PDF Files

PDF files are used as an accurate way to reproduce and transport documents for printing or reading. They are created using Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat Capture, or similar products.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader
To view and use PDF files, you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in, that anyone can download. Once the Acrobat Reader has been downloaded to a computer, it will start automatically whenever a user views a PDF file.

Accessibility Tools for Adobe PDF Documents
Visually disabled users find it difficult to understand the contents of a PDF file. Screen readers often can't read the text in that file, because a PDF file can contain complex layouts and large graphics. Access.adobe.com provides a set of free tools that allow visually disabled users to read documents in Adobe PDF format. These tools convert PDF documents into either HTML or ASCII text, which can then be read by screen readers.

Web-Based PDF Conversion Tool

Adobe also offers a useful service whereby a PDF document is converted on the fly to HTML and returned immediately to the user's Web browser. A screen reader can then read the document.

E-mail PDF Conversion Tool
PDF files that are stored on a user's computer system (local hard disk), CD-ROM, or local area network (LAN), can also be converted by attaching the PDF file to an e-mail message. The converted PDF file is returned in the body of a new mail message, as plain ASCII text, in a matter of minutes.

AskAlice Web Site Accessibility Checker
Receive an online report containing:

A thorough assessment of your site's accessibility
An analysis of the opportunities accessibility offers your organization
Information on how you can make your site accessible

Provide Equivalent HTML Files
Even with all the tools Adobe offer to assist visually disabled users, the best solution is to offer a HTML version of the PDF file in your Web site.

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