Educating others about inaccessible PDF content

This is probably going to be an ongoing process as I strive to do my part with regard to helping others to understand that blind persons are unable to read PDF content that is not appropriately tagged so that we can read it.

The one thing to remember is this, PDF content is an image of what we wish to portray and screen reading technology is unable to read images. There is nothing that we can do about this. So we need to have a work around, so to speak.

There are tools out there that can be used to tag the PDF content so that it can be read by screen reading technology. These tools are, for the most part, free and Adobe has done its part to promote this process. The major barrier here is an unawareness of how to do this and why it is necessary. Just bear in mind that by making PDF content more accessible to blind persons it also helps others such as those with older technology.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help spread my message. Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca whenever you have a free moment.

How I Read Printed Material

As someone who is unable to read printed materials, I have to depend on sighted assistance as well as develop some very interesting strategies in order to get my printed matter read to me. In an ideal world, it would be great if I were able to read all of my material in an electronic format or, failing this, either in Braille or on cassette. However, this is not an ideal world and this is why I often have to depend on other methods.

For starters, if I need to complete an online form on a website, it is preferable to either complete the form online or download it in either Word or text format and then be able to read and complete it. If I am able to complete the form online but not able to download and save it, then that is a problem for me. So many websites allow the user to complete and print the form but for me this is no good. I should be able to complete and download and save in either Word or text format.

If someone emails me documents, then the ideal way for me to read it is to receive it in either text or Word formats. If they send me a PDF format, then I will have problems being able to read it because PDF formats are a huge challenge for those of us who use screen reader technology to read electronic mail. In the case of printed materials, I continue to use two distinct methods. The first is to use my scanner and the second is to depend on sighted assistance.

In the case of the first, scanners often have difficulty being absolutely accurate. If the print is not crisp, or if the contrast between the color of the print and the paper on which it is written is not distinct, then the scanner has difficulty deciphering the text. Some scanners have difficulty deciphering fancy text. That is, fancy fonts. Some credit card and bank statements, utility bills, and manuals are also often difficult to read using a scanner. Images and graphics are also a challenge.

So there you have it; this is how I deal with printed materials. For those of you who are searching for a way to have your printed materials read to you, or if you know of someone who is having difficulty getting their printed materials read to them, I have a url for you to visit: check out www.readthistome.org.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your accessibility and special-needs business consultant, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and help blind persons to become more independent at being able to read their own printed materials.

The Problem With PDF Content

So many content designers just do not understand. They continue to put all of their efforts into designing pretty PDF content, but at the end of the day it is totally inaccessible to blind and visually-impaired persons. Why you ask? Very simple. PDF content is made up of an image that cannot be deciphered by screen readers. In other words, PDF files are image-based instead of textual-based, and blind and visually-impaired persons use screen readers to surf the Internet.

More and more online forms are being designed in PDF format and as a result of this blind and visually-impaired persons are being deprived of their right to privacy and confidentiality. If a form is in PDF format it means that blind and visually-impaired persons need to depend on sighted assistance to help them complete it. It is frustrating, scary, and a downright violation of our right to confidentiality and privacy. There is a way for all of this to be dealt with and it starts with the content developer using the appropriate tags to format the PDF content so that it is made accessible and usable.

What most content developers still fail to understand is this: If they take the additional time to tag their PDF content appropriately, they will not only be making it accessible to blind and visually-impaired persons, they will also be making it accessible and usable to the print disabled, the technically shy, and to those who are not technically savvy. Before you start to wonder who all of these people are, please allow me to define these populations.

The print disabled - those who are unable to read because of either physical, mental, or visual challenges.

The technically shy or those not technically savvy - those who have difficulty coping with modern technology and who work better with more simple environments. In short, the millions of aging baby boomers who did not grow up with the Internet at their fingertips.

I personally find PDF content to be frustrating. It is a useless and time-consuming obstacle for me to deal with, and a downright insult to my right to privacy and confidentiality.

Here is a URL that you can visit in order to learn why PDF content does not benefit the blind and visually-impaired.

Visit http://www.rnib.org.uk/wacblog/pdf/why-pdfs-suck/

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your accessibility and special-needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and start educating the rest of the world as to why PDF content does not benefit blind and visually-impaired persons.