Training available on creating accessible PDFs

December 19, 2011

The Office of the Vice President for Ethics and Compliance will be sponsoring training on creating accessible PDFs in January in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Equity and the Web Accessibilty Committee.

Terrill Thompson, technology accessibility specialist from the University of Washington, will be providing the hands-on training. Thompson, a Purdue alumnus, is a nationally recognized trainer in the area of Web accessiblity. 

The training sessions that Thompson provided in October were recorded and are now available to view on the Web Accessibility Committee training Web page at www.purdue.edu/webaccessibility/training under the "Instructor-led Courses" section.

January's accessible PDF training sessions are open to any Purdue faculty or staff member. Seating for each session is limited, and registration is required. To register for a session, click on the links provided on the event dates and times below.

Creating Accessible PDF Documents
This three-hour hands-on training is targeted to anyone who authors PDFs, regardless of the method used or the technical experience possessed. Attendees will learn how to create or modify a PDF so it can be read by individuals with disabilities using assistive technology.
Hands-on exercises:
1. Create an accessible PDF document from Word.
2. Review and edit an existing tagged, somewhat accessible PDF using Adobe Acrobat Professional.
3. Add tags to an untagged document, and check them for accuracy.

Jan. 23 (M). 8:15-11:30 a.m. Engineering Administration Building, Room 135.

Jan. 24 (T). 1:45-5 p.m. Engineering Administration Building, Room 138.

Jan. 25 (W). 1:45-5 p.m.  Engineering Administration Building, Room 138.

Jan. 26 (Th). 8:15-11:30 a.m. Engineering Administration Building, Room 138.


Creating Accessible PDF Forms
This four-hour hands-on training is designed for those who author interactive PDF forms or are responsible for ensuring that PDF forms are accessible to all users. Attendees will learn how to create or modify a PDF so it can be read by individuals with disabilities using assistive technology.
Hands-on exercises:
1. Add accessible interactive form fields to a PDF using Adobe Acrobat Professional.
2. Repair an inaccessible PDF form.
3. Create an accessible interactive form using Adobe LiveCycle Designer.

Jan. 23 M). 1-5 p.m. Engineering Administration Building, Room 135.

Jan. 25 (W). 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Engineering Administration Building, Room 138.

Creating Accessible PDFs Advanced Session
This four-hour hands-on training is open to anyone who is familiar with the basics of creating accessible PDFs and wants more in-depth training on advance techniques for creating or modifying PDF documents and forms so they can be read by individuals with disabilities using assistive technology. Attendees may submit PDFs with accessibility issues in advance. Some submissions will be used by the presenter as teaching examples during the session.
PDF advanced hands-on exercises:
1. Determined by PDFs submitted for review.

Jan. 24 (T). 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Engineering Administration Building, Room 135. 

Jan. 26 (Th). 1-5 p.m. Engineering Administration Building, Room 135.

In addition to the training sessions that are being offered in January, the Office of the Vice President for Ethics and Compliance has purchased several books written by Karen McCall, an expert in creating accessible PDFs, in order to assist the University community in creating such documents. These resource books, which are listed below, are now available for a one-week checkout at the Hicks Undergraduate Library reference collection area:
* Accessible and Usable PDF Documents: Techniques for Document Author, Third Edition.
* Logical Document Structure Handbook: Microsoft Word 2010.
* Logical Document Structure Handbook: Microsoft Word 2007.
* Document Structure Handbook: PowerPoint 2010.
* Document Structure Handbook: PowerPoint 2007.

Purdue is committed to making all programs accessible to participants with disabilities. If you require an accommodation or special assistance due to a disability for January's training sessions, contact the Office of Institutional Equity before the program begins at 49-47253, TTY: 765-496-1343, or equity@purdue.edu.