Accessing PDF Documents
with Assistive Technology
A Screen Reader User’s Guide
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology i
Contents
Contents
Contents i
Preface 1
Purpose and Intended Audience 1
Contents 1
Acknowledgements 1
Additional Resources 2
PDF Documents and Accessibility 2
Characteristics of an accessible PDF document 2
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features 3
Using the Accessibility Setup Assistant 3
Changing accessibility settings with the Preferences dialog box 7
Saving an Adobe PDF document as text 9
Navigating PDF documents with keyboard alternatives to mouse actions 9
Automatically tagging untagged documents 10
Types of PDF Documents 10
Image only les 10
Untagged documents 11
Tagged documents 12
Electronic forms 13
Using Adobe Reader with JAWS 13
Overview of JAWS support for Adobe Reader 13
JAWS commands for using Adobe Reader 14
Using Adobe Reader with Window-Eyes 15
Overview of Window-Eyes support for Adobe Reader 16
Window Eyes Commands for using Adobe Reader 16
Performing Common Tasks with Adobe Reader 17
Installation and setup 18
The Accessibility Setup Assistant 19
Accessibility Setup Assistant notes for JAWS users 19
Accessibility Setup Assistant notes for Window-Eyes users 19
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology ii
Contents
The Preferences dialog box 19
Opening PDF documents 19
The Window-Eyes Page Navigation Dialog Box 23
Opening forms 23
Using Adobe Reader Help 24
Saving a PDF document as text 25
Using the Adobe Reader Find and Search tools 26
The Go To Page dialog box 27
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 1
Preface
Preface
Purpose and Intended Audience
is user guide provides guidance on accessing Portable Document Format (PDF) documents for blind
and visually impaired users of screen reading technology. e goal is to enable a better understanding
of the issues that aect the accessibility of PDF documents by discussing specic examples, highlighting
important principles, illustrating common problems, and presenting suggested solutions.
Techniques for opening scanned, untagged, and tagged documents will be presented, along with
guidance for working with PDF les that contain tables, headings, images, and basic form controls.
Specic instructions in this document refer to menu and command names in Adobe®
Reader® 8.0 soware. More generally, however, the procedures and features described also
apply to reading PDF documents in Adobe Acrobat® 8.0 Professional and Adobe Acrobat
8.0 Standard – though the specic menu and command names may dier.
While this guide is intended for entry-level end users, it assumes that the users have
already learned the basics of using their particular screen reader for accomplishing
basic tasks such as using a word processor and browsing the Internet.
Contents
Following this preface, this guide begins with the three sections that apply to all screen reader users:
Accessible PDF documents – Introduces the Portable Document Format (PDF) and characteristics •
of accessible PDFs
Adobe Reader accessibility features – Describes features in Adobe Reader relevant to •
users of assistive technology
Types of PDF les – Describes four common types of PDF documents and relevant •
accessibility issues for each.
ese sections are followed by detailed information on using specic screen
readers. Two Windows-based screen reading applications are covered:
JAWS•
Window-Eyes•
e nal section describes how to perform common tasks with a screen reader, and provides guidance
on installing Adobe Reader, navigating PDF documents, and using the Adobe Reader Help system.
Acknowledgements
is guide was created in collaboration with AFB Consulting (AFBC, www.afbconsulting.org), the
consulting division of the American Foundation for the Blind. Adobe and AFB Consulting are working
together to enhance the accessibility and usability of Adobe products by people with disabilities.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 2
PDF Documents and Accessibility
Additional Resources
For more information on Adobe accessibility resources, visit www.adobe.com/accessibility.
To download the latest version of Adobe Reader, visit www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
For more information on Adobe Reader keyboard shortcuts, visit www.
adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/reader/appx_a.html.
For more information on JAWS and Freedom Scientic, visit www.freedomscientific.com
For more information on Window-Eyes and GW Micro, visit www.gwmicro.com .
PDF Documents and Accessibility
Portable Document Format (PDF) is an electronic le format developed by Adobe Systems
Inc. PDF is one of the most popular le formats used on the Internet. e free Adobe Reader
soware -- available for Microso Windows, Apple Macintosh, and UNIX -- allows a PDF
document’s visual integrity to hold true regardless of the computer used to view it.
Because PDF is used for such wide-ranging documents as product manuals, nancial and legal documents,
government related forms, and educational materials, it is critically important that people using screen
readers have proper access to this format. PDF is an electronic format, giving it an advantage over paper
documents because PDF documents can be accessed via synthetic speech or refreshable Braille.
Unfortunately, PDF and screen readers do not always interact as users would like. e main barrier to
accessibility is that PDF documents are not always designed by their authors to be compatible with screen
readers. ese issues, caused by lack of planning for accessibility, mirror Internet accessibility issues that
occur when a Web designer fails to follow the accessibility guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium’s
Web Accessibility Initiative. Adobe has developed a number of tools and resources to make it easier for
authors to create accessible PDF documents; these are available at http://www.adobe.com/accessibility.
Characteristics of an accessible PDF document
All accessible PDF documents have the following ve characteristics:
A logical structure and reading order
For screen readers to read a PDF document eectively, the document must have an underlying
logical structure and reading order. is logical structure and reading order use behind-the-
scenes elements called tags, which a PDF author adds to the document. Tags dene the intended
reading order of the content on each page. Screen readers rely on these tags to present text in a
way that makes sense when someone is hearing the text read out loud. e tags allow a screen
reader to interpret page elements such as headings, sidebars, tables, and multi-column text.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 3
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
Alternate text descriptions for gures, form elds, and links
Authors of accessible PDF documents add descriptive alternate text to page elements that are typically
presented not as text but only as visual elements, such as graphics, gures, form elds, and links. When screen
readers encounter alternate text, they can interpret the element and read its alternate text description aloud.
Navigational aids
Similar to accessible Web pages, accessible PDF documents also include navigational aids, such as links,
bookmarks, a table of contents, and an optimized tab order for forms and embedded links. ese navigational
aids enable a user to go directly to a particular point in a document, instead of reading it through page by page.
Security that doesn’t interfere with assistive technology
When creating PDF documents, some authors add restrictions to prevent users from printing,
copying, extracting, commenting, or editing text. ese restrictions can interfere with a
screen reader’s ability to convert the on-screen text to speech. e content of an accessible PDF
document is available to screen readers, regardless of the security restrictions in place.
Fonts that allow characters to be extracted to text
e fonts used in an accessible PDF document contain enough information for Adobe
Reader to correctly extract all of the characters to text for purposes other than displaying
text on the screen. For example, Adobe Reader extracts characters to text any time you
listen to text by using a screen reader; print; copy and paste; or save text to a le.
If the font’s underlying information is sucient, Adobe Reader can extract each character correctly each time
you perform one of these tasks. If the information is insucient, Adobe Reader cannot substitute characters
correctly, and the output will be incomplete. For instance, the screen reader may omit words or characters, or
you may see question marks, black rectangles, or similar marks when you print, copy and paste, or save a PDF
document as text. If a PDF document contains one or more fonts that do not contain enough information
for Adobe Reader to correctly extract all characters to text, the document is considered inaccessible.
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
Adobe Reader is compatible with assistive technology, including screen readers, and it
oers several tools and features to enhance your reading and viewing experience.
Using the Accessibility Setup Assistant
You can use the Accessibility Setup Assistant to control how Adobe Reader displays documents and
interacts with assistive technology, including screen readers and screen magniers. e Accessibility
Setup Assistant automatically opens the rst time that you run Adobe Reader while a screen reader
is running. Alternatively, you can start the assistant by choosing Document > Accessibility > Setup
Assistant from the Adobe Reader menu, or by pressing Alt+D then T. e assistant is a series of
dialog boxes that you navigate as you would any standard Windows dialog box, using the Arrow,
Tab, Spacebar, and Enter keys. Screen reader users will likely be familiar with the various controls
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 4
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
used, including radio buttons, check boxes, combo boxes, and buttons labeled “Previous”, “Next”, and
“Cancel”. e assistant also includes static text that describes the controls and explains what they do.
Accessibility Setup Assistant, Screen 1 of 5
On the assistant’s rst screen, you can choose whether you want to set the options for screen readers, screen
magniers, or both. ere is also a button on this screen labeled “Use recommended settings and skip setup.”
Select this option to use Adobe’s recommended settings for accessibility.
Figure 1: Accessibility Setup Assistant First Screen
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 5
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
If you choose instead to set your own screen reader preferences, the following
guidelines can help you select options tailored to your specic needs.
Accessibility Setup Assistant, Screen 2 of 5
is screen is used to set preferences for text colors, text smoothing, and other options
not central to screen reader technology. Click Next to proceed to screen 3.
Accessibility Setup Assistant, Screen 3 of 5
Use the third screen to choose the reading order for documents that
are not tagged. e following options are supported:
Infer Reading Order From Document (Recommended). When this option is selected, Adobe •
Reader determines the reading order of untagged documents using an advanced method of layout
analysis. is option is recommended because it is most likely to provide the most accurate results.
It does, however, require more analysis and therefore may be slower than the other two options.
Le-To-Right, Top-To-Bottom Reading Order. When this option is selected, •
Adobe Reader interprets the reading order of untagged documents starting
from le to right on the page and moving from top to bottom.
Use Reading Order In Raw Print Stream. When this option is selected, Adobe Reader •
interprets the reading order of untagged documents based on the raw code in the
PDF document – essentially, the order text was recorded in the print stream.
When you choose either of the last two options, Adobe Reader does not include
form elds in the content, and it does not recognize tables.
Depending on the complexity of the PDF document, on-the-y tagging may not adequately
capture the intended reading order of the document. Many PDF documents have multiple
columns or complex page designs that can aect how well Adobe Reader interprets the
content. If you are having trouble reading a particular PDF document, you can experiment
with the various Reading Order options to see if one works better than the others.
e next control on this screen is a check box labeled “Override the Reading Order in Tagged Documents.”
While the Reading Order options above apply to untagged documents by default, this option causes Adobe
Reader to use the reading order you selected (instead of using the reading order specied by the tag structure)
for tagged documents as well. is option is useful if you receive PDF documents that are poorly tagged.
e nal control on this screen is a check box labeled “Conrm before Adding Tags to Document.” When
you select this option, Adobe Reader asks you to conrm its tagging options before it prepares an untagged
document for reading by your assistive technology. Tagging can be a time-consuming procedure, particularly
in larger documents, and this option alerts screen reader users when that procedure is about to begin.
Accessibility Setup Assistant, Screen 4 of 5
On the next screen, there is a set of three radio buttons used to select the delivery method of pages
for assistive technology. When Adobe Reader delivers information to a screen reader, it loads
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 6
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
information into a memory buer that is directly available to the assistive technology. e amount of
information that is delivered to the memory buer can aect how quickly Adobe Reader performs
tasks, such as opening the document, turning pages, changing views, and carrying out commands. e
following options control how much information is delivered at one time to your screen reader:
Only Read the Currently Visible Pages. Select this option to load information about •
one page or a few pages at a time into the memory buer of a screen reader.
Read e Entire Document At Once. Select this option to load the entire document at one •
time into the memory buer of a screen reader. is is the best option when you are using a
screen reader to access short documents, but it may take longer to open large documents.
For Large Documents, Only Read the Currently Visible Pages. Choose this option to have •
Adobe Reader selectively switch between loading an entire document at once into the memory
buer of a screen reader and loading one page at a time into the buer if the document exceeds
a certain number of pages. is is usually the best option if you are using a screen reader and
you have very long or complex PDF documents. It is the default setting for Adobe Reader.
When you choose this third option, you can use the next edit eld, labeled “Minimum Number of Pages
in a Large Document,” to set the page number limit at which you want Adobe Reader to stop loading
an entire PDF document into the memory buer for a screen reader. e default is 50 pages.
e next two controls are used to control how documents are displayed, either one page at a time or able
to scroll continuously. Select the check box labeled “Override Page Layout Style” to have Adobe Reader
use the style selected in the combo box labeled “Page Layout”. is setting controls how scrolling and Page
Up and Page Down keystrokes work. e recommended setting for screen readers is “Single Page.”
e nal two controls on this screen are used to control the document zoom. When the check box
labeled “Override Document Zoom” is checked, Adobe Reader overrides the zoom factor of the original
document and uses the one chosen in the combo box labeled Document Zoom. e “Fit Page” option
scales the page so that the entire page is visible in the window and usually works best for screen readers.
Accessibility Setup Assistant, Screen 5 of 5
e rst check box on the nal Accessibility Setup Assistant screen is labeled “Disable document auto-save.”
Select this option to disable the auto-save function. Each time a PDF document is auto-saved, the screen reader
or magnier must reload the document. is box is checked by default for better screen reader performance.
e next check box is labeled “Reopen documents to the last viewed page.” When
this box is checked, Adobe Reader will open a document to the last page you were
reading when it was last open, instead of the rst page of the document.
e nal check box is labeled “Display PDF documents in the web browser.” is option controls
whether documents from the Internet open in the web browser or in a separate Adobe Reader
window. Screen reader users will likely want to deselect this check box, which will cause documents
accessed via a web browser to be opened in a separate Adobe Reader window. is provides greater
control because not all screen readers support reading PDF documents from within the browser.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 7
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
Note: The Accessibility Setup Assistant defaults are optimized for your assistive
technology. When you run it while using your assistive technology for
the rst time, and you select Use Recommended Settings and Skip Setup,
Adobe Reader is congured with the settings that are most appropriate
for use with that assistive technology. If, however, you select Cancel at
any time while the assistant runs for the rst time alongside your assistive
technology, Adobe Reader uses the Adobe Reader defaults. Because these
defaults are not as ne-tuned for a specic screen reader as those that
the Accessibility Setup Assistant selects, selecting Cancel during the rst
assistant run is not recommended.
If you start the Accessibility Setup Assistant manually from the Document menu, the
assistant uses the current values from the Preferences dialog box as its defaults. ese values
also may not always be optimal for your specic assistive technology. When running the
Accessibility Setup Assistant from manually, you should therefore review the values and
descriptions carefully and, if needed, change these values to meet your specic needs.
Changing accessibility settings with the Preferences dialog box
e settings found in the Accessibility Setup Assistant can also be found in the Preferences dialog box, although
some of these settings have slightly dierent names. In addition to the assistant’s settings that are most relevant
to screen readers and magniers, the Preferences dialog box also has accessibility preferences that assist
people with other disabilities. When you use the assistant or the Preferences dialog box to adjust a setting, the
changes you make override any changes made previously with either assistant or the Preferences dialog box.
ere are accessibility settings in the Preferences dialog that are not found in the Accessibility Setup
Assistant. Multimedia preference settings, for example control how a media player presents any subtitles,
audio dubbing, or other accessibility features that are part of any audio or video les attached to Adobe PDF
document. Of particular interest to screen reader users is a check box labeled “Show audio description (or
video description, or descriptive video) when available”. When this option is selected, your multimedia player
will play any audio or video descriptions that the author may have included in the multimedia presentation.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 8
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
You can access the Preferences dialog box by choosing Edit > Preferences. Press Alt+E and then N, or use the
shortcut Ctrl+K. e dialog box is divided into two sections. e section on the le is a list of categories of
preferences. e section on the right is a panel that contains the options that you can modify for the selected
category. e rst time that you open the Preferences dialog box, focus is on the Accessibility category.
ereaer, focus is on the category that you most recently selected. To select a category, you can use the Up
Arrow and Down Arrow keys, or press the letter key that corresponds to the rst letter of the category name.
Figure 2: Accessibility Preferences Dialog
Use the following tips for navigating the Preferences dialog with the keyboard:
To move focus from the category list to the panel of options, press Tab. •
To move focus to the next option in the panel, press Tab. •
To move focus to the previous option in the panel, press Shi+Tab. •
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 9
Adobe Reader Accessibility Features
To bring focus to items in sublists, use the Up Arrow, Down Arrow, Right Arrow, and Le Arrow• keys.
To select or deselect an option that has focus, press the Spacebar. •
e following Preferences categories are useful to screen reader users:
Accessibility — for setting tab order to follow the document’s structure•
General — for disabling the auto-save function to speed performance•
Internet — for controlling how Adobe Reader opens in a browser •
Multimedia — for controlling how multimedia players play back •
accessibility information that is embedded in audio and video
Page Display — for setting default zoom levels and setting default page layout displays •
Reading — for choosing the delivery method of pages that are sent to a screen reader•
Startup — for reopening documents to the last-viewed page•
Note: The Reading category contains three sections labeled “Reading Order
Options”, “Screen Reader Options”, and “Read Out Loud Options.” While
the rst two sections are relevant to screen readers, the last section is not.
The settings in “Read Out Loud Options” control the Read Aloud feature of
Adobe Reader. This feature reads aloud the text of a PDF document, but does
not provide the same level of reading functionality as an advanced screen
reader. Although it is not intended to replace screen reader technology, it
can be helpful when no screen reader is available. It is also a valuable tool
for people with dyslexia or another print disability.
Saving an Adobe PDF document as text
Adobe Reader provides the ability to extract the text of an Adobe PDF document and save it as
a text le. is is useful if you want to read the document on a note-taker or emboss the le with
a Braille printer. A text version of a PDF document contains no images or multimedia objects,
but it does contain alternate descriptions for images if the author provided them. To access
the “Save as text” dialog box, choose File > Save as text or press Alt+F and then press V.
For best results when saving text for use with alternative translation technologies, rst choose
the Reading Order preference that best reects the appropriate reading order of the document.
For instructions, see “Using the Accessibility Setup Assistant” earlier in this guide.
Note: If your screen reader does not read the saved text le in the most logical
order, the PDF document may not be adequately tagged and structured.
Navigating PDF documents with keyboard alternatives to mouse actions
Nearly all actions that can be performed with a mouse in Adobe Reader can also be performed using keystrokes.
e Adobe Reader interface should be familiar to anyone who has experience working with standard Windows
applications, such as word processors or web browsers. e menu bar is accessed by pressing the Alt key,
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 10
Types of PDF Documents
and there are keyboard shortcuts for many actions. Each of the sections on JAWS and Window-Eyes in this
guide provides information on keystrokes specic to that screen reader. More information on Adobe Reader
keyboard shortcuts is available at http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/reader/appx_a.html.
e following keystrokes are helpful for getting started with PDF documents:
Ctrl+Page Down or Ctrl+Page Up -- Go to the next or previous page •
Shi+Ctrl+Page Down or Shi+Ctrl+Page Up -- Go to the bottom or top of the document •
Ctrl+K -- Open the Preferences dialog box •
Ctrl+D -- Display document properties, including security •
settings and tagged status that aect accessibility
Shi+Ctrl+6 -- Start Accessibility Quick Check •
ALT + F and then V -- Save to text •
ALT-D and then T -- Start Accessibility Setup Assistant •
F5 -- Place focus on document•
Automatically tagging untagged documents
When you open a PDF document that is not tagged, Adobe Reader analyzes the document and
automatically adds tags to improve the reading order. ese tags are only temporary, and must be
added each time the PDF document is opened. When you open an untagged PDF, Adobe Reader
asks you to choose one of three reading order options. is dialog box explains that your screen
reader will not be able to interact with Adobe Reader during the tagging process, and it provides
the number of pages in the document to give you an idea of how long the tagging will take.
Types of PDF Documents
ough PDF is a standard, the content and structure of PDF documents vary widely. is
section describes how accessibility is aected by four types of PDF documents: image
only les, untagged documents, tagged documents, and electronic forms.
Image only les
Image only PDF les present signicant accessibility barriers for screen reader users. ese les are inaccessible
because they contain only graphic images representing each page instead of actual text characters. Although text
may appear on the screen, it is only a picture of text without the underlying characters needed by a screen reader
Image only PDF les are created when a user scans a paper document, producing an image of the document.
e scanning process is similar to how a blind person uses a scanner along with optical character recognition
(OCR) soware to read print materials. However, because OCR has not been performed on the document,
the result is an image only le. Although authors can use Adobe Acrobat to perform OCR when creating PDF
documents, many skip the OCR process because it takes more time than simply distributing the document as it
appears in the document window. Another reason that authors may skip OCR is that, depending on the quality
of the image, the resulting text can contain recognition errors, which require manual proofreading to resolve.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 11
Types of PDF Documents
Before your screen reader can access an image only PDF document, you need to convert the image
into accessible text. You can use any application with built-in OCR functionality, including Adobe
Acrobat. You can also use certain third party OCR soware applications, which have built-in tools to
recognize PDF les. Even with the best OCR technology available, the result may not be perfect. If
none of these tools are available, or if you cannot prevail upon the original author to correct the
situation, you may need to obtain sighted assistance to have the document read to you.
Untagged documents
PDF documents oen contain page layouts with multiple columns, sidebars, and captions for photos.
As a result, even when a PDF contains actual text instead of images only, it may be inaccessible because
of problems in determining the most appropriate reading order. A screen reader might not be able to
extract words, sentences and paragraphs in a coherent order. Instead, they may be mixed together in
disconnected, confusing ways. For example, when the text of a PDF le is arranged in columns like in a
newspaper, the structure of the document is apparent visually, because extra spacing or border lines indicates
where one column of text ends and another begins. Screen readers, however, cannot always detect these
visual cues. In these cases, information about the document structure must be included in the PDF le
for a screen reader to present a document in an intelligible manner. Without structural information that
groups and separates regions of the page, the document may be inaccessible to screen reader users.
PDF tags are used to address such accessibility problems. PDF tags are similar to tags used in HTML to make
Web pages more accessible. e World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) did pioneering work with HTML
tags to incorporate the document structure that was needed for accessibility as the HTML standard evolved.
For example, a phrase may be tagged as the heading of a section, the caption of an image, or a cell within a
table. Some tags are necessary for proper visual display in a web browser, but other tags are recommended
specically to aid accessibility. Accessibility tags may include an indication of the row and column labels
of a table, which enables a screen reader to tell the user about the context of each cell. e cell information
may be useless or confusing without knowing the associated row and column labels. When authors fail to
use tags to indicate the internal structure of the document, the PDF documents they create are untagged.
Unfortunately, you will likely encounter many untagged PDF documents, making
it dicult for your screen reader to make sense of the document.
Automatic tagging helps alleviate the problems caused by untagged PDF documents. Adobe Reader can
analyze an untagged PDF le and add temporary tags to optimize its reading order for screen readers.
When you open an untagged PDF, Adobe Reader presents a dialog box that allows you to choose the type of
tagging you want it to perform on the document. e tagging process can take a few minutes for large les,
so your screen reader will alert you that the document is being processed while it is being tagged. When the
tagging is complete, your screen reader will begin reading the document. e le is only tagged temporarily
-- because the tags are not saved, the process will have to be repeated if you open the document again.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 12
Types of PDF Documents
Figure 3: Reading Untagged Document Dialog
Assistive technology such as JAWS and Window-Eyes screen readers interpret the
PDF tags in les viewed in Adobe Reader (or Acrobat). As a result these screen
readers can render more accessible output in speech or Braille.
Tagged documents
Tagged documents provide the best reading experience for screen reader users.
Like tags in HTML that improve accessibility of Web pages, PDF tags convey a suggested reading
order, allowing a screen reader to present the document in an intelligible manner. Tags mark portions
of PDF content and are organized in sequence. When a PDF document has been properly tagged by
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 13
Using Adobe Reader with JAWS
its author, screen readers do a better job of interpreting the document’s structure, which also makes
it easier to use your screen reader’s keystroke commands to navigate and read the document.
Adobe Acrobat is the most popular soware for creating PDF documents; and it includes a feature that analyzes
the accessibility of a PDF le. It reports potential problems, including ambiguous structure and unlabeled
pictures. Acrobat can also automatically add tags when the document’s content makes it clear which tags are
appropriate. Some tagging, however, must be done manually. You can use Acrobat to produce an accessibility
report that identies potential problems, and then correct these problems by selecting a portion of the document
and selecting a tag to indicate its purpose. For example, Adobe Acrobat cannot tell what a picture contains,
so you need to enter a caption tag for the picture manually. e manual tagging process can take some time,
depending on the complexity of the document. For more online resources that make it easier to design accessible
PDF documents, including guidance on how to properly tag a document, visit http://www.adobe.com/accessibility .
Electronic forms
Electronic forms are an increasingly popular use of PDF. Although some PDF forms are simply documents
that are to be printed and lled out by hand, many can be lled out electronically using your computer and
screen reader. ese forms are similar to HTML forms you may encounter on the Internet, and they have
many of the same accessibility issues. A simple PDF form may ask for basic information such as your name
and address. More complex PDF forms can gather signicantly more information. You can use an IRS
form, for example, to enter income, tax withholdings, marital status, and the number of children you have.
Like any PDF document, forms must have a logical structure with proper tagging to be accessible for screen
readers. In addition to establishing a proper read order, PDF forms must have a logical tab order dened. When
lling out these forms, users move from one entry eld to another by pressing the Tab key. If the elds are
tagged with improper labels, it is nearly impossible for a screen reader user to know what to enter in each eld.
Using Adobe Reader with JAWS
JAWS for Windows, made by Freedom Scientic, works with Adobe Reader to read PDF
documents. JAWS can also read other types of documents in a word processor or on the
Internet. Typically, you read PDF documents using the virtual PC cursor, just as you would when
using Internet Explorer. is user guide was written for JAWS version 7.0 and above.
Overview of JAWS support for Adobe Reader
e JAWS built-in Help system provides extensive guidance for using Adobe Reader,
including a short overview, links to other resources, and the following topics:
JAWS Commands for using Reader •
Reader Getting Started •
Helpful Hints •
You can access this information in two ways.
If you are using Adobe Reader, you can simply hold down the Insert key and press F1 twice rapidly. is 1.
will open the tree view of JAWS Help Topics with your cursor positioned on the Adobe Acrobat and Reader
topic. Press Enter, and then F6, to open a page with all the JAWS Adobe Help information and links.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 14
Using Adobe Reader with JAWS
You can also access the JAWS Help system by bringing focus to your JAWS application and pressing 2.
F1. If you do it this way, you will begin on the Contents page of the JAWS Help system. Place the
cursor on the book in the tree view titled “Popular Applications with JAWS” and press the Right
Arrow key to open a list of Help Topics for more than 40 applications. At the top of the list is the
Adobe Acrobat and Reader topic. When you select that topic and press the Enter key, and then the
F6 key, the application will open a page with all the JAWS Adobe Help information and links.
e Freedom Scientic web site has additional resources for using JAWS with Adobe Reader.
More information is available from Freedom Scientic at www.freedomscientific.com.
JAWS commands for using Adobe Reader
e two tables in this section present JAWS commands that are useful when using Adobe Reader. e rst
table includes general JAWS commands, while the second table includes JAWS commands that make it
easier to navigate HTML documents on the Internet. e commands in this second table are also useful
when reading and navigating PDF documents. You can nd a complete list of JAWS commands in the JAWS
Help system section on Adobe Reader. For more information on using keyboard shortcuts with Adobe
Reader, see “Navigating PDF documents with keyboard alternatives to mouse action” earlier in this guide.
Table 1: General JAWS Commands for Using Adobe Reader
Description Command
JAWS Help for Adobe Reader Insert+F1
Enter Forms Mode Enter
Virtual Cursor On NUM PAD PLUS
Virtual Find Ctrl+Insert+F
Next Page Ctrl+Page Down
Previous Page Ctrl+Page Up
Go To Page Shi+Ctrl+N
Go To First Page Shi+Ctrl+Page Up
Go To Last Page Shi+Ctrl+Page Down
Say All Insert+Down Arrow
Create Custom Label For Form Field Ctrl+Insert+Tab
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 15
Using Adobe Reader with Window-Eyes
Table 2: JAWS Commands for Using HTML and Adobe Reader
Description Command
Links List Insert+F7
Next Link Ta b
Prior Link Shi+Tab
Open Link Enter
List Headings Insert+F6
Next Heading H
Prior Heading Shi+H
Move To Next Form Field F
Enter Forms Mode Enter
Move To Next Form Field Tab
Move To Previous Form Field Shi+Tab
Exit Forms Mode NUM PAD PLUS
Move To Next Table T
Move To Previous Table Shi+T
Read Current Table cell Ctrl+Alt+NUM PAD 5
Move To And Read Next Cell Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow
Move To And Read Previous Cell Ctrl+Alt+Le Arrow
Move To And Read Cell Above Ctrl+Alt+Up Arrow
Move To And Read Cell Below Ctrl+Alt+Down Arrow
Move To And Read First Cell Ctrl+Alt+Home
Move To And Read Last Cell Ctrl+Alt+End
Using Adobe Reader with Window-Eyes
Window-Eyes, made by GW Micro, works with Adobe Reader to read PDF documents. You read
PDF documents using the Window-Eyes “Browse Mode”, just as you would read a document
in a word processor or in Internet Explorer. Window-Eyes automatically enters Browse Mode
when using Adobe Reader. e keystrokes and navigation commands for reading a PDF
document are similar to those used for reading a web page with Internet Explorer.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 16
Using Adobe Reader with Window-Eyes
Overview of Window-Eyes support for Adobe Reader
e Window-Eyes built-in Help system includes basic information for using Adobe Reader. To access
this information, press Shi+Ctrl+Question while Adobe Reader is open. is will place focus in a help
document that you can read with standard Window-Eyes reading commands. To exit this document, press
the Escape key. You can also turn on the Window-Eyes “Key Describe” mode by pressing Insert+1 (on the
number row) at any time while using the screen reader. In this mode, Window-Eyes announces the function
assigned to each keystroke, but does not perform any actions. To toggle this mode o, press Insert+1 again.
Window Eyes Commands for using Adobe Reader
e two tables in this section present Window-Eyes commands that are useful when using Adobe Reader. e
rst table includes general Window-Eyes commands, while the second table includes Window-Eyes commands
that make it easier to navigate HTML documents on the Internet. e commands in this second table are also
useful when reading and navigating PDF documents. You can nd a complete list of Window-Eyes commands
in the Window-Eyes Help system section on Adobe Reader. For more information on using keyboard shortcuts
with Adobe Reader, see “Navigating PDF documents with keyboard alternatives to mouse action” earlier in this guide.
Table 3: General Window-Eyes Commands for Using Adobe Reader
Description Command
Window-Eyes Help for Adobe Reader Shi+Ctrl+Question
Turn O Browse Mode (for forms) Enter
Turn Browse Mode On Shi+Ctrl+A
Mouse Find Shi+Ctrl+F
Next Page Ctrl+Page Down
Previous Page Ctrl+Page Up
Go To Page Shi+Ctrl+N
Go To First Page Shi+Ctrl+Page Up
Go To Last Page Shi+Ctrl+Page Down
Read To End Shi+Ctrl+R
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 17
Performing Common Tasks with Adobe Reader
Table 4: Window-Eyes Commands for Using HTML and Adobe Reader
Description Command
Links List Insert+Tab
Next Link Ta b
Prior Link Shi+Tab
Activate Link Enter
List Headings Insert+Tab
Next Heading H
Prior Heading Shi+H
Move To Next Form F
Exit Browse Mode (to ll out a form) Enter
Move To Next Form Control Tab
Move to Previous Form Control Shi+Tab
Reenter Browse Mode Shi+Ctrl+A
Move To Next Table T
Move to Previous Table Shi+T
Activate Table Mode Ctrl+NUM PAD PLUS
Move To And Read Cell To e Right Insert+Right Arrow
Move To And Read Cell To e Le Insert+Le Arrow
Move To And Read Cell Above Insert+Up Arrow
Move To and Read Cell Below Insert+Down Arrow
Move To And Read First Cell In Current Row Ctrl+Insert+Le Arrow
Move To And Read Last Cell In Current Row Ctrl+Insert+Right Arrow
Move To And Read First Cell in Current Column Ctrl+Insert+Up Arrow
Move To And Read Last Cell In Current Column Ctrl+Insert+Down Arrow
Exit Table Mode Ctrl+NUM PAD DASH
Performing Common Tasks with Adobe Reader
When using Adobe Reader with a screen reader, you will likely need to
perform one or more of the following common tasks:
Installation and setup•
Using the Accessibility Setup Assistant •
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 18
Performing Common Tasks with Adobe Reader
Setting accessibility options with the Preferences dialog box•
Opening PDF documents•
Using the Adobe Help System•
Saving a PDF document as text •
Using search and nd tools•
is section describes each of these tasks, and where applicable, provides information specic to JAWS
and Window-Eyes. For information on navigating PDF documents using these applications, see “JAWS
Commands for Using Adobe Reader” or “Window-Eyes Commands for Using Adobe Reader” earlier in this guide.
Installation and setup
To download the latest version of Adobe Reader, visit http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Aer the download, you will need to complete a standard installation process,
including license agreement and product registration screens.
On the license agreement there are two buttons labeled “Accept” and
“Decline”, with the shortcut keys Alt+A and Alt+D respectively.
e registration screen is next, and it is also accessible.
Following the registration, Adobe Reader opens the Beyond Adobe Reader window, which helps users
learn the new tools and features in Adobe Reader. ough this guide is not specically designed for screen
reader users, it can be helpful to anyone new to Adobe Reader. When you are nished with the guide,
you can press Alt+F4 to close the window. If you do not want the Window to appear every time you start
Adobe Reader, select the check box labeled “Do not show at startup”. To return to the Beyond Adobe Reader
page and use the guide at any time, choose Help > Beyond Adobe Reader, or press Alt+H, and then B.
Adobe Reader installation notes for JAWS users
All the controls and instructions used in the installation process can be read with JAWS. e controls can
be accessed with the PC cursor, but the JAWS cursor is needed for some of the instructional information.
When installation is complete, you can use the JAWS cursor to read the license agreement, and the PC cursor
can access the two buttons labeled “Accept” and “Decline”, with the shortcut keys Alt+A and Alt+D respectively.
Adobe Reader installation notes for Window-Eyes users
e installation process is accessible for Window-Eyes users. All the controls and buttons can be
accessed using the Window-Eyes standard reading commands but some of the static text that
provides extra instructional information must be accessed using the Mouse reading commands.
Use the Mouse cursor to read the license agreement, and the Window-
Eyes Cursor to access the Accept and Decline buttons.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 19
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
e rst time you run Adobe Reader with screen reader soware, the Accessibility Setup
Assistant will open. You can use the assistant to adjust how Adobe Reader interacts
with assistive technologies such as screen readers and screen magniers.
You navigate through the assistant’s dialog boxes as you would any standard
Windows dialog box, using tab, arrows, spacebar, and enter.
You can use the default accessibility settings, and then adjust them later when you get more familiar with
how Adobe Reader works. To do this, tab to the button on the opening screen labeled “Use Recommended
Settings and Skip Setup”, and press Enter. For more information on these settings and how to change them
with the Accessibility Setup Assistant see “Using the Accessibility Setup Assistant” earlier in this guide.
You can access the Accessibility Setup Assistant at any time by choosing Document
> Accessibility Setup Assistant or by pressing Alt+D and then T.
Accessibility Setup Assistant notes for JAWS users
With JAWS, use the PC cursor to access the various controls used in the Accessibility Setup
Assistant, including radio buttons, check boxes, combo boxes and buttons. Each screen also
includes static text that describes the controls and explains what they do. JAWS reads that static
text as each screen opens, and you can use the JAWS cursor to reread the information.
Accessibility Setup Assistant notes for Window-Eyes users
e Window-Eyes cursor can access the various controls used in the Accessibility Setup
Assistant, including radio buttons, check boxes, combo boxes and buttons. Each screen also
includes static text that describes the controls and explains what they do. Window-Eyes does
not automatically read this static text, but you can use the Mouse cursor to read it.
The Preferences dialog box
e settings found in the Accessibility Setup Assistant can also be found in the Preferences dialog box (although
some settings are under slightly dierent names). To access the Preferences dialog box, choose Edit > Preferences
or press Alt+E and then N. You can also use the shortcut Ctrl+K. For more information on setting options using
the Preferences dialog box see “Changing accessibility settings with the Preferences dialog box” earlier in this guide.
Opening PDF documents
Opening a PDF document is no dierent than opening other types of documents you may encounter
using a PC. With Adobe Reader, choose File > Open or press Alt+F and then O. You can use the
shortcut Ctrl+O as well. You can also open PDF documents by navigating to them with Windows
Explorer and pressing the Enter key when your PC cursor is on the desired document.
e remainder of this section describes how to use your screen reader to read and interact with four
common types of PDF documents: image only les, untagged documents, tagged documents, and electronic
forms. For more detailed information on these types see “Types of PDF Documents” earlier in this guide.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 20
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
Opening image only documents
Most image only documents are created by authors who placed a printed page through a
scanner and saved the resulting image as a PDF document. Although text may appear on the
screen, it is only a picture of text without the underlying characters needed by JAWS.
When you open an image only le, Adobe Reader treats it as an untagged document, and presents the
dialog to start the tagging process. Even aer tagging the le will still be inaccessible to screen readers.
Note for JAWS and Window-Eyes users regarding image only documents:
When Adobe Reader completes the tagging process, the image of the le appears, and JAWS and Window-
Eyes will report, “Alert, empty document.” Your screen reader will not be able to read anything in the
le, and all keystroke navigation attempts will result in the same message, “Alert, empty document.”
If you need access to the information in an image only PDF, you can use the PDF recognition features found
in certain brands of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) soware. You can also use the OCR features
of Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional to convert an image le to readable text. e quality of the
results produced by any OCR tool will vary depending on the complexity of the original document and
the clarity of the image. In some cases, you may need sighted assistance to read image only documents.
Opening untagged documents
When you open an untagged PDF document using a screen reader, a dialog box appears to notify
you that the document is untagged and must be prepared for reading. e notication includes a
reminder that assistive technology will not be able to interact while the document is being analyzed
and tagged. Additionally, the number of pages in the document is provided, so you can estimate the
relative duration of the tagging process. Aer this introductory information, your screen reader will
inform you that you are in a combo box for choosing the reading order, and that you are on the rst
of three choices. e recommended option, labeled “Infer reading order from document,” works best
for most documents. For some documents, however, you may nd that one of the other choices works
better. e other choices are “Le-to-right, top-to-bottom reading order”, and “Use reading order in
raw print stream”. You can use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to select one of these options.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 21
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
e next set of options, labeled “Reading Mode Options”, controls how much information is delivered at once to
your screen reader. For large documents, select the radio button labeled “Read the Currently Visible Pages only.”
is option loads information from a few pages at a time into the memory buer of the screen reader. e
second option is labeled “Read the Entire Document At Once”. is is usually the best option when you are
using a screen reader, but it may aect performance when you read large documents.
Figure 4: Specifying Reading the Currently Visible Pages
Aer choosing your settings, tab to the Start button, and press the Enter key to begin
the tagging process. e time required to tag a document depends on the length and
complexity of the document, but the process oen nishes within a few seconds.
Automatic tagging is designed to enable screen readers to better interpret untagged PDF documents.
Depending on the complexity of the PDF document, however, this tagging may not fully capture the
intended reading order of the document. Many PDF documents have multiple columns, sidebars, or
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 22
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
complex page designs that can aect how well Adobe Reader interprets the content. If you are having
trouble reading particular PDF documents, you can experiment with the other Reading Order options.
Note for JAWS users regarding untagged documents:
During the tagging process, JAWS periodically announces the percentage of the process that has been
completed. In addition, Adobe Reader displays a dialog box, readable with the JAWS cursor, which shows
the number of pages that have been tagged along with the total number of pages in the document.
Note for Window-Eyes users regarding untagged documents:
During the tagging process, a dialog box appears showing the number of pages that have been tagged along with
the total number of pages in the document. is dialog box is readable with the Window-Eyes mouse cursor. To
have Window-Eyes read the current status of the process as reported by the progress bar, press Ctrl+Insert+B.
Opening tagged documents
When you open a tagged document you can begin reading immediately. Because there
is no need for Adobe Reader to tag the document itself, it does not present the tagging
dialog box. Properly tagged documents oer the best reading experience for screen reader
users, providing many ways to access all of the elements in a PDF document.
Tagged documents that have not been tagged correctly might not be read properly by screen readers. With these
documents, it may help to change the reading order. To do this, press Ctrl+K to bring up the Preferences dialog
box, and then press R to access the Reading controls. Press tab to navigate the combo box labeled “Reading
Order.” Use the Up and Down Arrows to select on of the three reading order options, and then press Enter.
Tagged documents enable better control for interacting with various elements within PDF documents, including
tables, headings, links, lists, paragraphs, and graphics. You can use the following tips to work with these elements:
Tables: When a properly tagged PDF document includes tables, you can use the same commands for navigating
and reading tables that are used with Microso Word documents and web pages in a browser. All the row
and column headings are accessible, and you can move quickly from table to table by pressing T or Shi+T.
With Window-Eyes, enter “Table Mode” by pressing Ctrl+NUM PAD PLUS and then
use your Window-Eyes table navigation keys (Insert+Arrow) to read the information
in the table. Press Ctrl+NUM PAD MINUS to exit Table Mode.
Headings: When the headings for various sections of a PDF are properly tagged, you can quickly move
among the various sections. Press H or Shi+H to move back or forward from heading to heading.
Links: A PDF le may include links to other sections of the document or to web pages on the
Internet. JAWS and Window-Eyes will read the names of links that have been properly tagged.
With JAWS, Press Insert+F7 to place all the links into a list that you can navigate using Arrow keys. If
you know the rst letter of the link you are looking for, you can press the rst letter of the link to quickly
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 23
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
move to links in the list that begin with that letter. Aer selecting a link, press Enter to follow it. Press
Tab and Shi+Tab to move back and forth between the links in a document when using JAWS.
With Window-Eyes, press L or Shi+L to move back and forth between the links in a document.
Lists: With JAWS, press L or Shi+L to move between tagged lists in a PDF document.
With Window-Eyes, you can move between the various lists by pressing S or Shi+S. You can
then use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to read the various list items. Alternatively,
you can also press I or Shi+I to move back and forth between the list items.
Pa ragraphs: To move between tagged paragraphs in a PDF document press P or Shi+P.
Graphics: JAWS and Window-Eyes will read descriptions of all properly tagged images in a PDF document.
With JAWS, press G or Shi+G to move between graphics.
The Window-Eyes Page Navigation Dialog Box
With Window-Eyes you can use the Page Navigation Dialog Box to quickly nd and move among many of
the various elements of a properly tagged PDF document. Press Insert+Tab to open this dialog. e focus
is in a list of one of the particular elements found in the document. Press Shi+Tab to move focus to a
group box control used to choose the type of element you would like to nd. For example, to navigate to a
particular link use the Arrow keys to select “Links”, and then press Tab to move to the list of links that are
in the PDF document. en use the Arrow keys to nd the link you want. Alternatively, if you know the
name of the link, you can press the rst letter of the link and move directly to that link in the list. If there
is more than one link starting with that letter, you may have to press the letter more than once to nd the
link you want. When you nd your link, press Enter and you will be taken to the target of that link in the
body of the PDF document. If you don’t want to activate the link, but simply want to move to its location
within the document, you can tab to the button labeled “Move to”, which closes the dialog and places
focus on the link. You can also move to other elements, including headings, lists, forms, and tables.
Note: You must use the Adobe Reader option “Read the Entire Document At
Once” for all the elements to appear in this dialog box. If you have set this
option to “Read the Currently Visible Pages only,” then only the elements
in the currently visible page will appear. You can change this setting with
the Adobe Reader Preferences dialog box (see Changing accessibility settings
with the Preferences dialog box earlier is this guide).
Opening forms
Properly tagged electronic forms are accessible. Your screen reader will speak all
the information you need to successfully ll-out the entire form.
For example, when you encounter a tagged edit box for entering your name, your screen reader might say
“Enter your rst name,” so you know what to type in the eld. Other types of elds you may encounter in
a form include combo boxes, buttons, radio buttons, and check boxes. Press Tab and Shi+Tab to move
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 24
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
back and forth between form elds. e Up and Down Arrow keys move focus between combo box and
radio button choices, and Enter activates buttons. Press the Spacebar to select or deselect a check box.
Notes for JAWS and Window-Eyes users regarding forms:
Press F to move to the next form in a document, and press Enter to
enter forms mode so you can begin lling out the form.
Using Adobe Reader Help
To access help in Adobe Reader 8 Help, choose Help > Adobe Reader 8 Help, or press Alt+H and then H.
You can also simply press F1 to open the Adobe Help Viewer window, which you navigate as you would
an HTML document. e Help Viewer has a navigation frame and a contents frame. e information
and links in the contents frame changes when you make selections in the navigation frame. As with
other help systems you may be familiar with, there are three ways to nd information in the Adobe
Help Viewer. ere is a Contents page, an Index page, and a Search page. Adobe Reader 8 Help opens
by default to the Contents page; and there are links at the top to select the Index or Search pages.
Note: the Contents page should not be confused with the contents frame.
You can browse through the Contents page just as you would any HTML page using standard
HTML navigation techniques for your screen reader. Use the navigation frame to nd links
of interest and press Enter when you nd one. With JAWS and Window-Eyes, you can then
quickly move through the information in the contents frame by pressing H for headings.
e Index page presents individual Help topics that are available. is page presents a list of all the letters
of the alphabet in the navigation frame, and you can press Enter on any letter to bring up the topics that
begin with that letter. e list of topics is presented in a tree view. Visually, a plus sign indicates an item that
is “expandable”, and a minus sign indicates an item that has been expanded with its subtopics below. An
item without any sub-topics has no plus or minus sign, indicating visually that it is an actual help topic.
e Search page of Adobe Reader 8 Help enables you to locate help topics related to a word or phrase.
One of the main topics in Adobe Reader 8 Help is “Accessibility, tags, and reow.”
is topics oers assistance on accessibility features in Adobe Reader.
To access Adobe’s online Accessibility Resource Center choose Help > Online Support
> Accessibility Resource Center or press Alt+H, followed by O and then R.
Adobe Reader help notes for JAWS users
For JAWS users, the tree view on the Index page presents a challenge, because there
is no easy way to distinguish a tree element with a plus or minus sign (indicating
subtopics below) from a tree element that represents an actual help topic.
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 25
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
When you press Enter on a topic with a plus sign, the list of subtopics is expanded beneath
it. When you press Enter on a topic with a minus sign, the list contracts. When you press enter
on a topic with no plus or minus sign, the help topic is displayed in the contents frame.
You can use this workaround: press Enter on an item in the tree view; if its related Help
information does not appear in the contents frame, then you will that this item has
subtopics, and you should now nd its subtopics below it in the tree view.
e Search page is accessible using JAWS. To search for help on a particular topic on the Search page, press F to
navigate to the Search edit eld. Press Enter to start “forms mode” and then type in a search term. Press Enter
again to exit “forms mode”. A list of links will appear in the navigation frame that relate to your search term.
Although most JAWS HTML navigation techniques work in the Adobe Reader Help system, you
cannot use the Ctrl+F JAWS Find command to locate specic strings of text. JAWS will report
that the string was not found, even when the string does actually appear on the page.
To nd specic strings of text in the Adobe Help Viewer use the JAWS virtual Find command,
Insert+Ctrl+F. Pressing the H key to move to the next heading is a useful technique
when using the Adobe Help Viewer. You can press H to jump to the rst heading in the
contents frame where you can read the currently displayed Help information.
Adobe Reader help notes for Window-Eyes users
Pressing the H key to move to the next heading is a useful technique when using the Adobe Help Viewer.
Press H to jump to the rst heading in the contents frame where you can read the currently displayed
Help information. e Insert+Tab command to place all the links in a list can also be helpful.
When you select a link on the contents page, the dynamic contents of the Adobe help system can
cause a problem as Window-Eyes updates pages. Aer selecting a link, if you try to read the new
page, you may nd that the page has not changed, or you may hear “Loading Page.” In either of these
situations occurs, you can ask Window-Eyes to redraw the screen by pressing Insert+Backslash.
is command will usually correct the problem and allow you to read the information on the
new page. It may be necessary to issue this command each time you follow a link.
Window-Eyes does not read the help text when on the index page. When you choose a link aer
choosing a letter, the help text associated with that topic is ignored by Window-Eyes. e contents
frame oen appears empty. Because of this issue, you may want to avoid using the index page.
On the search page, you may nd it necessary to have Window-Eyes redraw
the search screen. To do this, press Insert+Backslash.
Saving a PDF document as text
Adobe Reader provides the ability to extract the text of an Adobe PDF document and save it as a text
le. is feature is particularly useful when you want to read the document on a note-taker or emboss
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 26
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
the le with a Braille printer. A text version of a PDF document contains no images or multimedia
objects, but it will contain alternate descriptions for images if the author provided them.
To save a le as text, choose File > Save as Text or press Alt+F and then V. is brings up a standard Windows
“Save As” dialog, and you can use Tab and Shi+Tab to move back and forth between the various controls.
You use this dialog to name the le and specify where you want to save the le on your computer.
For best results when saving text for use with alternative translation technologies, rst choose the Reading
Order preference that best reects the appropriate reading order of the document. For instructions on changing
the reading order, see “Changing accessibility settings with the Preferences dialog box” earlier in this guide.
Note: If the text le that has been saved does not read in the most logical order,
the PDF document may not be adequately tagged and structured.
Using the Adobe Reader Find and Search tools
Oen, you want to nd a specic piece of information in a PDF document rather than
reading it straight through from beginning to end. To facilitate this, Adobe Reader provides
a Find tool and a Search tool to search for specic strings of text in a PDF document.
Ctrl+F is the shortcut to access the Adobe Find tool. Alternatively, you can select Edit > Find or press
Alt+E and then F. e cursor is now in an edit eld and you are ready to type the string of text you
want to nd. Aer you have nished typing your text string press the Enter key, and then press F6 to
return focus to the PDF document. e document will be positioned to the page on which the rst
occurrence of your text string appears. Depending on how the document was tagged, the cursor may
not be placed exactly on the actual text string. e Adobe Find tool places the cursor in the tagged
element (for example, the page, paragraph, table, or heading) in which the text string was found, so you
may need to scroll to nd your actual text string. Sometimes, especially with untagged or poorly tagged
documents, an element might be an entire page, and it can take some time to nd the text you want.
e Adobe Reader Search tool is a more powerful global search tool that you can use to
nd text not only in the current document, but also in all the PDF documents on your
computer. e Search dialog has several controls you can use to rene your search.
To access the search tool, choose Edit > Search or press Alt+E and then S. You can also press Shi+Ctrl+F
to bring up the Adobe Search dialog box. To search in the current PDF document only, you simply type in
the word or phrase you are searching for and press the Enter key. A tree view will appear listing all hits, or
occurrences of the search string in the document. e text surrounding your search string is included in
the list. Use the Arrow keys to select the search hit you want. When you press Enter the document will be
positioned to the page of that hit. However, as with the Adobe Find tool, you may need to scroll on the page
to nd your search term. If the hit you chose was not the one you wanted, you can press Alt+Tab to return
to your list of hits and try another one. When you are nished, press Alt+F4 to close the Search window.
If you want to search through several PDF documents at once, press Tab aer typing in your search terms.
Select the radio button labeled “All PDF Documents in” using the Arrow keys. en, tab to the next control to
Accessing PDF Documents with Assistive Technology 27
The Accessibility Setup Assistant
choose a drive or folder on your computer in which to search. en press Shi+Tab three times to move back
to the edit eld, type your search terms, and press Enter. It may take a while to display your hits, depending
on how many documents are located in the search. e tree view that appears shows each document in which
your search terms are found, followed by each hit for each document. Although you can scroll through all
the various hits just like when searching through a single document, your screen reader might not announce
the names of the various documents. As a result, you can choose from the various hits, but you won’t know
which document you are choosing until you actually press Enter on the hit and open the document.
Adobe Reader nd and search notes for JAWS users
In addition to the Adobe Reader Find and Search tools, the JAWS Virtual
Find feature can also be used to nd text in a PDF document.
You can use the JAWS Virtual Find tool aer using the Adobe Find tool. is tool nds text that appears
on the current page only, and it places your cursor on the exact text string it nds. Insert+Ctrl+F brings up
the JAWS Virtual Find tool and places the cursor in an edit eld. Type your search string and press Enter.
e PC Cursor will be place at the beginning of the next occurrence of that string on the current page.
Adobe Reader nd and search notes for Window-Eyes users
In addition to the Adobe Reader Find and Search tools, the Window-Eyes
Mouse Find tool can also be used to nd text in a PDF document.
You can use the Window-Eyes Mouse Find tool aer using the Adobe Find tool. is tool nds text that
appears on the current page only, and it places your cursor on the exact text string it nds. Shi+Ctrl+F
brings up the Window-Eyes Virtual Find tool and places the cursor in an edit eld. Type your search string
and press Enter. e cursor will be placed on the next occurrence of that string on the current page.
To repeat the same search, press Insert+F. Window-Eyes will automatically nd
the next occurrence of the text string you previously searched for.
Shi+Ctrl+F is the shortcut to open the Adobe Search dialog box. If, however, you are using the default
Window-Eyes keyboard layout, this keystroke is already in use. To access the dialog box you can either
issue the Window-Eyes bypass key (Insert+B) or you can choose Edit > Search (press Alt+E and then S).
The Go To Page dialog box
You can use the Adobe Reader Go To Page dialog box to determine the current page and the total
number of pages in the document. Choose View > Go To > Page or press Shi+Ctrl+N.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, the Adobe PDF logo, LiveCycle, and Reader, are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other
countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. JAWS is a registered trademark of Freedom
Scientic. Window-Eyes is a registered trademark of GW Micro. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
© 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
