Null Alt Text in PDF

[raeben1]

Has anyone else noticed the appearance of null alt text on LINK tags in PDFs exported from Indesign since the upgrade?  If so, do you know how to prevent it?  This is an accessibility issue.   The question is, is it a BUG or something designers are doing that causes this?

Null alt text is not the same thing as "no alt text."  Null alt text in a PDF prevents the contents of a tag from being read by the screen reader.  Here is what it looks like in the Tags Properties under Tag Element.  The contents of this tag, whatever they are, will not be read by the screen reader.  In this case it's a Link tag.

Here is what no alt or actual text would look like on an empty <P> tag.

[Laubender]

Hi raeben1,

maybe another issue with Alternate Text for hyperlinks, that new feature with InDesign 2020?

Read into this and add your voice or do a new bug report:

CC2020: Alternate text for hyperlinks
Klaas, November 06, 2019

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/38972206-cc2020-alterna...

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Laubender]

I spoke too soon. Just discovered your bug report on your issue:

Links export to PDF creates "Null Alt Text" attribute in tagged PDF
Rae Benedetto, December 11, 2019

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/39228943-links-export-t...

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Confirming that this horrific bug is still there in the 15.0.1 update. Makes all Alt-text inaccessible to screen readers.

If you must produce accessible PDFs from InDesign, DO NOT UPGRADE to 2020.

Many of the core accessibility features became dysfunctional in 2020, no new accessibility features were added in 2020, and now this Alt-text bug. 

Adobe seems to only respond to votes on User Voice, so all those who use InDesign for accessible tagged PDFs should vote at https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/38972206-cc2020-alterna 

Vote often and early <grin>.

[LBened]

Yes and not to down play the bug linked above this bug also makes all Links created in Indesign inaccessible with or without alt text added --- could use some votes here also. Acrobat itself has had a null text bug for several years, now this!  Whether it's alt text or actual text is important but it would be nice if this new ID feature didn't make all links inaccessible out of the box --

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/39228943-links-export-t... 

[LOS stadomland 1]

Bug is still there in 16.2.1 !!!

Come on adobe!!