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Defining PDF Document Reading Order with Adobe Acrobat

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This article is for Faculty who need to define the reading order of a scanned PDF document. Please perform a full accessibility check in Adobe Acrobat before attempting to define the document's reading order.


1. Open Your Accessibility Checked PDF Document in Adobe Acrobat Reader

(1) Right click the document,(2) select Open With, (3) choose Adobe Acrobat.

(1) Right click the document,(2) select Open With, (3) choose Adobe Acrobat.

2. Select Accessibility then Choose Reading Order

Select Accessibility

2.1. Select the Reading Order Tool on the Right

Accessibility options show up on the right after selecting the Accessibility tool.

Select the Reading Order Tool on the Right

The Reading Order Pop-Up menu appears on screen. Move it by clicking and dragging it to a space on the screen away from the shaded and tagged article regions.

The Reading Order Pop-Up menu appears on screen. Move it by clicking and dragging it to a space on the screen away from the shaded and tagged article regions.

2.2. Select a Shaded Region's Number then Choose the Appropriate Button from the Pop-Up

Note in the image below, there is a note from the previous chapter that is not relevant for the reading being tagged on the next page. (1) Select any irrelevant document elements by their number (they become highlighted with blue). Then (2) choose the Background/Artifact button from the Reading order pop-up to remove it from the reading order.

 (1) Select any irrelevant document elements by their number (they become highlighted with blue). Then (2) choose the Background/Artifact button from the Reading order pop-up to remove it from the reading order.

Notice below that after the Background Artifact Reading Order button is chosen, the previously marked region is de-selected now.

Notice below that after the Background Artifact Reading Order button is chosen, the previously marked region is de-selected now.

Select and define all other irrelevant document elements by selecting their tag numbers (shown in the image under 2.2) and choosing the Background / Artifact button from the Reading Order pop-up.

2.3. Select and Define the Document Title as Heading 1

(1) Select the tag number for the document's title, then (2) choose the Heading 1 button from the Reading Order pop-up.

(1) Select the tag number for the document's title, then (2) choose the Heading 1 button from the Reading Order pop-up.

2.4. Select and Define the First Sub-Heading as Heading 2

(1) Select the tag number for the first sub-heading, then (2) choose the Heading 2 button from the Reading Order pop-up. Faculty can label all remaining sub-headings with Heading 2.

(1) Select the tag number for the first sub-heading, then (2) choose the Heading 2 button from the Reading Order pop-up. Faculty can label all remaining sub-headings with Heading 2.

2.5. Select and Define All Paragraphs as Text/Paragraph from the Pop-Up

(1) Select the tag number for each paragraph in the document, then (2) choose the Text/Paragraph button from the Reading Order pop-up. Faculty can label all paragraphs in order as Text/Paragraph.

(1) Select the tag number for the each paragraph in the document, then (2) choose the Text/Paragraph button from the Reading Order pop-up. Faculty can label all paragraphs in order as Text/Paragraph.

If there are any annotations inaccurately tagged as a figure (see image below), select a document element and mark it as Background/Artifact to remove it from the reading order. Adobe should adjust the reading order of the document.

Note in the image below, a section of text has been inaccurately selected as Figure 8. This is throwing off the reading order. (1) Select the number 8 tag then (2) choose the Background/Artifact button to remove it and amend the reading order.

Note in the image below, figure 8 is selecting a random box that is throwing off the reading order. (1) Select the number 8 tag then (2) choose the Background/Artifact button to remove it and amend the reading order.

The image below shows the properly ordered paragraphs without irrelevant figures.

The image below shows the properly ordered paragraphs without irrelevant figures.

For more guidance on improving the accessibility of scanned documents, reach out to either the Online Campus or Accessibility Services to receive  more direct support.

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