Adobe Making PDF an Even More Accessible Format
This format makes it easier for users to share or transfer documents over the net.
The original formatting or layout is kept intact and with special protection features the documents can be kept safe.
You can even convert pdf into other formats with the help of a professional converter.
To read files created in this format, a user needs to have Acrobat Reader installed on the computer system.
This reader is an application that is distributed by Adobe systems for free.
There is no doubt that due to various capabilities of the application it has become really popular.
Now there are concerns about easy accessibility to the format.
This is in particular for users using screen readers.
To improve accessibility to the format, Adobe launched Acrobat 5.
0 version.
This was done with the intent of making access to the format easier for users.
There have been many improvements made due to which now PDF is able to communicate in a better way with screen readers.
The text can as well reflow when magnified or viewed on a properly handled computing gadget.
Although a lot has been done to improve accessibility to the format yet there are various barriers existing.
There are three kinds of notable PDF documents which are structured, unstructured and tagged.
It is only the tagged type documents which are optimized in a way that they become accessible.
Even now some of the authors are creating tagged files.
This could be either because it needs additional efforts or could be because of dearth of awareness.
The capabilities of authors is also restricted due to the word processing programs.
They have export capabilities which are unable to support tagged format of portable document format.
The trouble with accessibility to the format is not something new.
It has been existing from a long time.
Earlier, such documents were encrypted for security of the content.
They would lock out users of assistive technologies and this is regardless of the documents being easily visible on screen.
The newer editions of Acrobat are more capable in separating security from assistive technology access.
A variety of accessibility training resources have been developed by Adobe that describe the procedures of accessible pdf documents creation.
Accessibility to this format as well requires assistive technology.
This builds support into vendors' products.
A lot of advocacy groups and users still recommend that this format be accompanied by alternative format documents that are even universally accessible.