This chapter contains the following information:

• Overview
• Configuration Options

This chapter will give a brief overview on configuring Adobe Acrobat Reader 7 for maximum accessibility.

Overview

The latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader contains several new accessibility enhancements and options that increase the compatibility between it and assistive technology. Due to the fact that many PDF files are notoriously inaccessible, it is recommended that you set these options to improve the user experience of individuals with disabilities. While a document that is not designed to be fully accessible may not function perfectly, these options help the system work more fluidly.

Configuration Options

Make sure that you have the latest version of Acrobat Reader installed. When selecting the installation from Adobe’s website, ensure that you are downloading the “Full” version of the Reader, as this version contains more accessibility features (it is still free). After installation, follow these steps:

1. Start Acrobat Reader.
2. Select “Help”, and then “Accessibility Setup Assistant” in the help toolbar.
    
   
   
3. You will be presented with the choice to setup accessibility options for either screen-readers, screen-magnifiers, or both. As this guide is primarily designed for installations with multiple levels of AT on each computer, select the “Set all accessibility options” radio button and select Next.
    
4. The next screen will provide options primarily for screen magnification. The first option, relating to high contrast, can be left off so as not to degrade the use of documents for able-bodied individuals. Most screen magnifiers will be able to accomplish the same tasks without the use of the built-in contrast system, anyway. Ensure that “Disable text smoothing” and “Always use the keyboard selection cursor” are checked, and set “Default display zoom” to “Fit visible”. Select Next when complete.
   
   
5. The next window will have options primarily relating to screen-reader. Make sure that the the first radio-button, “Infer reading order from document (recommended) is selected”, as well as “Confirm before adding tags to documents.” Ensure that “Override the reading order in tagged documents” is unselected.
   
   
6. On the 4th screen, ensure that “Deliver all pages only for small documents is selected. The default number of pages listed in the text box should be “50”. You can leave this default and select “Next”
7.  Ensure that all three options are selected on the next window, and click “Done”. The program will install these new options and ask you to reboot. Reboot, and the software should be compatible with the Assistive Technology installed on the computer.