InDesign Cannot Set Actual Text (Accessibility)
InDesign Cannot Set Actual Text
InDesign has no way of setting actual text. This can only be done in PDF. Actual text is set when acronyms are used. Access technologies such as screen readers cannot properly read acronyms such as USA. They voice them as words, like "Youusah." Actual text has to be set for the document to be read correctly. This is a painstaking process that requires InDesign users to learn PDF Remediation, a highly specialized skillset that is typically outside the role of the average Graphic Designer. Currently, the process for setting actual text in Acrobat is as follows: Find the acronym in the Tags tree. Open the Accessibility tool and choose Reading Order. Drag a marquee over the acronym and tag it as what it is – paragraph/text or a heading level. The Tags tree will collapse. Open the Tags tree again to find the new acronym Tag. Right click on the new acronym Tag and choose “Properties”. Type the acronym with spaces between each letter in the Actual Text field, for example “U S A.” Spaces will cause the acronym to be read correctly. This issue affects EVERY SINGLE InDesign user who is required to make accessible content. Please make setting actual text an option within InDesign so painstaking remediation is not required.
Brenna
shared this idea
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Adrienne Grace
commented
This would be very helpful for Infographics where a large number is live text, but correlates to a legend.
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HART commented
Very important. I agree.
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Jeanne Wielgus commented
This is a major issue that if not fixed results in additional work outside of InDesign in order to create accessible documents.
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Denise Clark
commented
Please update accessibility to include setting actual text as an option within InDesign so remediation is not required to be 508 Compliant.
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Anonymous
commented
This is a major issue for anyone who creates accessible documents.
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Laura Hopkins commented
This is a major issue.