{"id":8847,"date":"2023-12-21T10:16:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T15:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.swarthmore.edu\/its\/?p=8847"},"modified":"2023-12-21T09:05:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T14:05:31","slug":"making-pdfs-more-accessible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.swarthmore.edu\/its\/2023\/12\/21\/making-pdfs-more-accessible\/","title":{"rendered":"Making PDFs more accessible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you a student who’d like your PDF to be more accessible? Are you a faculty member who is unsure how to make the material you scanned pass the Moodle Accessibility File Scan<\/a>? Making PDFs more accessible can be easy. Here are a few quick tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select a global language for your file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Folks who use screen readers\u2014such as Job Access With Speech (JAWS)<\/a>, Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA)<\/a>, Orca<\/a>, or VoiceOver<\/a>\u2014have plugins and adaptations to switch to different or multiple languages. However, the screen reader software won’t know to make any switch if there’s no language identified in the PDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat DC.<\/li>
  2. Open the file you want to change the language in.<\/li>
  3. Click on the\u00a0File<\/strong>\u00a0menu, usually top left.<\/li>
  4. Scroll down to\u00a0Properties<\/strong>\u00a0within the File menu.<\/li>
  5. Click on the\u00a0Advanced<\/strong>\u00a0tab within the Properties menu.<\/li>
  6. Select the document’s main language from the pull down in the last section of the Advanced menu.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \""File"
    “File” in the Adobe menu selected, with Properties pointed to, third from the bottom. You can also open properties by hitting command+D on a Mac.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Title your material<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When material isn’t titled, there’s no way for it to be identified to any reader or any assistive software. It’s like flipping through a rolodex of your contacts and each name comes up as “Person.” How do you know which person? How will your peers know which file?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Title <\/strong>and File Name<\/strong> are not … the same thing.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    1. Open Adobe Acrobat DC.<\/li>
    2. Open the file you want to give a title to.<\/li>
    3. Click on the\u00a0File<\/strong>\u00a0menu, usually top left.<\/li>
    4. Scroll down to\u00a0Properties<\/strong>\u00a0within the File menu.<\/li>
    5. Click on the\u00a0Description<\/strong>\u00a0tab within the Properties menu.<\/li>
    6. Fill in the Title field with the title you’d like to give the file.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"Dialog
      Dialog box that appears once “Properties” is selected. The first tab, “Description,” is selected. While “File” for filename is not editable, “Title,” “Author,” “Subject,” and “Keywords” are.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The Title from the properties menu becomes part of the metadata that many technologies pick up on. Note that this field is not automatically filled by your File Name<\/strong>. Title <\/strong>and File Name<\/strong> are not, nor do they have to be, the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Tag your material<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Tagging in PDFs takes a lot of time. What it does is gives the material structure so that folks using assistive technology can navigate the material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      More information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Making PDFs more accessible can be simple when you have a high-quality scan or good source material. Here are more in-depth materials for your consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n