PDF Accessibility: Master page items artifact by default-how to change?

[SUNNIBEEMT]

Hi,  I'm working in CC 2018, InDesign 13.0.1 on a Mac running OS Sierra. The recent updates have played havoc with the accessibility of master pages in my templates for technical documents and newsletters. We keep disclaimers (including links to URLs and email addresses), mastheads, banners, etc on the master pages so we can better control design and reading order by using a combination of articles and layers. The new CC InDesign versions automatically artifact all items on master pages and I can't figure out a way to make them active again. Also, the URLs on the master pages are now dead, even though they work if I move them off the master pages onto a "live" page. Does anyone know a way to make the master page items active again? We must make the changes in InDesign, not wait and do it in the exported PDF because we are frequently making changes to these documents and don't have the time to constantly remediate newly exported PDFs. This impacts many, many of our documents and publications, which all have to be accessible.

Thank you!

sunnibeemt

[Jaz Harlow]

Thanks for your reply. The clients want the website in the footer, repeated every page. To override it on every page rather than controlled on a parent page is concerning to me - sometimes the documents are hundreds of pages. Sometimes I want to be able to control the position from one area. I'm just now thinking that using object styles should be able to achieve this.

The point about redundancy is clarifying. Having poor accessiblity when I know better isn't an option. Thanks again.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Here's an updated page on overriding parent page items from Adobe:

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/how-to/override-master-pages.html

[Jaz Harlow]

Setting accessible headers and footers

I commented a year ago and now I better understand the problem regarding accessibility and have a potential solution that might help some people. I now understand that content information should NOT be contained in the Parent pages, which for me, presented a problem with footer text that I want to be the same on each page.

Note: I will address hyperlinks at the end.

To overcome the problem, I created a new layer on top of all others that the header and/or footer would sit on. I created the footer in a text box on one page, applied the appropriate paragraph style, and created an object style for it. In the object style, I controlled the positioning, so it would default to the correct position on the page whenever that object style was applied. I made four versions of this object style for when the text was to be on the right hand side or left hand side or if I wanted the text light or dark. (There might be a more efficient way to do this, feel free to suggest).

As an example, here are the settings of one of my object styles, which I named "Footer LHS dark". I unchecked all of the Basic Attributes, except for:

• 'Size and Position Options' - no need to set the Size, it can be left on 'Adjust: None'. As this is a footer for the left hand side, my Position options are:
• 'Adjust: X & Y';
• 'Reference Point:' set to the lower left square - this is the reference point of the object, not the page;
• 'X Offset: 9mm';
• 'From: Page Edge' – it uses the left side of the page as its 0 reference;
• 'y Offset: 291mm' – it uses the top of the page as its 0 reference;
• 'From: Page Edge';
• 'Paragraph Styles' – set it to use the appropriate paragraph style, the one I used sets the text styles and sets: Align 'Away from Spine'. I have another paragraph style for light text:
• In the 'Export Options' make sure "Tagged PDF" is selected;
• In Tagged PDF set:
• 'Apply Tag: Artifact';
• NOTE: I am not an accessibility expert, I would love to know if there are any other settings I should be building in to this process for accessibility best practice. Please let me know!
• Press 'OK'

If necessarly, you can make other versions for the right hand side of the page and to apply light or dark schemes as I have. I found it helpful to set them in "General" to be "Based on…" the first/main object style.

The header and footer can be placed on the top layer each page, and the object style will ensure the positioning is correct. If you are retrofitting this solution, you could:

1. Make a new Parent page;
2. Put the header and footer details on it in the correct position;
3. Apply it to all pages and then right click the Pages menu and select Override All Parent Page Options;
4. Return each page to whatever the original Parent Page(s) were.

Or, copy > paste in place is your friend. 

On hyperlinks

It is my understanding that hyperlinks can not be set to Artifact, nor should they be able to be, as this would provide information to some people but not others.

If hyperlinks are repeated on every page, the document would not be accessible due to redundancy. More info on reduntant links is here https://app.pope.tech/result-documentation/articles/redundant-link

I have begun to discourage clients from adding hyperlinks that do not add value, but this might not always be an option. It might be up to the client to choose to have redundant links and forfeit the accessibility of the document, or give up the repetitive hyperlinks for the greater good.

Feel free to correct me on anything or offer alternative solutions! Hope this helps someone. Much thanks to @Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com and @Willi Adelberger for helping me understand the issues at play.

[Jaz Harlow]

I also meant to add that if the header/footer needs a content change, it would be easiest to do this in the Find/Change window. You can specify that it Finds whatever text with the paragraph style applied to it and change it throughout the document.

My main reason for wanting the repeating content in a Parent page was to enable me to make changes throughout the document from one place, but this can be achieved using Find/Change for content changes, and adjusting the object style for position changes.