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How to Make Accessible PDFs

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The task of creating an accessible document goes farther than just correctly formatting the text in your original file. When importing documents, whatever the source application, some elements “get lost in translation” and additional remediation has to be done in Adobe Acrobat.

This workshop is Part 2 of our “Accessible Word” and “Accessible InDesign” training sessions and will teach you how to create an accessible PDF, including diverse content such as complicated tables, lists and acronyms. Questions it addresses include:

  • How do I make a PDF accessible when I don’t have the source document?
  • How can I figure out whether it is faster to remediate an old PDF or create a new, accessible source document?
  • How do I make tables with merged cells more accessible?
  • What do I do with complicated drawings and charts?
  • When should I use the auto tag feature in Acrobat?
  • How do I fix incorrect reading order?
  • We use a lot of abbreviations – how do I make them accessible?

Great training – lots of new information! Well structured session.

So much to learn and use immediately. The workshop exceeded my expectations!

Who should attend this workshop

  • Anyone who attended the “How to Make Accessible Word Documents” workshop or our “How to Make Accessible InDesign Documents” webinar/workshop provided by Accessibility Services Canada.
  • If you are currently creating accessible content and need a refresher or an upgrade, including Communication or Accessibility Coordinators, Website Content Managers, Marketing staff and Administrative Assistants.

What you will walk away with…

  1. How to format an inaccessible PDF.
  2. Where relevant tools and menu items are in Acrobat.
  3. How to identify several issues that should be addressed in source formats rather than by editing the PDF document directly.
  4. The correct structure for lists and tables.
  5. Knowledge about new accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
  6. Understanding of some of the limitations of making accessible content.
  7. A better understanding of creating and mending accessible content using Acrobat Professional.

Learning Outcomes

By completing this workshop, participants will have and understanding of:

  • Working with accessible content tags
  • Manually tag or re-tagging content in a PDF
  • Modifying and edit tag properties
  • Removing tags from specified non-meaningful content
  • How to tag acronyms and bulleted lists
  • Tagging a table of contents
  • Creating tags for tables
  • How to deal with merged or split table cells.
  • Making scanned PDF content accessible.
  • Setting the document default page views
  • Setting reading order and reflow orfer
  • Adding bookmarks in a PDF document
  • Adding required document properties.
  • Using Accessibility Checkers and examining the results.

Take away

  • Participants will be given a handout with reference to the content covered including step-by-step procedures.
  • A full understanding of some of the limitations of making accessible content.
  • A better understanding of creating and mending accessible content using Acrobat Professional.

Detailed and great with examples and practices. (Reena)

Great examples and I appreciate the print out for future reference. (Deafblind Ontario Services)

Workshop Requirements

  • Laptop (Mac or PC) and Mouse
  • Acrobat Professional, version 11 or DC (Primary focus will be on using Acrobat Professional DC).

Technical Notes

  • Please ensure that your Acrobat Professional (not Reader) has been installed correctly.
  • We suggest you do any installations a day or two before the workshop to ensure your programs are working properly.
  • A USB key will be used to transfer class files to laptops – ensure this can be done on your laptop before class.
  • A computer mouse is recommended since it will assist in the use of keyboard shortcuts.

Good quality presentation. Presenter is excellent! Learn, knowledgeable and great at keeping us engaged. Learned more than I anticipated! (Ontario College of Teachers)

  INCLUDED IN THE WORKSHOP:

  • High quality instruction by a Document Accessibility Specialist
  • Small class size (maximum 10 participants)
  • A Step-by-Step Reference Guide
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • A chance to network with other professionals
  • Digital Certificate of Completion

Accommodations

Accommodations are available upon request.

AODA Train-the-Trainer Certification

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This workshop will provide you with an overview of the AODA Standards and how this information can be delivered in an interactive and fun training session to your staff and volunteers. The AODA Train-the-Trainer workshop qualifies as mandated training and will equip you to meet your organization’s AODA training requirements. Areas covered will include:

  • Customer Service Standard
  • General Requirements
  • Employment Standard
  • Information & Communication Standard
  • Transportation Standard
  • Design of Public Spaces Standard
  • Ontario Human Rights Code

I liked how you provided examples of activities to keep it fun to teach and learn. Often these courses are boring. Your course gave me lots of ideas! And I liked the group which included a diversity of industry people.

Instructor is an excellent and knowledgeable speaker!

Great training! What I expected to be a dry and long info session ended up being a good time. Thanks!

Fantastic! Great length. Exactly what I needed to stay on track.

Why use a Train the Trainer Model:

  • Trainers are an accessible resource for staff and volunteers with an organization.
  • Organizations can do training when it works for them, using a variety of approaches best suited to their situation.
  • It is a model that is cost and time effective for organizations.
  • It is a model that helps to support discussion and further development within an organization.

Excellent and well organized content and delivery. Respectful and inclusive presenter who created an inclusive and safe environment. Everyone participated and was engaged.

Participants in this training will receive:

  • Information on each of the Standards and OHRC
  • A customizable copy of Accessibility Services Canada’s 90-minute training PowerPoint presentation
  • Training workshop handouts and interactive activities
  • A live demonstration of a training workshop
  • Ideas on how adapt the training for your organization’s needs

Participants will receive access to Accessibility Services Canada training materials for use in internal training only (staff and volunteers of their own organization).

Training is valid for two years and updates on the AODA will be sent to participants as they arise.

Good review of the AODA and requirements. Training suggestions were great. Enjoyed the practice opportunity.

I liked how collaborative the training was. I learned a lot from other people’s experiences and knowledge. I also liked that the training comes with a certificate.

Really good at getting me to think of applying this to my own work. I would recommend the training to anyone!

Prerequisite: Participants must have knowledge of the AODA prior to attending this workshop as we do not cover the details of the AODA. This training focuses on how to design and deliver an engaging training session for your organization’s staff and volunteers. For detailed information on the AODA, look for our “Accessibility Compliance 101” webinar series being held in April. 

  INCLUDED IN THE WORKSHOP:

  • High quality instruction by an AODA Specialist
  • Small class size 
  • AODA Training Kit
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • A chance to network with other professionals
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Official recognition for your participation (that you can share on LinkedIn, Facebook or your resume)

Fantastic facilitator! The afternoon went by very quickly (too quickly). Fantastic insights and resources. Very varied group with varied backgrounds. Feeling confident about training and liked the variety of training tools provided.

Accommodations

Accommodations available upon request. 

 

This workshop truly focussed on preparing us to train staff. I appreciate all the resources we have been given.

The materials provided was excellent – everything we require for training in our own work place.

Excellent trainer! Lots of expertise!

Great dialogue and examples.

Very welcoming space. Felt safe and encouraging.

Clear, good balance of lecture and activities.

Accessibility Compliance 101

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The Accessibility Compliance 101 Webinar Series has been designed with the recognition that you have limited time and need the most up-to-date information. These 1-hour webinars are an ideal way for busy leaders to engage in an interactive online experience from the convenience of their own desk. 

This series of three webinars has been specially designed for staff who are responsible for their organization’s AODA implementation and compliance. We will review the legislation, discuss in detail your legal requirements, provide you with a multitude of resources, and share best practices for ensuring your organization’s successful compliance. There will be time during each webinar to ask the presenting AODA expert questions about how the legislation affects your particular organization.

100% of past webinar participants said that their understanding of the AODA and their compliance obligations improved as a result of this webinar series.

Who: Management Team Staff, including Executive Directors/CEOs, Directors & Managers (HR, Communications, Policy Development, and Volunteer Coordinators).

Why: Organizations of all sizes (1+ employees) and types (nonprofit, businesses, and public sector) must be compliant with the AODA requirements, including policy development and training of all staff.

“The webinar series highlighted the most relevant information in an easy to understand format and provided great examples to further enhance understanding.”

When: Every Tuesdays, for 3 weeks, from 11:00 am-12:00 pm 

Where: Online webinar via your computer

 “It was broken down into manageable units. Also great resources.”

Webinar Recordings: Participants can choose to get access to the webinar recordings. A link will be sent the same day as the live session and viewing will be available for 7 days. 

  INCLUDED IN THE WEBINAR:

  • High quality instruction by an AODA Expert
  • Copies of each of the webinar (.pdf)
  • Access to the recorded sessions for 7 days (optional)
  • A chance to ask all your questions
  • Customer Service Standard Policy Template
  • Integrated Accessibility Standards Policy Template (includes Information and Communications, Employment and Design of Public Space Standards requirements)
  • Multi-Year Accessibility Template
  • Resources, best practices, tips and tools
  • A chance to network with other professionals
  • Registered participants will receive a digital Certificate of Completion

“It was easy to understand and having the materials accessible afterward for reference was very important & helpful.”

“Being online is a great way to learn that is flexible for our team.”

“This course has been incredibly informative, easy to digest, and I feel much more equipped to do my work now!” 

“Very clear presentation with lots of specific examples.”

Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation e-mail and instructions for accessing each session will be sent the week prior to commencement.

Schedule:

Webinar #1- AODA Overview, the Customer Service Standard, and new legislative developments

Webinar #2 – General requirements and the Information and Communications Standard

Webinar #3 – Employment Standard and Design of Public Spaces Standard

 

More comments from participants on what they liked about the series:

Covers a lot of information in an organized manner.

Love that this training can be completed online remotely.

Good take away documents to share with managers.

The takeaways, such as the bonus handouts and templates.

The detailed information provided during the webinar and the resources provided.

Examples given to illustrate the standards.

Trainer is engaging and easy to understand; answers all questions.

Interactive to get participants involved.

Clearly stated and easy to follow – allowed for follow up with the attendees via the recordings.

Technically it was easy to access the seminar.  Topics thoroughly covered.

Clear and straightforward information.

Very good and engaging trainer.

Nice concise review, good examples & resources – thank you!

Web Accessibility for Content Managers

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It can sometimes be challenging to know what accessibility efforts can be implemented on a content level vs. those that are dependent on the platform where your content exists. In this 60-minute webinar, we will differentiate between platform and content level issues and dive deeper into techniques you can use to make your content more accessible. This is a high-level, platform agnostic information session.

High level overview that also provided specific, useful examples. Gave us tools to learn more on our own, without bogging down the session.

Good range of examples for discussion. Very informative. Thanks for the resource links, too!

Topics include:

  • How WCAG applies to web content issues.
  • Accessibility considerations for Text (eg. reading level), Images (eg. Text alternatives), and Multimedia (eg. Captioning + descriptive transcripts).
  • Interactive exercises to identify potential accessibility barriers in content and how these can be addressed.

It was interactive. Thanks for asking US questions!

Take Away:

Participants will be given a handout listing website accessibility tools and other key references.

Wide range of content presented with images to make it easy to follow.

Optional Webinar Recordings: Participants have the option of purchasing access to the webinar recording for 7 days following the live event.

  INCLUDED IN THE WEBINAR:

  • High quality instruction by a Web Accessibility Specialist
  • A chance to ask questions
  • Digital Certificate of Completion for registered participants

 

How to Make Accessible PDFs

by

The task of creating an accessible document goes farther than just correctly formatting the text in your original file. When importing documents, whatever the source application, some elements “get lost in translation” and additional remediation has to be done in Adobe Acrobat.

This workshop is Part 2 of our “Accessible Word” and “Accessible InDesign” training sessions and will teach you how to create an accessible PDF, including diverse content such as complicated tables, lists and acronyms. Questions it addresses include:

  • How do I make a PDF accessible when I don’t have the source document?
  • How can I figure out whether it is faster to remediate an old PDF or create a new, accessible source document?
  • How do I make tables with merged cells more accessible?
  • What do I do with complicated drawings and charts?
  • When should I use the auto tag feature in Acrobat?
  • How do I fix incorrect reading order?
  • We use a lot of abbreviations – how do I make them accessible?

Great training – lots of new information! Well structured session.

So much to learn and use immediately. The workshop exceeded my expectations!

Who should attend this workshop

  • Anyone who attended the “How to Make Accessible Word Documents” workshop or our “How to Make Accessible InDesign Documents” webinar/workshop provided by Accessibility Services Canada.
  • If you are currently creating accessible content and need a refresher or an upgrade, including Communication or Accessibility Coordinators, Website Content Managers, Marketing staff and Administrative Assistants.

What you will walk away with…

  1. How to format an inaccessible PDF.
  2. Where relevant tools and menu items are in Acrobat.
  3. How to identify several issues that should be addressed in source formats rather than by editing the PDF document directly.
  4. The correct structure for lists and tables.
  5. Knowledge about new accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
  6. Understanding of some of the limitations of making accessible content.
  7. A better understanding of creating and mending accessible content using Acrobat Professional.

Learning Outcomes

By completing this workshop, participants will have and understanding of:

  • Working with accessible content tags
  • Manually tag or re-tagging content in a PDF
  • Modifying and edit tag properties
  • Removing tags from specified non-meaningful content
  • How to tag acronyms and bulleted lists
  • Tagging a table of contents
  • Creating tags for tables
  • How to deal with merged or split table cells.
  • Making scanned PDF content accessible.
  • Setting the document default page views
  • Setting reading order and reflow orfer
  • Adding bookmarks in a PDF document
  • Adding required document properties.
  • Using Accessibility Checkers and examining the results.

Take away

  • Participants will be given a handout with reference to the content covered including step-by-step procedures.
  • A full understanding of some of the limitations of making accessible content.
  • A better understanding of creating and mending accessible content using Acrobat Professional.

Detailed and great with examples and practices. (Reena)

Great examples and I appreciate the print out for future reference. (Deafblind Ontario Services)

Workshop Requirements

  • Laptop (Mac or PC) and Mouse
  • Acrobat Professional, version 11 or DC (Primary focus will be on using Acrobat Professional DC).

Technical Notes

  • Please ensure that your Acrobat Professional (not Reader) has been installed correctly.
  • We suggest you do any installations a day or two before the workshop to ensure your programs are working properly.
  • A USB key will be used to transfer class files to laptops – ensure this can be done on your laptop before class.
  • A computer mouse is recommended since it will assist in the use of keyboard shortcuts.

Good quality presentation. Presenter is excellent! Learn, knowledgeable and great at keeping us engaged. Learned more than I anticipated! (Ontario College of Teachers)

  INCLUDED IN THE WORKSHOP:

  • High quality instruction by a Document Accessibility Specialist
  • Small class size (maximum 10 participants)
  • A Step-by-Step Reference Guide
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • A chance to network with other professionals
  • Digital Certificate of Completion

Accommodations

Accommodations are available upon request.

Accessible Video Captioning

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Did you know that accurate captioning is actually a basic WCAG 2.0 Level A requirement? This 90-minute webinar will give you the tips and best practices to ensure your YouTube and other web-based videos are captioned accessibly.  Participants will learn how to caption in a way that provides optimal comprehension while meeting legal compliance and get a step-by-step walk through of the YouTube captioning editor.

 Very clearly communicated. Liked the historical context.

 It was easy to follow, easily accessible and good information.

 Thanks, very useful – I feel I got enough info to try myself!

What You Will Walk Away With

At the end of this 90-minute webinar, participants will understand:

  • Captioning basics for web-based and YouTube.
  • Captioning process from upload to publishing.
  • YouTube captioning interface.
  • Captioning best practices, including caption line length, parsing caption lines, non-speech information, and more.

Thanks that was great! Very useful.

Who should attend this webinar

Anyone who is responsible for website and video design and development, content creation, and content posting. This includes all Executive Directors/CEOs, Communication Managers, Document Creators, Communication or Accessibility Coordinators, Website Content Managers, Website Developers, Marketing Managers, Administrative Assistants.

Optional Webinar Recordings: Participants have the option of purchasing access to the webinar recording for 7 days following the live event.

 

  INCLUDED IN THE WEBINAR:

  • High quality instruction by a Web Accessibility Specialist
  • Handout and Resource list
  • Digital Certificate of Completion for registered participants

The presenter was very knowledgeable, well-spoken and clear.

 Very informative and helpful!

 Learned some technical stuff I didn’t know sweeeet!

Accommodations

Accommodations available upon request. 

Accessible Website Creation

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This webinar provides a technical explanation of how to create accessible website content. Web developers will come away with a deep understanding of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, the AODA requirements for website accessibility, and how to achieve WCAG 2.1 conformance.  

Learning outcomes

By completing this webinar, participants will:

  • Gain an in depth understanding of WCAG 2.1 structure: Principles, Guidelines and Success Criteria
  • Become familiar with established techniques for meeting WCAG conformance
  • Get an introduction to WAI ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Application) markup
  • Learn about tools and resources for creating accessible content

Prerequisite:  Some basic knowledge of HTML is required for this course. 

Optional Webinar Recordings: Participants have the option of purchasing access to the webinar recording for 7 days following the live event.

  INCLUDED IN THE WEBINAR:

  • High quality instruction by a Web Accessibility Specialist
  • Webinar recording (optional)
  • Accessibility Resources
  • Digital Certificate of Completion for registered participants

Accommodations

Accommodations available upon request. 

 

How to Make PDFs Accessible

by

The task of creating an accessible document goes farther than just correctly formatting the text in your original file. When importing documents, whatever the source application, some elements “get lost in translation” and additional remediation has to be done in Adobe Acrobat.

This workshop is Part 2 of our “Accessible Word” and “Accessible InDesign” training sessions and will teach you how to create an accessible PDF, including diverse content such as complicated tables, lists and acronyms. Questions it addresses include:

  • How do I make a PDF accessible when I don’t have the source document?
  • How can I figure out whether it is faster to remediate an old PDF or create a new, accessible source document?
  • How do I make tables with merged cells more accessible?
  • What do I do with complicated drawings and charts?
  • When should I use the auto tag feature in Acrobat?
  • How do I fix incorrect reading order?
  • We use a lot of abbreviations – how do I make them accessible?

Great training – lots of new information! Well structured session.

So much to learn and use immediately. The workshop exceeded my expectations!

Who should attend this workshop

  • Anyone who attended the “How to Make Accessible Word Documents” workshop or our “How to Make Accessible InDesign Documents” webinar/workshop provided by Accessibility Services Canada.
  • If you are currently creating accessible content and need a refresher or an upgrade, including Communication or Accessibility Coordinators, Website Content Managers, Marketing staff and Administrative Assistants.

What you will walk away with…

  1. How to format an inaccessible PDF.
  2. Where relevant tools and menu items are in Acrobat.
  3. How to identify several issues that should be addressed in source formats rather than by editing the PDF document directly.
  4. The correct structure for lists and tables.
  5. Knowledge about new accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
  6. Understanding of some of the limitations of making accessible content.
  7. A better understanding of creating and mending accessible content using Acrobat Professional.

Learning Outcomes

By completing this workshop, participants will have and understanding of:

  • Working with accessible content tags
  • Manually tag or re-tagging content in a PDF
  • Modifying and edit tag properties
  • Removing tags from specified non-meaningful content
  • How to tag acronyms and bulleted lists
  • Tagging a table of contents
  • Creating tags for tables
  • How to deal with merged or split table cells.
  • Making scanned PDF content accessible.
  • Setting the document default page views
  • Setting reading order and reflow orfer
  • Adding bookmarks in a PDF document
  • Adding required document properties.
  • Using Accessibility Checkers and examining the results.

Take away

  • Participants will be given a handout with reference to the content covered including step-by-step procedures.
  • A full understanding of some of the limitations of making accessible content.
  • A better understanding of creating and mending accessible content using Acrobat Professional.

Detailed and great with examples and practices. (Reena)

Great examples and I appreciate the print out for future reference. (Deafblind Ontario Services)

Workshop Requirements

  • Laptop (Mac or PC) and Mouse
  • Acrobat Professional, version 11 or DC (Primary focus will be on using Acrobat Professional DC).

Technical Notes

  • Please ensure that your Acrobat Professional (not Reader) has been installed correctly.
  • We suggest you do any installations a day or two before the workshop to ensure your programs are working properly.
  • A USB key will be used to transfer class files to laptops – ensure this can be done on your laptop before class.
  • A computer mouse is recommended since it will assist in the use of keyboard shortcuts.

Good quality presentation. Presenter is excellent! Learn, knowledgeable and great at keeping us engaged. Learned more than I anticipated! (Ontario College of Teachers)

  INCLUDED IN THE WORKSHOP:

  • High quality instruction by a Document Accessibility Specialist
  • Small class size (maximum 10 participants)
  • A Step-by-Step Reference Guide
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • A chance to network with other professionals
  • Digital Certificate of Completion

Accommodations

Accommodations are available upon request.

How to Make Accessible InDesign Documents

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In this hands-on workshop we cover in-depth how to make accessible content in InDesign and how to import those documents into Acrobat Professional to make an accessible PDF. We cover the core InDesign concepts of text formatting, graphics and working with navigational and digital device reflow features to include all users who require an accessible PDF.

This hands-on training course addresses the best practices for designing in an abstract format while at the same time creating linear accessible content.

“Accessibility Services Canada’s workshop “Accessible InDesign Workshop” was fantastic. The facilitator’s training style was very enjoyable, giving practical exercises and useful tricks that will help us achieve accessibility on a variety of documents. I will strongly recommend this workshop to graphic designers and other creative minds who are searching for better ways to make accessible documents and visual communications.”  

Learning outcomes

By completing this workshop, participants will:

  • Learn why and how to break old print design behaviours
  • Understand the importance of document structure
  • Learn how to tag text for PDF export
  • Know how to set document language
  • Tag and review complicated graphics and diagrams
  • Anchoring content for proper export order
  • Learn how to prepare Master Page items
  • Understand how to create tables for screen readers
  • Recognize proper order and flow for assistive technology
  • Know how to create accessible bookmarks and a table of contents
  • Understand the different types of assistive technology and audiences
  • Understand different export options for accessible PDFs
  • How to hide content from screen reading technology
  • Applying a language setting within InDesign
  • Know how to add the required Metadata
  • How to test and tweak PDF files for accessibility

Take away

Participants will be given a handout with reference to the content covered including step-by-step procedures.

“This workshop made me realize how little I know about InDesign!”

“It was great learning about little tricks in InDesign to make the PDF accessibility process easier.”

Who should attend this workshop

Anyone who has intermediate to advanced experience creating and editing content in InDesign. Graphic Designers, Art Directors, Creative Studio Managers, Communication or Accessibility Coordinators, Website Content Managers and Administrative Staff using InDesign.

Prerequisite:

It is recommended to have some basic knowledge of using and creating documents with InDesign and is comfortable using Acrobat professional.

  INCLUDED IN THE WORKSHOP:

  • High quality instruction by an InDesign Accessibility Specialist
  • Small class size (maximum 10 participants)
  • A Step-by-Step Reference Guide
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • A chance to network with other professionals
  • Registered participants will receive a digital Certificate of Completion

“Amazing facilitator! Clear, concise and a bit of humour makes it a great training. I would recommend it to others. Lots of information in a short time.” (Ontario Principals’ Council)

Workshop Requirements

  • Laptop (Mac or PC) and a Computer Mouse
  • Adobe InDesign CS6 or CC
  • Acrobat Professional Version DC or 11

Technical Notes

  • We suggest you do any program installations a day or two before the workshop to ensure it is working properly.
  • A USB key will be used to transfer class files to laptops – ensure this can be done on your laptop.
  • A computer mouse is recommended since it will assist in the use of keyboard shortcuts