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Inspiring
August 11, 2020
Answered

Alt-text converting wrong from Word to PDF

  • August 11, 2020
  • 5 replies
  • 22276 views

We have a very long, very complex budget document we need to make 508 compliant. We are testing parts of the document to make sure we are doing things right in Word, so that we can limit accessibility issues when we convert it to a PDF. Currently I have a 12 page document with 21 charts in it. We labled each chart using the Edit Alt Text feature in word. They are labled like this: Line graph showing percentage change in Hillsborough County Taxable Property Values

When I use the Acrobat PDF maker to convert the document, then run the accessibility checker in Adobe, it has changed all of the alt text to somehting like this: Figure - P57#yIS1.

When I test the screen reader, and highlight the charts, it simply says "Blank".

So, even though we have entered descriptive alt text in Word, and even though some kind of alt text is showing on the charts (where it came from is a mystery), the screen reader still sees the chart as blank.

I tried saving as a PDF, instead of using the Adobe PDF maker, and when I do that, then it wants to see individual elements inside the chart as figures, and still does not convert the alt text we entered into the Word document.

I viewed the article for Alt-text not showing, and it was of no use. We have been told we should be able to add the alt-text in Word, it's even recommended to do it, but if it is not converting correctly or reading it correctly, what is the use?

I also noticed that even if I change the Alt Text Adobe, the screenreader doesn't read it and the tooltip (actual alt text) doesn't show up when you mouse over the chart.

 

I am including a link to Dropbox that contains both the Word Document and the converted PDF.

Alt Text Issues - dropbox with word and pdf 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Tanvi Rastogi

Hi All,

With the September 2021 release, PDFs with missing/incorrect table headers are flagged in the Accessibility Checker and show as failed in the accessibility check result. We have made some changes for reverting the behaviour of Accessibility Checker to pre-September Release.
The fix is available with the latest update of Acrobat & Reader DC Continuous track: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/adobe-acrobat-and-reader-21-007-2009x-optional-update-is-live/td-p/12412471. Apply the fix and then follow the steps mentioned here: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/table-header-fails-in-accessibility-checker.html.
As part of this update, we have also fixed the alt-text of images getting missed and issue in dragging and dropping elements in both the Tag and Order panels.
We have taken a note of remaining PDFMaker tagging issues to assess for overall impact and address them in upcoming releases accordingly.
Thanks for your patience.

-Tanvi

5 replies

Adobe Employee
January 18, 2023

Hi all

 

This is regarding your following feedback for Adobe Acrobat: 

Alt-Text of Charts, Images, Shapes is not passed from MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint files to PDFMaker generated PDF docs

With our latest Acrobat DC January'23 release, the issue reported by you has been addressed.

If your product has not already been updated, to get the latest product update, click on the menu Help --> Check for updates in the product.

For more information about the release, please refer to the Release Notes and the New Feature Summary web links.

Hope this helps in addressing the reported issue. We look forward to the continued feedback.

Thanks

Tanvi

Participant
January 18, 2023

@Tanvi Rastogi I have installed the latest release for Adobe Acrobat Pro and am experiencing now my workflows of converting MS Word files to pdfs exclude alt text in the resulting pdf. The workflow has not changed, only the version of Adobe and MS Word have changed per Adobe and Microsoft automatically applied updates.

AnandSri
Community Manager
Community Manager
September 29, 2021

Hi All!


Thanks for your time and patience.


The fix is available with the latest update of Acrobat & Reader DC Continuous track: Adobe Acrobat and Reader - 21.007.2009x Optional update.

 

Please install the latest patch, and let us know if you experience any issues.

See this article for detailed information about this release, bug fixes and how to update the app: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/adobe-acrobat-and-reader-21-007-2009x-optional-up...


Regards,
Anand Sri.

Tanvi RastogiCorrect answer
Adobe Employee
September 30, 2021

Hi All,

With the September 2021 release, PDFs with missing/incorrect table headers are flagged in the Accessibility Checker and show as failed in the accessibility check result. We have made some changes for reverting the behaviour of Accessibility Checker to pre-September Release.
The fix is available with the latest update of Acrobat & Reader DC Continuous track: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/adobe-acrobat-and-reader-21-007-2009x-optional-update-is-live/td-p/12412471. Apply the fix and then follow the steps mentioned here: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/table-header-fails-in-accessibility-checker.html.
As part of this update, we have also fixed the alt-text of images getting missed and issue in dragging and dropping elements in both the Tag and Order panels.
We have taken a note of remaining PDFMaker tagging issues to assess for overall impact and address them in upcoming releases accordingly.
Thanks for your patience.

-Tanvi

Participant
September 23, 2021

I would like to know when updates are sent out as well, I tested 508 during the summer on a huge 270+ page document and everything everyone noted was fine then and is not fine now. I have to push my document out early October so I had to manually fix everything this week and it took me a really long time to reapply all my alt text, fix the tables, etc. but Adobe actually doesn't even acknolwedge I fixed my issue and still flags it. Hoping the update helps so I just wanted to tag in to get the update. I will have to republish my doc once the adobe update comes out. 

Participant
September 23, 2021

Looks like it's at least made it to the devs through Acrobat UserVoice, so hopefully that means....something? Soon?

 

https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/44183082-accessibility-errors-with-pdf-maker-update-sept-20

Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
Legend
September 23, 2021

Word from inside Adobe is that they have escalated the Alt-Text problem and we should see a "hot fix" soon.

 

Let's hope that's not a Carribbean type of "soon come."

 

|    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
Legend
September 21, 2021

@showalters@Michele_Christian 

 

Please VOTE and comment about this problem at UserVoice https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/44183082-accessibility-errors-with-pdf-maker-update-sept-20

 

Adobe works on the voting system: the more votes a bug or feature gets, the faster it moves up in the food chain. Posting in this forum doesn't give it much traction, but UserVoice does.

 

And please inform your colleagues and encourage them to vote as well.

 

|    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
Adobe Employee
August 20, 2020

Hi

 

Can you share which OS, Acrobat and Office version are you using?

 

Thanks

Tanvi

Inspiring
August 20, 2020

I have two different computers that this is happening on:

 

PC is Windows 7

Laptop Windows 10

 

Both use Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Version 2020.012.20043

 

Both use Office 365, Word Version 1808, but I didn't create the word document, although I would assume the person who did would probably have the same version of Office/Word since we both work for the County.

Bevi Chagnon @ PubCom
Participating Frequently
September 20, 2021

thank you for letting me know! I am going to try to file a ticket - this is happening to a few folks on my team as well. It seems to have started out of nowhere. I tried reinstalling both programs and nothing seems to help. I am not sure if the problem is with Word or Acrobat.

 

if it helps you, if you do a File>Save As, then choose PDF from the drop-down, it will convert with the alt text. However, you end up having to deal with some other tag issues with that algorithm, so, it is not a long term solution.


It might be the newest PDF Maker installed with the latest release in September. It has other issues as well.