PDF Accessibility in Panorama

Environment

Canvas

Issue

Users need to make decisions about how to remediate PDFs for accessibility using Panorama in Canvas.

Resolution

PDFs are challenging to make fully accessible, especially more complex documents with graphics, tables, and other graphic design elements. If you have access to the source document that the PDF was created from, we recommend providing the information in another format, such as a Google doc, a Word doc, or an HTML page in Canvas. Instructors can view this PDF decision tree to help choose the best format for a document that they are creating.

If a document is only available as a PDF, we recommend the following steps to remediate the document using Panorama. (Read on for detailed, step-by-step guides to each of these PDF types.)

• Primarily Text PDF: should be able to remediate in Panorama, using the OCR Reconstructed Tagged tool to auto-tag the document if needed.
• Multimodal PDF: may be able to remediate in Panorama with the OCR Reconstructed Tagged tool to auto-tag the document and careful review of images, graphics, tables, and other design elements.
• Professionally Published PDF: may be able to remediate in Panorama with the OCR Reconstructed Tagged tool to auto-tag the document and careful review of images, graphics, tables, and other design elements. Additional support from original provider may be required.

Please note that as a document becomes more complex, it becomes more likely that automated remediation will not correctly address all errors. Human review and remediation may be necessary. Please contact your unit’s instructional support staff or review the linked PDF accessibility resources if additional assistance is needed after using Panorama’s PDF remediation tools.

Primarily Text PDF

For a PDF that is primarily text with no to few images, use the Panorama PDF remediation process.

1. Upload the PDF to Canvas and allow Panorama to scan the file.
2. Click on the Panorama Accessibility Icon beside the file name, then click Accessibility Report at the top of the menu that appears.
3. If the PDF is untagged:
   1. Select “Fix Issue,” then select OCR Reconstructed Tagged unless the file contains mathematical equations or chemical formulas. If the file contains equations, select OCR Overlaid Tagged.
   2. Select Add Change, then Apply Changes.
4. Once the PDF is tagged, either in the original document or by Panorama, you can proceed with fixing any remaining errors identified by Panorama. Apply all changes before moving on to the next step.
5. Verify the read order of the tagged document through the Structural Remediation tool. Click Launch, then use the arrow toggles to expand the document outline; these will need to be fully expanded in order to view the read order. By hovering over and clicking on different elements, you can see what order they will appear to assistive technology such as screen readers. Verify that the information is appearing in the expected order, then click the toggle beside “I have manually verified the reading order of this PDF.” You will need to apply changes again to clear this error. 
6. The remediated PDF will be available to students. If you need to access the original version, open the Accessibility Report, scroll down to Update Document, and click the three dots “More Actions” menu. Select Version History in order to see all previous versions of the document. You can revert to an older version here.

Multimodal PDF

For PDFs that contain a mix of text, images, graphics, and tables, use the Panorama PDF Remediation process, with awareness that all non-text elements will need to be carefully reviewed. Additional work to remediate the document may be required.

1. Upload the PDF to Canvas and allow Panorama to scan the file.
2. Click on the Panorama Accessibility Icon beside the file name, then click Accessibility Report at the top of the menu that appears.
3. If the PDF is untagged:
   1. Select “Fix Issue,” then select OCR Reconstructed Tagged unless the file contains mathematical equations or chemical formulas. If the file contains equations, select OCR Overlaid Tagged. (Note that OCR Overlaid Tagged may not correctly tag other elements in this type of document, such as table headings.)
   2. Select Add Change, then Apply Changes.
4. Verify the read order of the tagged document through the Structural Remediation tool. Click Launch, then use the arrow toggles to expand the document outline; these will need to be fully expanded in order to view the read order. By hovering over and clicking on different elements, you can see what order they will appear to assistive technology such as screen readers. Verify that the information is appearing in the expected order, then click the toggle beside “I have manually verified the reading order of this PDF.”
5. Carefully review and correct all remaining issues identified by Panorama, as well as visually reviewing the document to ensure that all text, graphics, etc. are still legible to users.
   1. There is a known issue when using the OCR Reconstructed Tagged tool on documents that contain images with text. The auto-tagging tool will attempt to extract the text from the image, often resulting in the image itself becoming visually unreadable.
6. The remediated PDF will be available to students. If you need to access the original version, open the Accessibility Report, scroll down to Update Document, and click the three dots “More Actions” menu. Select Version History in order to see all previous versions of the document. You can revert to an older version here.
7. If the Panorama PDF Remediation process did not allow you to correct all major or severe issues, or if it introduced new issues, please contact your unit’s instructional support staff, review the linked PDF accessibility resources, or contact the original provider/publisher for accessible or alternate formats.

Professionally Published PDF

These PDFs are typically professionally designed and published, resembling brochures or books. They will include numerous images and graphic elements, sidebars, insets, multiple columns of text, extensive use of color, and more. They are often created by an external organization or institution.

If time allows, contacting the original publisher to see if they can create an accessible PDF or provide an alternate format, such as an ebook, is recommended. However, there may not be time for this request, or the publisher may not respond to it. In that case, proceed with the PDF remediation process.

For users who are familiar with PDF remediation in Adobe Acrobat Pro, it may be advisable to start there to review and adjust a professionally published PDF, especially if it is already tagged. This is only recommended for users who have experience with PDF remediation.

To remediate a professionally published PDF in Panorama, follow these steps.

1. Upload the PDF to Canvas and allow Panorama to scan the file.
2. Click on the Panorama Accessibility Icon beside the file name, then click Accessibility Report at the top of the menu that appears.
3. If the PDF is untagged:
   1. Select “Fix Issue,” then select OCR Reconstructed Tagged unless the file contains mathematical equations or chemical formulas. If the file contains equations, select OCR Overlaid Tagged. (Note that OCR Overlaid Tagged may not correctly tag other elements in this type of document, such as table headings.)
   2. Select Add Change, then Apply Changes.
4. Verify the read order of the tagged document through the Structural Remediation tool. Click Launch, then use the arrow toggles to expand the document outline; these will need to be fully expanded in order to view the read order. By hovering over and clicking on different elements, you can see what order they will appear to assistive technology such as screen readers. Verify that the information is appearing in the expected order, then click the toggle beside “I have manually verified the reading order of this PDF.”
5. Carefully review and correct all remaining major and severe issues identified by Panorama, as well as visually reviewing the document to ensure that all text, graphics, etc. are still legible to users.
   1. For longer PDFs, the number of errors (especially minor errors) may be quite high. This is because Panorama reports the same error each time it occurs. A thirty-page PDF with small font may have hundreds of minor errors reported as Panorama repeatedly flags the same issue across the document. This is not a sign that the document is unusable, especially if the errors are all minor. Focus on major and severe errors to improve accessibility.
6. The remediated PDF will be available to students. If you need to access the original version, open the Accessibility Report, scroll down to Update Document, and click the three dots “More Actions” menu. Select Version History in order to see all previous versions of the document. You can revert to an older version here.

If the Panorama PDF Remediation process did not allow you to correct all major or severe issues, or if it introduced new issues, please contact your unit’s instructional support staff, review the linked PDF accessibility resources, or contact the original provider/publisher for accessible or alternate formats.

Additional Information

• YuJa Panorama: Resolving PDF Issues
• ITS Digital Accessibility: How to Make PDFs Accessible
• PDF Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat Pro
• PDF decision tree

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.