Portable Document Format (PDF) Files

According to Adobe Systems Incorporated (2012), the PDF is "the native file format for the Adobe Acrobat family of products"; it was designed "to enable users to exchange and view documents easily and independently of the environment in which they were created" (Overview of Portable Document Format section). PDFs are a destination file format, meaning that they are typically created in some other application. 

While PDFs are the current standard for course readings, they are difficult to make fully accessible, which is why we recommend not using that format if possible.

Two Sources for PDFs

Document Saved as a PDF

A PDF created from a document, such as a Word document, will work well for most students because it will enlarge nicely (for those using magnification) and convert easily to a readable file (for those using Read & Write Gold or another read-aloud tool). However, it will not work well for students who are blind (usually using JAWS) unless it is purposefully tagged for accessibility. Materials specialists usually convert PDFs to Word during accommodation work rather than trying to make the PDF fully accessible.

PDFs Created From Scanned Materials

Poorly scanned documents create problems for all students because they are hard to read and are not real text that can be highlighted and searched, so they don't work with read-aloud tools and won't convert to other formats with Ally or SensusAccess. Figure 2 is an example of a bad scan.

Please reference the Obtaining and Improving Scanned Readings page in WCLD 101 Links to an external site. for guidance on what to do with a poorly scanned document.

PDF Best Practices

• Use high-quality PDFs for readings. 
• Reach out to the Accessibility Team to address poorly scanned PDFs.

PDF Quick Fix

Anyone with Acrobat Pro can remediate a PDF in minutes, creating a document that will work well with read-aloud tools and for most students. Here is how: 

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro.
2. Under All Tools, select Scan & OCR and then Recognize Text.
3. Under All Tools, select Prepare for accessibility and then Automatically tag PDF.
4. Select Check for accessibility and select the Start Checking button.
5. Expand the Document tab and fix the Primary language and document title if needed. 
6. Save.

To verify your results, do the following:

1. Upload the file to a Canvas course space.
2. Check the Ally score (should be 50% or better).
3. Convert the document to HTML.
4. Open the downloaded HTML document to see if the text is correct. 

For more advanced remediation of low-quality scans, two-page layouts, or full accessibility, please submit a Document Cleanup Workfront request.

References