Accessibility of Revisions

So… now that PDF-UA has been updated what are the current available functionalities for PDFs with tracked changes? A Google search and now with AI uses this post for its primary information, six years since the last reply. We finally got MathML so have tracking and communicating revisions also changed? I don’t see a tag that captures the visual cue of strike-through, redlined, or otherwise actively in-progress drafts

Has there been any new solutions on how to tag strike through text in the year since the last reply?

Here's how we handle it, hope it helps (sorry for the long reply but wanted to give you all the info as we share internally):

Copy Content to Alternate Text and Adding Formatting Meanings

Sometimes file are received that contain specific formatting that has meaning which must be conveyed to the end user.

Because screen readers are not able to read/translate the hightlights or strikethroughs, alternate text must be added to designate where the formatting begins and ends.

In the example shown, there are some highlighted areas which represent the following:

• Yellow-highlighted text = a proposed addition to the document; and
• Yellow-highlighted text with a strikethrough = a proposed deletion to the document.

As seen above in the Object Properties, each <Span> tag explains (1) when the formatting begins, (2) the content/text of the tag, and (3) when the formatting ends for that specific text run.

There is no easy way to apply the meanings for each of the text runs that need explanations. However, there is an easy way to copy all of the content to each individual <Span> tag which can speed up this process.

Text can be copied either individually or as a group to either the alternate or actual text area.

Individually:

• right click on the tag and select Copy contents…; and
• choose either alternate or actual text.

As a Group:

tag the formatted text with a unique tag type;

• search for that unique tag (see Section 3.7.3) and select them all;
• right click on them and select Copy contents…;
• choose To Alt text; and
• verify this action by going down the list in the search results window.
  • If there is a tag that shouldn’t have alternate text, uncheck the box that reads, Has alt text .

At this time, not really. That is in process of being developed, first with the PDF/UA standards and then trickling down to Microsoft and Adobe's software programs.

The <SPAN> tag is used to surround content that has been manually formatted. At this time, Assistive Technologies do not perceive or announce these changes, but that again might be developed down the road.

I'm checking with our accessibility testers to see what they recommend to improve your PDF. Will be back to you...