SAIF: A Brief Guide to PDFs and Accessibilty
1.Things you may already know about PDFs
• PDF stands for Portable Document Format.
• This format was developed because it means that information can be easily shared among people using:
• different operating systems, e.g. Apple, Microsoft, Linux;
• different applications e.g. Apple, Microsoft Office, Open Office;
• different versions of the same application: Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2010.
• You need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer to read a PDF.
• PDF is the most common format used for downloading information from the Internet.
• Any type of file including pictures and scanned documents can be made into a PDF.
You may also think that PDFs cannot be changed. While this is not true, it is certainly more difficult to change a PDF than a Word document, for example, and you need to have the correct software installed.
What you might not know about PDFs
• Badly structured PDFs can be inaccessible to screen-reading software designed for people with a visual impairment who are unable to see the screen or use a mouse or other pointing device. This screen-reading software is a type of assistive technology. It allows users to hear what is on the screen. It enables the user to access information (read) and produce information (write).
• PDFs are inaccessible to people who use braille translation software to convert text to braille. Many braille users now have braille translation software that allows them to print their own braille copies on a braille embosser. Some of the more sophisticated packages can recognise and translate the document structure as well as the content.
Both these types of software benefit:
• visually impaired people because they no longer have to wait to receive audio or braille copies of information,
• information producers because it means they do not have to bear the cost of having audio or braille copies made. It is very much in their interest to make sure that the information they provide will be accessible to these packages. This guide will help them achieve this aim.