Hi
Screen readers can sometimes struggle with PDFs.
The new version of textGold which is due to be on-line shortly has provision for reading PDFs.
So format wise, Word or PDF is fine.
Webpage/E-learning platform wise – no text overlaying images (difficult for screen readers to make out).
Txt clearly formatted, try to avoid using columns, left aligned text.
Hope that’s useful!
Many Thanks
Alex
AT Specialist
Manchester Metropolitan University
From: Assistive Technology interest group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Hodgson
Sent: 12 September 2016 11:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Word or PDF
Hi Everyone,
I’ve been asked if there’s a preferred format for documentation on our webpages/eLearn platform. More to the point, I’ve been asked if we should stick to Word or PDF.
Or carry on as we have been, and release which ever suits the situation. For example: A PDF of a journal, should stay as a PDF and a learning outcomes document produced in Word, should just stay, as a word document.
So, my question is, does anyone have any preference? PDF or Word?
As a rule we usually say that documentation which is available as PDF should be provided as Word format also. But we’ve found that this is rarely adhered to and often when it is, it runs the risk of there being two different versions of the same text when one is updated.
With regards to important forms. …these are provided as Word and PDF.
Initially my thoughts are to say that we should stick to Word documents, as navigating through them is often a little less clunky than with PDFs. But, as far as I can tell, whilst some blind users have difficulty with PDFs, I know that well formatted PDFs are often fine with most screen readers.
All comments welcome! ☺
Best wishes
John
John Hodgson
Technical Disability Adviser
Disability Services
University of Central Lancashire
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