Beyond the Checker: Mastering PDF Accessibility Evaluation

Date & Time

Monday, March 18, 2024 - 9:00 AM PDT  

Location

Elite 1-3  

Audience

Audience Level

Beginning  

Session Summary (Abstract)

This workshop requires participants Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).
The workshop will be led by Dax Castro and Chad Chelius, both of whom are experts in document accessibility. A hands-on workshop, covering a wide range of topics and provide ample time for practical exercises and discussions, where participants are expected to BYOD. The workshop starts with the basics and progressively delves into more complex topics. This approach ensures that participants of all skill levels can benefit from the class.

Topics Covered

Tags Tree: Understanding the document structure and how to use tags effectively for accessibility.
Usability vs. Compliance: Discussing the balance between creating documents that are both usable and compliant with accessibility standards.
Screen Reader Testing: Learning how to test documents with screen reader software to ensure accessibility.
Manual Evaluation: Techniques for manually evaluating document accessibility.
Automated Tools: Introduction to tools that can automate accessibility checks.
Alt-Text: Evaluating and writing effective alternative text (alt-text) for images and other non-text elements.
Enhanced User Experiences: Techniques for improving the accessibility of complex elements like flow charts and infographics.

Learning Objectives

Understand the difference between compliance and usability
Learn step-by-step evaluation techniques
Utilize a proven accessibility checklist
Gain a deeper knowledge of appropriate tag structure

Biography
Dax Castro
Dax Castro is an award-winning, Adobe Certified PDF Accessibility Trainer and certified Accessible Document Specialist (ADS) with more than two decades of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Not only is Dax an accessibility expert with more than 200 hours of training, he is an online influencer, trainer, speaker, and accessibility advocate that pushes the envelope of technology to produce more robust accessible documents. Be sure to catch Dax and Chad on their accessibility podcast Chax Chat.
Chad Chelius
Chad Chelius is a trainer, author, consultant, speaker and Director of Training Solutions and Principal at Chax Training and Consulting. He resides in the Philadelphia area and has been using Adobe products for over 25 years. As an Adobe Certified Instructor, Accessible Document Specialist, and consultant he teaches and advises on all Adobe print and web products, specializing in InDesign and InCopy workflows, Illustrator, automation, and PDF accessibility using InDesign, Word, and Adobe Acrobat. He works with clients both large and small in and outside of the United States, helping them to solve design, workflow, and accessibility challenges using Adobe products. Chad is a Lynda.com / LinkedIn Learning author, and you can connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.  

Primary Topic

 

Secondary Topics

 

Session Type

General Track  

Presenters

• Dax Castro
  
• Chad Chelius
  

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