Adobe Systems has announced a new Auto-Tag feature that automates the process of tagging PDF files and makes them easier to understand for people with disabilities. The innovation will be available as an API for developers and Acrobat Pro/Reader.
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PDF files have embedded metadata that provides structural information—headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables—in documents to assistive software such as screen readers. However, marking digital documents for compatibility can take a long time, especially for documents with complex layouts. For organizations with a backlog of old files that lack the correct metadata, this is also a time-consuming process. Adobe Systems estimates that more than 90% of PDFs are not accessible to people with disabilities.
The Adobe PDF Accessibility Auto-Tag API automates the process of adding tags. The company states that its Sensei AI platform-based software displays the correct reading order for assistive technologies, saving companies time and, more importantly, making PDFs easier to read for people with disabilities. Adobe assures that the AI will be able to quickly display old documents that don’t have the right structure.
Auto-Tag will be available in Acrobat Pro in June, offering all subscribers automatic in-app metadata structuring at no additional cost. This function will also be available in Acrobat Reader in the fall.
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