How to Make PDFs Accessible | Episode 18: East Los Angeles College

Welcome to Episode 18 of our College PDF Accessibility series. Today, we focus on East Los Angeles Colleges’s How to Join EOPS PDF.

Video Guide

If you are interested in the real-life practice and nuances of document remediation, read Episode 1, Episode 2,  Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16 and Episode 17  in our PDF Accessibility Community College Series.

The PDF Accessibility Fixing Process (TAG Method)

The Accessibility Guy (TAG) Method is a structured process to identify and correct accessibility issues in the PDF. Below are the steps and their outcomes.

1. Opening and Reviewing the Tags Panel
   The tags panel showed improper tags, such as a link tag where a heading tag should be. To correct this, manually adjust the tags and structure using Adobe Acrobat.
2. Using Adobe Acrobat’s Auto-Tagging Feature
   Use the auto-tagger in Adobe Acrobat to streamline the tagging process. While this improved the document’s structure, manual adjustments were still required.
3. Adjusting Color Contrast
   The original document used green font that failed WCAG contrast standards. Manually update the green to a darker shade that meets accessibility requirements.
4. Correcting Image Tags
   The document contained improperly tagged QR codes and decorative images. The presenter added alt text for the QR codes, describing their purpose, and ensured a seamless flow for assistive technologies.

Metadata and Compliance Checks

Update the metadata to include a proper title, author, subject, and language settings. These changes ensure the document accurately reflects its content and purpose.

Using Adobe Acrobat’s built-in accessibility checker, we identified several failures, including logical reading order, color contrast, and tagged annotations. To further test the document, we used the PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) 2024 tool, which confirmed WCAG compliance but flagged some issues for PDF/UA compliance, such as annotation errors and minor contrast problems.

Final Evaluation and Insights

The scanned nature of the document introduced major accessibility challenges, requiring significant manual remediation. Improper tag structure and poor design decisions, such as failing color contrast, further complicate the process. Although tools like Adobe Acrobat’s auto-tagger helped, fixing these issues manually proved labor-intensive.

The Accessibility Guy rates this document 2 out of 10 for accessibility. While some effort had been made toward accessibility, critical errors remained. Training and proactive design practices could have significantly improved the document’s accessibility.

Conclusion

Creating accessible PDFs is essential for inclusivity and requires attention to detail at all stages of document design and production. This EOPS brochure highlights the challenges of retroactive accessibility remediation and the importance of incorporating accessibility principles from the beginning. By using appropriate tools and applying best practices, institutions can create resources that meet the needs of all students.

Let me be your champion for inclusion. I offer tailored solutions (and self-paced courses!) to ensure your documents meet and exceed compliance expectations. For more detailed insights, tutorials, and in-depth discussions on accessibility and related topics, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel: The Accessibility Guy on YouTube. Subscribe for regular updates!