PDF Accessibility Applied
Learn how to evaluate PDFs that contain complex tables, tables of contents, charts, references, or footnotes. This advanced conceptual session helps you recognize difficult structures and decide whether to remediate, recreate, or refer the work to a vendor.
Location: Online via Zoom
Duration: 90 min
Your Instructor
Shawn Jordison – ‘The Accessibility Guy’
Shawn Jordison, known as The Accessibility Guy, has more than 17 years of experience helping organizations create accessible documents, training, and content that meet Section 508, WCAG, and PDF/UA standards.
About the session
Some PDFs require more than routine corrections. Complex tables, charts, graphs, tables of contents, references, and footnotes can introduce structural challenges that are difficult to resolve without careful planning.
This session examines complex PDF content through the requirements of PDF/UA and WCAG. Participants learn what makes these elements difficult to represent, how their structure should be interpreted, and which failure patterns commonly appear during document review.
The course emphasizes assessment and decision-making. Participants learn how to estimate complexity and choose among remediation, recreation, or vendor referral.
PDF Accessibility Level 1 Fundamentals—or equivalent familiarity with PDF tags and document structure—is recommended before attending. This is a conceptual session and does not include hands-on remediation.
Topics Covered
- Why complex PDF content frequently fails PDF/UA and WCAG
- How complex and multi-level tables create structural challenges
- What makes tables of contents difficult to structure
- How charts and graphs can create barriers
- Why references and footnotes require careful structure
- Common failure patterns in complex PDF documents
- Structure requirements for complex content
- Tagging expectations at a conceptual level
- How to assess the complexity of a PDF
- When remediation, recreation, or vendor referral may be appropriate
Key Takeaways
- Recognize PDF content that presents complex structural challenges
- Explain why complex tables, charts, references, and footnotes are difficult
- Identify common failure patterns in complex PDFs
- Assess the likely complexity of a file
- Compare remediation, recreation, and vendor-referral options
- Make more informed decisions about how complex documents should be handled
Who This Course Is For
This course is designed for:
- People who already understand basic PDF tags and structure
- Accessibility professionals who review or manage complex PDF documents
- Employees responsible for evaluating complex PDF work
- Anyone who must decide whether a complex file should be remediated, recreated, or sent to a vendor
Logistics
Location: Online via Zoom
Duration: 90 min
Start Time: 12:00 PM PT
Certification: Certificate of Completion issued to attendees who complete the full session
FAQs
Is there a prerequisite?
PDF Accessibility Fundamentals, or equivalent familiarity with PDF tags and document structure, is recommended.
Is this a hands-on session?
Yes. This is a hands-on session with built-in demo and practice time.
What types of content are covered?
The session covers complex tables, multi-level tables of contents, charts, graphs, references, and footnotes.
How is this different from Fundamentals?
PDF Fundamentals explains core PDF tags, structure, risk, and remediation feasibility. PDF Applied focuses on content that presents more complex structural and decision-making challenges.
Do I get any materials?
Attendees receive a topic-specific complex-PDF cheat sheet; a practice fill will also be provided.
Will a recording be available?
The recording isn’t included, but it can be purchased separately for a fee.
What do I need to attend?
Join from any computer with a reliable internet connection. We use Zoom to provide an engaging, interactive learning experience. A microphone is recommended for participating in discussions, and a webcam is optional but encouraged.
How accessible is the training?
As accessibility specialists, we design our training to be inclusive from the start. Sessions include live captions, and if you have accessibility requirements, we’ll work with you before the course to help ensure a successful learning experience. If you need additional support, contact us.
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