Creating Accessible PDFs with Adobe InDesign and Adobe Acrobat Pro

Duration

1 day (5.5 instructional hours)

Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to successfully create an accessible (WCAG and PDF/UA compliant) PDF using Adobe InDesign and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Prerequisites

• None

Recommended pre-knowledge

• Familiarity with WCAG 2
• Familiarity with Adobe InDesign
• Familiarity with Adobe Acrobat Pro

Course Outline

• Introduction
  • Review of WCAG 2
  • Introduction to PDF/UA
• Creating accessible PDFs in Adobe InDesign
  • Working with text structures (headings, lists, and tables)
  • Working with images (placement and alt text)
  • Working with layout (columns, text boxes, and text flow)
  • Working with Headers and Footers (mastheads, page numbering and sections)
  • Adding additional accessibility features
• Exporting to PDF
  • Setting the export options
  • Exporting the PDF
• “Touching up” the resulting PDF document in MS-Word
  • Checking and repairing the document structure
  • Creating artifacts for decorative and/or repetitive elements
  • Adding additional accessibility features
• Testing with automated tools and compliance methodologies
  • Testing and repairing with the Acrobat Accessibility Checker
  • Testing and repairing with PAC 3
  • Using the WCAG Checklist
• Introduction to functional testing
  • Using keyboard navigation
  • Using zoom and reflow
  • Replacing the document colours
  • Using a screen reading device
  • Involving real users

Typical Agenda for Full Day Course

9:00 to 10:15: PDF idealism, Why We Should Care, Deficits, Assistive Technologies

10:15 to 10:30: break

10:30 to 11:45: Overview of sustainable PDF, Section 508, AODA, and the new Standard on Web Accessibility, WCAG 2.0 Principle 1

11:45 to 12:45: lunch

12:45 to 14:15: WCAG 2.0 Principles 2 and 3 through the PDF lens

14:15 to 14:30: break

14:30 to 16:30: WCAG 2.0 Principles 4, QA tools for PDF, Beyond AA

What You Get

When David Berman Communications hosts this course*, regular ticket holders receive:

• a complimentary, comprehensive 160+ page learning guide, detailing every applicable accessibility standard (also
  available separately for $89, with optional 1-on-1 distance coaching)
• complimentary meals, snacks and beverages throughout
• a thirty-minute one-on-one personal coaching tele-session with David within a month
• the option to attend this course again in the future, as a refresher, at no additional cost
• the option to attend the first half on one date and the second half at a future date
• a money-back guarantee: if, after coaching and refresher, you don’t think you’ve got your money’s worth, we’ll refund your entire fee

(*If you are attending one of our courses hosted by another organization, confirm which of these items apply.)

Register (at https://davidberman.com/register ) or call 1-613-728-6777… or bring this event to your site: for a keynote, half-day, or full-day event, customized for your group.

About the Course Developer

David Berman is the principal of David Berman Communications. He has over 25 years of experience in graphic design and strategic communications. He has worked extensively in adapting the printed word for electronic
distribution, including software interface development.

David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how design and accessible IT can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals more rapidly.

He has extensive experience as a senior consultant in applying accessibility and standards to government Web sites, as well as to private sector clients such as IBM, both as a strategist and compliance testing leader. He regularly teaches accessibility principles as part of his professional development workshops, and developed a custom two-day workshop for the National Research Council on common look and feel. His plain writing, design, and accessibility work include award-winning projects for the City of Ottawa, the Ontario government, and Canada’s federal government.
Clients include IBM, Justice Canada, HRDC, Canada Revenue Agency, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Region of Ottawa-Carleton and the Ontario Literacy Coalition.

David has been featured in the Financial Post, the Globe And Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, Marketing, Applied Arts, HOW, and Communication Arts magazines, as well as ABC and CBC.

In addition to operating as one of the leading design strategists in Canada’s capital, David ranks #1 on speakerwiki.org on this topic for a reason. His arc as an internationally-celebrated expert speaker has brought him to over 30 countries. David is a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).

David is currently Ethics Chair of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, was named a Fellow (the highest professional honour for graphic designers in Canada) in 1999, and has served as a director and sustainability chair of Icograda, the world body for graphic and communications design.

Who Should Attend

This course is targeted to all project managers, Webmasters, production coordinators, IT professionals, strategists, and controllers, involved in developing documents.

This course delivers knowledge required for EN 301 549, WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 Level A and Level AA awareness training as documented in the Government of Canada’s Accessibility Responsibility Breakdown as well as current Treasury Board policy and evolving Accessible  Standards Canada standards. This course incorporates adult learning principles and activities appropriate to a variety of learning styles, and qualifies for CEUs.

Language:

English (French available upon request)

Duration:

One-day course, half-day course, or keynote presentation (we also provide this course customized on-site for your organization).

“I love David’s approach.”

-Carole Dubuc, Canadian Armed Forces

“Clear, concise, and very useful.”

-Annette Kallevig

“Excellent, eye-opening, and not preachy!”

-Carrie Walker-Boyd, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

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Adobe invented PDF … now it’s an ISO standard

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Reviewed August 21, 2019