Case Study Examples and Step-by-Step Instructions to Convert Word Documents to Section 508 Compliant PDFs

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Table Troubles

It’s just a fact that tables are a very visual format, and they are very difficult to translate for 508 compliance.

Web-Based Table Tags

For web-based documents, tables can at least be controlled with markup language. WAC (Web Accessibility Center) provides a great example of using table row and column headers to make table data more “readable” for screen reader software at http://wac.osu.edu/tutorials/section508/datatables.htm.

Print Layout Tables

For non-web-based tables like those used in Word or InDesign source files, controls are still a bit limited, but, as with any text, styles are always recommended for the best conversion/readability in the final pdf. There’s a section of HHS.gov’s guide to Making Accessible PDFs that shows the basic idea. Go to http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/accessiblefiles/pdfaccessibility/index.html to access the guide. E. Table Usage, under Step 2 shows an example of setting the table properties/repeating header.

Clean Code and Clean Design

Just as clean code always helps screen reader software, clean layout also helps non-web-based docs for 508 compliance. It’s all a matter of using proper/standard styles and settings.

TablePropertiessm

Unfortunately, table data is still going to “read” awkwardly. Even HHS’s guide warns “Microsoft Word does not provide an easy method for creating accessible tables. If you have complex tables it is highly recommended that a description or explanation of the table contents be included in the text of the document.”

If the original author can avoid tables, 508 preparation will be much easier and more readable. The needs of the document must be weighed to determine the value added by using a visually formatted table versus a more text-friendly format.

The long and short of the matter is that tables can be nasty in 508 compliance efforts. The options are to provide an alt-text, caption, or side-bar describing or explaining the table contents, replace the table with a text-friendly format, or do the best you can with the table by formatting with clean styles and settings. The needs of the document should guide your decision.

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USDA Posts PDF Checklist for 508 Guidance


pdf checklist image

The USDA has a posted PDF Checklist for 508 Guidance.  Additional resources are available from the USDA at http://www.la.nrcs.usda.gov/about/disabilityprogram/.

In addition to the PDF Checklist, the USDA provides the following checklists for 508 guidance.

 

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caBIG Checklist and Video – Overview of 508 Compliance in MS Office Documents

Checklistchecklist

The cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) provides a helpful checklist for Section 508 compliance in Microsoft files (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).  The direct link to the Word doc checklist is https://wiki.nci.nih.gov/download/attachments/21700560/MakeMSOfficelFileSection508Compliant110408.doc.

Screencast Video

If you have 15 minutes to spare, there’s also a pretty good screencast video briefly demonstrating some of the automated and advanced features in Word and PowerPoint as they apply to Section 508 compliance.

The direct link to the screencast video is http://cabigtrainingdocs.nci.nih.gov/caBIG-Section508/caBIG-Section508.html.  Watch how they caution or apply the following elements for compliance.

508 Compliance Elements

  • Headings
  • Formatting
  • Master Slides
  • Bullets
  • Table of Contents
  • Alt Text
  • Styles
  • URLs
  • Track Changes
  • Colors
  • Tables – Table Headers, Table Issues, Merged Cells, Page Breaks in Tables

File Properties

The checklist and the video are also good reminders to populate file properties.

  • Author
  • Title
  • Subject
  • Keywords
  • Language

Overview and Instructions

The caBIG screencast video and checklist are great introductions and overviews to some of the concepts addressed in 508 compliance.  If you’re looking for detailed steps with screen captures, illustrations, and examples, we, of course created the Step-by-Step Guide to Section 508 Compliant PDFs.

Our step-by-step guide focuses primarily on Word (doc and docx files) and Adobe Acrobat (pdf files), but the procedures are easily adapted to PowerPoint, Excel, or even InDesign or other advanced publication software.

The caBIG screencast video is a great supplement with visual examples of 508 compliance tasks in PowerPoint files.  Too, some of the examples in the video may give you some ideas for unique work-arounds for difficult source files.

Additional Resources

We do try to provide readers with as many quality resources as possible for all your print, web, and multimedia compliance projects.

Comments Off on 508 Compliance, Bullets, and Read Aloud Functions

508 Compliance, Bullets, and Read Aloud Functions

…interesting question from a reader today.  The basic issue involved bullets and how text readers or read aloud features recognized (or didn’t) bullets and subbullets.

I have a client who is having issues with bullets when creating compliant PDFs from Word documents. Are there certain bullets that should be used and others that should not at all?

In my testing, my reader reads a filled-in circle bullet as the letter H; any other bullet I use, the reader doesn’t read it at all. It just reads the next item as the next sentence. I can’t seem to find a bullet that is read as ‘bullet’.

Options to Fix the Bullet Issue for Reading Aloud

Down to the nitty-gritty, I first addressed options to resolve the issue in Adobe Acrobat.

Note:  Some options are “cleaner” than others, but as with many troubleshooting methods, the results count more than the means.

Detailed instructions and illustrated examples of selecting, backgrounding, attribution, assigning alt text, etc. are addressed in the Step-by-Step Guide to Section 508 Compliant PDFs.

Option 1 – Background Bullets

The best way, if the text flows well enough through the bulleted list, is to select the bullet and subbullet characters and background them.  The human brain does register bullets and subullets, but we don’t actually “read” them.  As such, backgrounding them usually works fine.

When You Have to Indicate Audible Bullets

There are rare occassions where the bullet character actually does need to be read aloud to substitute for the visual cue.  For those (truly rare) occassions, there are a couple of options, but both take a bit of time and effort.

Option 2 – Alt Text Each Bullet

You can select each bullet or subbullet character and designate each as an image/object rather than text.  Then you can enter “bullet” as the alt text to be read aloud.

Option 3 – Alt Text the Entire Bulleted List

For those truly annoying cases where selection of the bullet or subbullet insists on joining the associated text, you can select the entire bulleted list and designate it as an image/object rather than text.  The alt text would then read something like:

Bullet Actual text here.

Bullet More actual text here.

Sub Bullet Even more text.

Sub Bullet Yet more text.

Bullet Last bit of text in the list.

Instead of “bullet” or “subbullet”, you could also be very precise and type out “First bullet”, “First bulleted item”, etc.

Beyond the Resolution – The Story Behind the Bullet Issue

To address the root of the bullet issue, I explained a bit about why bullets can cause issues with text readers, read aloud features, and 508 compliance.

No Universally Designated “Bullet”

To my knowledge there isn’t a “universal” character that’s always read as “bullet” aloud.  Microsoft Word DOES use a DEFAULT set of characters for bullets and subbullets (like the common round dot and hollow dot or bullet).

Word, however, like most word processing and documentation tools, is also highly customizable.  You can designate pretty much any character from a font set or item from a symbol set as a bullet or subbullet.

Nonstandard Bullet Examples

For one example, I use a square character with a “drop shadow” – CheckBoxBullet – for bullets on check lists.  It’s resizable like any other font character, and on paper, it looks like a check list folks can actually mark.

As another example, I’ve also had customers/clients request a dash or hyphen symbol for the subbullet rather than the hollow dot.  It all depends on the style guide or preferences of the client and the human readers/audience.

Complications with Bullet Recognition

Because there is no official or designated symbol for bullets or subbullets, I highly doubt many text readers are programmed to read the character as “bullet” when read aloud.

It IS possible that Adobe’s read aloud feature, Kindle’s text reader, or some other third party read aloud software could have custom code to read a specific character as “bullet” or “subbullet”, but the reader software would have to know exactly which character would be used as a bullet or subbullet and know the exceptions (like the same dot-like character used in a sequence for dotted borders and other objects).  THEN, it would all have to be custom coded.

Feasibility

Since 508 Compliance is only mandatory for government related material, and “passing” for compliance is still a bit subjective, I just don’t think the need for detailed custom code (per reader software, per word processor, per language, per character, plus exceptions, etc.) is justified for most of the reader software companies.

Buy the Book Section 508 Compliant PDFsNeed Detailed Instructions?

Detailed instructions and illustrated examples of selecting, backgrounding, attribution, assigning alt text, etc. are addressed in the Step-by-Step Guide to Section 508 Compliant PDFs.