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Note: Refer to the
Word to PDF Reference Card and the HHS checklist for accessible Word files||http://www.hhs.gov/web/policies/wordCheckList-HHS.pdf|HHS checklist for accessible Word files] for helpful tips.

Step

Steps for creating accessible documents in Word

For more information, see

1

Design with accessibility in mind. Only use our template styles, including character styles for common formatting such as bold and italic. Resist overriding template styles.

http://www.webaim.org/

2

Add alternate text to images.

Word 2003

  1. Right-click the image, then select Format Picture. The Format Picture dialog box appears. Note: If the Format Picture menu option is not available, show the Picture toolbar and click the Format Picture button.
  2. Select the Web tab and then add the appropriate alternative text. 


Word 2007
Right-click the picture and select Size. The Size dialog box appears.
Select the Alt Text tab. The image file name is entered into the field by default.
Delete the image file name and enter appropriate alternate text.

 

4

Use meaningful link anchors rather than URLs when possible.

 

5

Configure PDFMaker to tag the document properly.
In Word 2003, select Adobe PDF > Change Conversion Settings.

  • On the Settings tab, select Bookmarks, Links, and Enable Accessibility and reflow.
  • On the Word tab, select Convert cross references, Convert footnote and endnote links, and Enable advanced tagging.
  • On the Bookmarks tab, select Convert Word Headings to Bookmarks and set the proper indent levels.

 

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Table 1.3 explains how to create an accessible PDF once your document is in Acrobat.Table 1.3 explains how to create an accessible PDF once your source file is in Acrobat.

Note: Refer to the HHS checklist for accessible PDFs for helpful tips.

Step

Steps for creating accessible PDFs

1

In the document properties, enter NCI CBIIT as the Author. In the Keywords field, enter 508 Compliant as one of your keywords.

2

Specify document language.

  1. Select File > Document Properties.
  2. Click the Advanced tab.
  3. In the Language list, select English.

3

Use the document structure to prevent errors in the accessibility report.

  1. Select all pages in the document.
  2. Right-click and then select Page Properties.
  3. Select Use Document Structure.

4

Run an accessibility full check using the Adobe PDF option.

  1. Select Advanced > Accessibility > Full Check. The Accessibility Full Check dialog box appears.
  2. Keep the defaults, which includes the checking option of Adobe PDF.
  3. Click Start Checking.

5

Fix any problems reported by the accessibility checker. Documents from Word tend to have more problems than documents from FrameMaker. Documents from Word may need post-processing in Acrobat. Use the accessibility checker report as a troubleshooting guide to narrow down problem areas.

To begin post-processing in Acrobat, select Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order. In the TouchUp Reading Order dialog box, click Show order panel, then do the following.

  • Confirm that each numbered box in the document is properly tagged.
  • Add alternate text as needed to figures as needed.
  • Remove nonessential content, such as ornamental page borders, from the logical structure tree as needed (files from Word tend to create a lot of nonessential tags that can be deleted in the PDF).
  • Note that when you remove the tags (such as by using the Delete Item Structure or Clear Page Structure commands), you cannot undo that action. Save your file often.

6

Once the steps above result in a PDF with no accessibility errors according to Adobe, set the scope of your tables. Adobe does not require you to set the scope but it is one more thing that you can do quickly to prepare your PDFs better for assistive technology.

  1. Select Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order.
  2. Scroll to your first table and click the number in its upper-left corner.
  3. On the TouchUp Reading Order panel, click Table Editor to select the table.
  4. Select the cells that serve as column headers. You can also repeat these steps for cells that serve as row headers, if your table has that type of structure.
  5. Right-click and select Table Cell Properties.
  6. Keep the Type as Header Cell and from the Scope list, select Column. This tells a screen reader that it is to associate column headers with the cells in that column.
  7. Click OK.

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