Government agencies often use PDFs to communicate information in a way that can be read online, shared electronically, and printed. They come from several different types of source documents, but the end requirement is the same: all PDFs must be accessible.

We asked some seasoned accessible PDF creators, and those that remediate documents made by others, about the challenges they or their colleagues face when creating accessible documents.

Commentary from:

• Elly Pretzel, Webmaster & Design Specialist (Health Program Representative Sr.), Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention & Control Division, Minnesota Department of Health
• Becky Bernauer, Accessibility Coordinator for the Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Department of Health (MDH)
• Chad Miller, Digital Access Coordinator at the Minnesota Council.
• Samantha Fischer, Accessibility Coordinator at the Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Elly: “Accessibility is a factor in everything we do. We can’t communicate effectively without making the delivery tool itself both useful and accessible to everyone. In my work I frequently focus on creating products (infographics, reports, statistic packages, posters, brochures, fact sheets, maps, forms, emails, websites, etc.). Those end products are communications, they are messages and information, they are documents for humans. Documents we create need to be as useable as possible for everyone, and that needs to happen within an extremely small timeframe and budget. For us, that means the end products frequently include accessible PDF files.”

Becky: “The biggest challenge is probably getting all staff trained to create Microsoft Word documents that will produce accessible PDFs without the need for remediation/fixing. About 99% of PDF issues can be fixed in the originating software.”

Chad Miller agreed.

Chad: “The greatest challenge I face is a native document containing accessibility issues that can’t be fixed in Acrobat, such as insufficient color contrast. This involves contacting the original owner, fixing the issue in the native document, and reviewing/remediating a new PDF—usually within a limited timeframe.”

Elly shared a different perspective:

Elly: “The biggest challenge I face when creating accessible documents is change. The software we use is constantly evolving, features in the software are frequently updated (sometimes for the better, sometimes not), and the kinds of software and hardware available to both us and the end users are constantly changing. Also, what we know about accessibility (and usability) is ever-evolving. We are extremely fortunate to have an ever-growing collection of accessibility information and resources available to us, both in the general knowledge base and in the people, who are willing and able to help educate us. We have the opportunity to be aware of the changes and open to learning more, and the responsibility to test (and re-test) our own products and adapt as things change around us."

"The struggle with change also happens on a personal level. For me personally, the older I get the harder some adaptions in workflows are to implement. I have to remind myself not to follow those engrained-memory wagon trail processes, and don’t forget the new things we have learned along the way. I strive to educate, empower, and encourage others… and sometimes I have to remember to educate, empower, and encourage myself so that I can learn and adapt too.”

Selecting which tool is the right tool to use in the workflow can be tricky. In Becky’s experience, some people think that if they have tables, the entire document should be created in Excel, but this is not always the case.

Becky: “Sometimes that means using Word instead of Excel—setting up a good structure with headings, then bringing the tables in from Excel, instead of trying to design something in Excel. Sometimes it means using InDesign instead of Word, it really depends on what the needs are.”

Samantha Fischer, shared another example involving deciding which tool to use to create a document.

Samantha: "A lot of people use tables in Word to create fillable forms and for those using assistive technology, it can be very confusing to understand where they need to input the information."

Complex documents may have additional considerations.

Elly: “Before we get to that final PDF, any given project may have pieces gathered from multiple different software packages (often pieces created by different content experts as well). Content may start from products like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and other places… then we might create additional parts using software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Microsoft Excel, or GIS tools (or any multitude of other tools and sources) … and for many of my projects those pieces come together in publishing software like Adobe InDesign. Regardless of the source, any PDF will go through Adobe Acrobat and I usually end my PDF workflow in CommonLook for final checks and remediation.”

When making decisions about which remediation tool to use.

Samantha: “I use both Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and CommonLook to remediate PDFs; the program I use depends on the document, the needs of the end user and what program was used to create the PDF. For documents with text, photos, tables and lists I typically use CommonLook. For documents that have form fields as well, I will start in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and then move into CommonLook.”

Mastering the ability to select the right tool and use it properly takes training and practice. Ever heard that it takes a village to raise a child? Well, it takes a village to create accessible documents too. Different agencies and divisions are ensuring staff have the learning opportunities and support they need. Here are some examples:

Becky: “My agency supports creating accessible PDFs by providing Accessible Word training for staff, supplying Division Accessibility Coordinators throughout the agency with the knowledge and software to consult and/or help staff with issues, and by having an agency accessibility policy that helps to ensure all staff create accessible products.”

Chad: “Within the Minnesota Council on Disability, every staff member receives training for creating accessible Word and PowerPoint documents. If any of these documents need to be converted to PDF, an assistant and I handle the conversion and remediation. If a PDF is made available to the public, I review it myself.”

Becky: “The state supports MDH’s effort by providing our Division Accessibility Coordinators with CommonLook software, so they can assist with remediating tougher issues and speed up the process of remediation. The Office of Accessibility also supports us with Communities of Practice work groups. These groups research issues, then create guidance documents for things like setting up your InDesign document properly, and what to consider when creating accessible maps, or how to ensure a PDF is accessible. There is also a network of Digital Accessibility Coordinators throughout the state who are experts in various pieces of accessibility. They are there to support us when we need help.”

A few other tips to keep in mind:

Becky: "Always, always going back to the originating document to fix an accessibility issue will help workflow in the future. Staff always reuse documents, so when possible, you should always fix the original document rather than just fixing the PDF. If you fix the Word document, next time you won’t have to fix the PDF. Before trying to research and solve a problem, connect with your organization's Digital Accessibility Coordinator or check the /mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jspOffice of Accessibility website to see if there is some information that will help."

Chad: “I find it helpful to follow a checklist of remediation steps and refer to a set of notes covering PDF issues I’ve encountered in the past. Even after remediating hundreds of documents, it’s easy to miss a step or forget how to address a particular tagging issue.”

Elly: “Accessibility isn’t a novelty, it needs to be considered in everything. PDFs are only one communication tool, but that one that is readily available and has the means to be useful and accessible in multiple circumstances. When resources are limited an accessible PDF can meet a variety of needs and still be a useful communication product.”