What is the best practice for .pdf files?
The University of Minnesota has an accessibility standard for PDFs that I try to follow.
For PDF documents that cannot be converted to speech output that is readable by assistive technologies, and other PDF documents that cannot be converted to speech output accurately I convert them to alternate formats and provide other info. In order to do this for each PDF document I provide:
1. The information in an alternative accessible format: RTF, HTML, or text format.
2. A link to the appropriate plug-in.
3. A link to an accessibility plug-in or conversion site.
4. An alternative means of obtaining the information.
5. When feasible, information to be down-loaded shall be made available in a variety of file types.
For number 1 above if the PDF content is also in a Word file someplace convert it to an RTF. If it isn't convert it to HTML at the Acrobat accessibility site:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_simple_form.html
For number 2 and 3 above use something like the following bit of HTML for the PDF warning:
<p>Please note this is a Portable Document Format (PDF) acrobat file. If you do not have Acrobat you can <a href="http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html";>download the Arroba viewer</a>from Adobe. This download is for people who do not have Acrobat installed on their computers. It allows you to open and view a <abbr title="portable document format">PDF</abbr> file. Additional Adobe free tools are available to assist visually impaired users at <a href="http://access.adobe.com/";>access.adobe.com</a>. If you need further assistance obtaining the information contained in these <abbr title="portable document format">PDF</abbr> files please <a href="contact.html">contact us</a></p>
For number 4 post contact info (phone number/email).
For number 5 above *if* a Word document is available post it also.
One of the major problems with PDF concerns accessibility issues associated with the document format, but this is only part of the problem. Even when users have the technology required to access information presented in this format, there can be content elements which have not received appropriate treatment to support accessibility (like using structural formatting for headings, etc. or text equivalents for images).
For more information see the PDF Articles, in the Accessibility Section of the Web Design Reference Site:
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility#plugins
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