDF, the resulting tagged PDF
>> had a <table> tag on every page with its own <thead> and <tbody>, so there
>> was literally one table per page. That sounds like a bug in Word. </Quote>
>>
>> It was a bug in the Word-to-PDF conversion, but has been corrected with
>> the latest versions of Word and the Acrobat plug-in for Office, PDF Maker.
>> Sounds like one or both of your software programs is at least a year
>> out-of-date.
>>
>> Solution: Update both software programs. Current versions are:
>> Word 2016 version 1803 or Word 365
>> Adobe Acrobat Pro DC version 2018.011.2038
>> Adobe PDF Maker version 18 (the plug-in is installed with Acrobat)
>>
>> There's a slight chance some operator error slipped into your file too, so
>> make sure the following is done in the Word file:
>>
>> 1. Select the header row and ensure that the Header Row check box is
>> selected in the Table/Design ribbon.
>>
>> 2. With header row selected, also go to Table Properties / Row / and check
>> Repeat as header row at the top of each page.
>>
>> With the right software and the right settings in Word, you'll get a
>> perfect table. Well, other than ri

From: Karlen Communications
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 7:11AM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

I still recommend that you have the Header Row Repeat so that when the table spans more than one page, visually people with visual, learning or cognitive disabilities will be able to identify the column titles.

Not sure/can't remember if the PDF and PDF/UA specs state that tables (and lists) aren't to be broken over pages...or that paragraphs aren't to be broken over pages for that matter.

While in Word, the adaptive technology reads the content seamlessly although we do have the ability to go into the Page Header/Page Footer information if we want. We are also notified when we move to the previous or next page. We don't have that in the PDF environment. When documents are converted to tagged PDF or other formats, the Page Breaks are respected. This is the major reason I recommend the Header Row Repeat is turned on. As of last year, with Word 2016/Office 365, Word Tags the Header row Repeat information on each page as the table spans multiple pages.

This is an ongoing discussion. If having page numbers tagged is not an issue, then having all of a paragraph, list or table together is something we remediate. If the page numbers are to be tagged, it is recommended that the page number either proceed or follow an entire paragraph rather than create a comprehension issue by placing the page number in the middle of text. However, I'm not sure that the PDF/UA specs cover how to add page numbers as Tags if you want a list or table to be intact under its parent Tag as it spans multiple pages. Where would the Page Number Tag be placed without interrupting the list or table content?

Perhaps this should be an option when converting to tagged PDF. We have the choice of keeping all of the content for a paragraph, list or table together or we have the ability to strategically Tag page numbers/leave room to Tag page numbers? We would still have the problem of where to add the Page Number Tags for lists and tables that span multiple pages, but it might help us in some PDF remediations where page numbers aren't important.

Cheers, Karen

From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 7:20AM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

The best way to do page number is to add them to the pages tab in Acrobat as labels. This works well and screen reader can announce this with insert page down. This is used when visual numbers don't match physical page numbers. This leaves the issue with other header footer content that is not repeated elsewhere in he document to be solved.

Jonathan
Level Access

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 4, 2018, at 9:12 AM, Karlen Communications < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> I still recommend that you have the Header Row Repeat so that when the table spans more than one page, visually people with visual, learning or cognitive disabilities will be able to identify the column titles.
>
> Not sure/can't remember if the PDF and PDF/UA specs state that tables (and lists) aren't to be broken over pages...or that paragraphs aren't to be broken over pages for that matter.
>
> While in Word, the adaptive technology reads the content seamlessly although we do have the ability to go into the Page Header/Page Footer information if we want. We are also notified when we move to the previous or next page. We don't have that in the PDF environment. When documents are converted to tagged PDF or other formats, the Page Breaks are respected. This is the major reason I recommend the Header Row Repeat is turned on. As of last year, with Word 2016/Office 365, Word Tags the Header row Repeat information on each page as the table spans multiple pages.
>
> This is an ongoing discussion. If having page numbers tagged is not an issue, then having all of a paragraph, list or table together is something we remediate. If the page numbers are to be tagged, it is recommended that the page number either proceed or follow an entire paragraph rather than create a comprehension issue by placing the page number in the middle of text. However, I'm not sure that the PDF/UA specs cover how to add page numbers as Tags if you want a list or table to be intact under its parent Tag as it spans multiple pages. Where would the Page Number Tag be placed without interrupting the list or table content?
>
> Perhaps this should be an option when converting to tagged PDF. We have the choice of keeping all of the content for a paragraph, list or table together or we have the ability to strategically Tag page numbers/leave room to Tag page numbers? We would still have the problem of where to add the Page Number Tags for lists and tables that span multiple pages, but it might help us in some PDF remediations where page numbers aren't important.
>
> Cheers, Karen
>
>
>
>

From: Duff Johnson
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 7:22AM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

> Not sure/can't remember if the PDF and PDF/UA specs state that tables (and lists) aren't to be broken over pages...or that paragraphs aren't to be broken over pages for that matter.

PDF/UA requires "semantic appropriateness". Accordingly, tables (and lists, and paragraphs, and anything else) that span pages are NOT to be tagged as separate structures on each page - that would clearly violate PDF/UA.

> This is an ongoing discussion. If having page numbers tagged is not an issue, then having all of a paragraph, list or table together is something we remediate. If the page numbers are to be tagged, it is recommended that the page number either proceed or follow an entire paragraph rather than create a comprehension issue by placing the page number in the middle of text.

Page numbers are artifacts; do NOT tag them! Unless, of course, it's considered clever and desirable to cause your readers to encounter numbers semi-randomly in the text… NOT!

> However, I'm not sure that the PDF/UA specs cover how to add page numbers as Tags if you want a list or table to be intact under its parent Tag as it spans multiple pages. Where would the Page Number Tag be placed without interrupting the list or table content?

Authors should indicate pagination via the mechanism PDF supplies for this purpose - page labels!

> Perhaps this should be an option when converting to tagged PDF. We have the choice of keeping all of the content for a paragraph, list or table together or we have the ability to strategically Tag page numbers/leave room to Tag page numbers? We would still have the problem of where to add the Page Number Tags for lists and tables that span multiple pages, but it might help us in some PDF remediations where page numbers aren't important.

It's much simpler…

- Never tag page numbers; it's just wrong.
- Always use page labels; it's what they are intended for,

Duff.

From: Karlen Communications
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 7:48AM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

Doesn't seem to work using JAWS 18 latest version and Adobe acrobat pro DC latest version. My document has no preface pages, is 6 pages in length. If I press JawsKey + Page down, all I hear is "learn more" which isn't in my document...must be somewhere in the Acrobat UI? Yes, just checked an it is in the Tools Task Pane at the bottom and is to learn more about my subscription plan. Focus WAS on the document and If I press Ctrl + Page Down I do move to the next page, but if I press JawsKey + Page Down, I read the learn more about my subscription link.

Cheers, Karen

From: chagnon
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 8:30AM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

Hi Glenn,

Karen and Duff gave excellent advice about the other issues in your post.

Here are my comments about the use of Save As PDF without having Acrobat or Adobe PDF Maker installed.

First, there is a big difference in how various software programs convert a source document (like a Word file) into a PDF. The key concept here is that a utility, script, program, etc., must convert or translate the original file into something else. Some software do a better job of that.

Second, a regular PDF is different from one that is accessible per the PDF/UA-1 standard. In order to get an accessible PDF from a Word document, the conversion program must be able to meet the current PDF/UA-1 requirements, not just the requirements of a regular PDF. Again, some programs do a better job, especially in keeping up to date with the latest standards, requirements and industry recommendations.

I believe that the File / Save As / PDF utility that ships with Word is Microsoft's conversion utility and I have not been satisfied with it for most documents that my firm has tested. Simple documents with just text and headings seem to be fine, but not those with more complex items like tables.

I just took my Word file for testing tables and exported it 2 ways; one through Adobe Acrobat PDF Maker plug-in and the other via MS Word's Save As PDF utility.

— The Acrobat PDF Maker version was perfect; one table tag holding a 3-page table with both Row and Column Header TH tags.

— The Word Save As PDF version had the problem you're seeing; 3 separate table tags, one on each page. Each table did have both the Row and Column Header TH Tags.

So I think the problem you're seeing in your files is that the Word Save As PDF utility isn't doing the job right.

For those still reading, similar accessibility "shortcomings" happen when the Print to PDF option is used.

Four options:

1. Continue to use your current Save As PDF method and then manually fix the PDF in Acrobat Pro DC or another PDF remediation program.

2. Purchase Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and let it install the PDF Maker utility into your Word ribbon. Then use the Acrobat ribbon to export compliant PDFs from Word.

3. Purchase CommonLook Office Global Access, which does the same job as Acrobat Pro and makes compliant PDFs from Word.

4. Complain to Microsoft about its poor Save As PDF utility. If users don't complain to the software companies, we'll never get the tools we need to make our ICT accessible. The URL to submit feature requests for all Microsoft products is at https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/o365guy/2018/01/02/submit-product-feedback-or-feature-requests-to-microsofts-virtual-suggestion-boxes/

For Word, it's at https://word.uservoice.com/

Hope this helps you solve the mystery.
—Bevi

— — —
Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
— — —
PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
consulting ' training ' development ' design ' sec. 508 services
— — —

From: glen walker
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 12:32PM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | Next message →

Hmm, the "first column" was checked in my document but the resulting PDF
didn't have a <th> for the row headers. The column headers had <th>.


On Wed, Apr 4, 2018 at 4:16 AM, Karlen Communications <
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> Yes, as of Word 2016/Office 365 if you have First Column checked in the
> Table Tools, Design Ribbon, it will identify the cells in the first columns
> as TH cells. This was added about a year ago.
>
> Cheers, Karen
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> > On Apr 3, 2018, at 11:52 PM, glen walker < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> >
> > I do have the latest Office. I don't use PDF Maker (that I know of).
> From
> > Word, I just do a Save As and choose PDF as the file type. I looked in
> > Word > Options > Add-ins (and COM Add-ins) and there aren't any Adobe
> > plugins. I don't have Acrobat.
> >
> > And yes, the table in my word document has a header row and row
> properties
> > checked.
> >
> > But while I'm at it, is there a way to make row headers in a table?
> Column
> > headers are easy. But I want the first column in my table to serve as
> the
> > row headers so that when I navigate vertically through a column, I'll
> hear
> > the row header before the cell value. I know I can add a bookmark within
> > Word itself, and that seems to work when reading the document with word,
> > but if I save as PDF, the row header information isn't saved. I want
> > something like <th scope='row'> in my resulting PDF (or resulting HTML).
> >
> >
> >> On Tue, Apr 3, 2018 at 8:25 PM, < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> >>
> >> Glen Walker wrote:
> >> <Quote> We've run into the Acrobat setting for large documents before
> but
> >> it sounded like this was a separate issue. I made a simple table in
> Word
> >> that spanned several pages. When I saved as PDF, the resulting tagged
> PDF
> >> had a <table> tag on every page with its own <thead> and <tbody>, so
> there
> >> was literally one table per page. That sounds like a bug in Word.
> </Quote>
> >>
> >> It was a bug in the Word-to-PDF conversion, but has been corrected with
> >> the latest versions of Word and the Acrobat plug-in for Office, PDF
> Maker.
> >> Sounds like one or both of your software programs is at least a year
> >> out-of-date.
> >>
> >> Solution: Update both software programs. Current versions are:
> >> Word 2016 version 1803 or Word 365
> >> Adobe Acrobat Pro DC version 2018.011.2038
> >> Adobe PDF Maker version 18 (the plug-in is installed with
> Acrobat)
> >>
> >> There's a slight chance some operator error slipped into your file too,
> so
> >> make sure the following is done in the Word file:
> >>
> >> 1. Select the header row and ensure that the Header Row check box is
> >> selected in the Table/Design ribbon.
> >>
> >> 2. With header row selected, also go to Table Properties / Row / and
> check
> >> Repeat as header row at the top of each page.
> >>
> >> With the right software and the right settings in Word, you'll get a
> >> perfect table. Well, other than ri
>
> > > > >

From: glen walker
Date: Wed, Apr 04 2018 12:41PM
Subject: Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers
← Previous message | No next message

Thanks Bevi. I'm using the built-in PDF converter in Word instead of a
plugin so that's the difference. I do this when I'm trying to create a
quick tagged PDF example, even though Micosoft's built-in converter has
issues. That's probably why the "First Column" checkbox in word doesn't
work either.



On Wed, Apr 4, 2018 at 8:30 AM, < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> Hi Glenn,
>
> Karen and Duff gave excellent advice about the other issues in your post.
>
> Here are my comments about the use of Save As PDF without having Acrobat
> or Adobe PDF Maker installed.
>
> First, there is a big difference in how various software programs convert
> a source document (like a Word file) into a PDF. The key concept here is
> that a utility, script, program, etc., must convert or translate the
> original file into something else. Some software do a better job of that.
>
> Second, a regular PDF is different from one that is accessible per the
> PDF/UA-1 standard. In order to get an accessible PDF from a Word document,
> the conversion program must be able to meet the current PDF/UA-1
> requirements, not just the requirements of a regular PDF. Again, some
> programs do a better job, especially in keeping up to date with the latest
> standards, requirements and industry recommendations.
>
> I believe that the File / Save As / PDF utility that ships with Word is
> Microsoft's conversion utility and I have not been satisfied with it for
> most documents that my firm has tested. Simple documents with just text and
> headings seem to be fine, but not those with more complex items like tables.
>
> I just took my Word file for testing tables and exported it 2 ways; one
> through Adobe Acrobat PDF Maker plug-in and the other via MS Word's Save As
> PDF utility.
>
> — The Acrobat PDF Maker version was perfect; one table tag holding a
> 3-page table with both Row and Column Header TH tags.
>
> — The Word Save As PDF version had the problem you're seeing; 3 separate
> table tags, one on each page. Each table did have both the Row and Column
> Header TH Tags.
>
> So I think the problem you're seeing in your files is that the Word Save
> As PDF utility isn't doing the job right.
>
> For those still reading, similar accessibility "shortcomings" happen when
> the Print to PDF option is used.
>
> Four options:
>
> 1. Continue to use your current Save As PDF method and then manually fix
> the PDF in Acrobat Pro DC or another PDF remediation program.
>
> 2. Purchase Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and let it install the PDF Maker utility
> into your Word ribbon. Then use the Acrobat ribbon to export compliant PDFs
> from Word.
>
> 3. Purchase CommonLook Office Global Access, which does the same job as
> Acrobat Pro and makes compliant PDFs from Word.
>
> 4. Complain to Microsoft about its poor Save As PDF utility. If users
> don't complain to the software companies, we'll never get the tools we need
> to make our ICT accessible. The URL to submit feature requests for all
> Microsoft products is at https://blogs.technet.
> microsoft.com/o365guy/2018/01/02/submit-product-feedback-or-
> feature-requests-to-microsofts-virtual-suggestion-boxes/
>
> For Word, it's at https://word.uservoice.com/
>
> Hope this helps you solve the mystery.
> —Bevi
>
> — — —
> Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> — — —
> PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
> consulting ' training ' development ' design ' sec. 508 services
> — — —
>
>
>