Course Overview
TOPThis InDesign accessibility course provides comprehensive training on creating and remediating accessible documents, focusing on WCAG Level AA success criteria. The first part of the course covers designing accessible documents with Adobe InDesign from start to finish, ensuring proper metadata, styles, reading order, alt text, tables, and forms are correctly formatted. The second part of the course focuses on remediating non-compliant documents, including fixing common accessibility issues, applying proper tag structures, and confirming compliance with WCAG and Section 508 standards. This course ensures participants gain the skills needed to produce fully accessible digital documents, meeting legal and usability standards for all.
Scheduled Classes
TOPWhat You'll Learn
TOP- Understanding WCAG 2.x Level AA and Section 508 accessibility requirements
- Setting up accessible documents in Adobe InDesign from start to finish
- Structuring text for accessibility using styles and reading order
- Adding and managing alternative text for images and artifacts
- Creating properly structured tables for accessibility
- Designing interactive, accessible forms with correct labeling and tab order
- Enhancing InDesign document navigation with bookmarks, hyperlinks, and TOC
- Exporting PDFs from InDesign with accessibility best practices
- Remediating existing documents to correct common accessibility issues
- Applying and modifying tag structures to match logical reading order
- Ensuring color contrast and avoiding color-only distinctions
- Testing and validating InDesign document accessibility
Outline
TOP
Viewing outline for:
Part 1: Creating Accessible Documents in Adobe InDesign
Lesson 1: Introduction to Document Accessibility
- Overview of WCAG 2.x and Level AA success criteria
- Understanding accessibility laws, guidelines and compliance requirements (Section 508, ADA, WCAG)
- WCAG 2.x Level A & AA compliance
- Section 508 requirements for digital documents
- Benefits of accessible documents
Lesson 2: Setting Up InDesign Files for Accessibility
- Defining document metadata (title, author, language, subject)
- Using paragraph and character styles for tag structure
- Establishing correct reading order, text flow, and tag order
- Specifying artifacts vs. meaningful images
- Adding alt text
- Creating captions, lists, and hyperlinks
- Working with table of contents, index, cross-references, footnotes and end-notes
- Establishing PDF bookmarks with InDesign
Lesson 3: Creating Accessible Tables in InDesign
- Creating properly structured tables
- Setting header rows and column associations
- Avoiding merged cells for better screen reader compatibility
Lesson 4: Creating Accessible Forms
- Designing forms with fillable fields
- Adding labels and tooltips for clarity
- Setting the correct tab order for navigation
Lesson 5: Enhancing Navigation & Structure
- Adding bookmarks for longer documents
- Creating a logical reading order with structure tagging
Lesson 6: Exporting for Accessibility
- Best practices for exporting to PDF
- Using the correct PDF settings for accessibility
- Testing and verifying accessibility in Adobe Acrobat
Part 2: Remediating InDesign Documents for Accessibility
Lesson 7: Fixing Common PDF Accessibility Issues
- Identifying and resolving accessibility errors using Adobe Acrobat
- Reviewing and modifying document properties and metadata
- Ensuring primary language settings are correct
Lesson 8: Working with Tags and Reading Order
- Creating and modifying tags for images, backgrounds, and text
- Fixing reading order for logical content flow
- Addressing incorrect or missing tags in complex documents
Lesson 9: Addressing Color and Contrast Issues
- Ensuring sufficient color contrast for readability
- Avoiding color-only distinctions in visual content
- Adding text labels or patterns to color-coded information
Lesson 10: Enhancing Navigation and Interaction
- Confirming hyperlinks and footnotes are correctly tagged
- Setting correct tab order for forms and interactive elements
- Organizing bookmarks for accessibility
Lesson 11: Advanced Table Remediation
- Ensuring table structure follows accessibility best practices
- Handling special table issues: data splits, headers, merged cells
- Applying correct reading order to tables
Lesson 12: Forms and Interactive Elements in PDFs
- Validating form fields and required inputs
- Adding accessible labels, descriptions, and tooltips
- Ensuring compatibility with screen readers
Lesson 13: Removing Non-Accessible Content & Final Testing
- Identifying and removing invalid or hidden content
- Confirming correct heading structure and document organization
- Running accessibility checks and manual testing procedures
- Ensuring compliance with WCAG and Section 508 requirements
The course topics serve as an outline for the course. Instructors may adjust content based on the specific needs of each class, such as to answer your InDesign accessibility questions.
Prerequisites
TOPYou must have the Adobe InDesign software to attend this class. Virtual labs are not provided. You can purchase the software or obtain a trial version from the Adobe website.
Who Should Attend
TOPAn understanding of basic InDesign is necessary before starting this InDesign accessibility course.
