Master the fundamentals of creating accessible documents in Adobe InDesign and Acrobat. Learn step-by-step how to apply accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2, PDF/UA) to make your designs inclusive and compliant with global accessibility laws.
Accessible design isn’t just about compliance — it’s about inclusion.
In this 7-week hands-on course, you’ll learn how to use Adobe InDesign to design, structure, and export accessible documents that meet international standards such as WCAG 2.2 and PDF/UA.
You’ll understand how to make documents readable for everyone — including users who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, and assistive technologies.
By the end, you’ll be able to produce fully tagged PDFs that pass accessibility checks and deliver a professional, inclusive experience to all users.
Assignments
Mid-Course Assignment: Repair a provided InDesign document with everything learned so far
Final Assignment: Export a complete accessible PDF that meets PDF/UA standards.
Who Should Enroll
This course is ideal for:
- Graphic Designers & Publishers
- Marketing and Communications Teams
- Content Creators & Editors
- Accessibility Consultants
- Anyone creating PDFs or digital documents for public use
Curriculum
- 7 Sections
- 50 Lessons
- Lifetime
- 1.1Objectives
- 1.2Why Accessibility Matters
- 1.3How Assistive Technologies Access Documents
- 1.4Accessibility Regulations and Standards
- 1.5Accessibility at the Source vs. Remediation
- 1.6Common Accessibility Anti-Patterns
- 1.7Summary: Introduction to Accessible InDesign
- 1.8Quiz: Introduction to Accessible InDesign5 Questions
- 3.1Objectives
- 3.2Decorative Images
- 3.3Alternative Text for Informational Images and Graphics
- 3.4Alt Text Decision-Making
- 3.5Image Placement and Reading Order Considerations
- 3.6Avoiding Comon Image Accessibility Issues
- 3.7Summary: Making Images and Graphics Accessible
- 3.8Quiz: Making Images and Graphics Accessible5 Questions
- 3.9Mid-Course Assignment: Accessible Text Formatting in InDesign
- 4.1Objectives
- 4.2Structuring Tables with Proper Headers
- 4.3Header Rows and Tables That Span Multiple Pages
- 4.4Merged and Multi-Level Headers
- 4.5Understanding Header Relationships and Scope
- 4.6Reading Order and Table Flow
- 4.7Using Table Summaries for Complex Data
- 4.8Avoiding Table Accessibility Shortcuts
- 4.9Summary: Creating Accessible Tables
- 4.10Quiz: Creating Accessible Tables5 Questions
Requirements
- Basic familiarity with Adobe InDesign — You should know how to create and format simple layouts (e.g., text boxes, images, and basic page setup).
- Access to Adobe InDesign and Acrobat Pro DC — These tools are required to complete weekly exercises and assignments
- A working computer (Windows or macOS) capable of running Adobe Creative Cloud applications smoothly
- Basic understanding of digital documents — Prior experience creating reports, brochures, or PDFs is helpful but not mandatory.
- Interest in accessibility or inclusive design — No prior accessibility experience is required; the course starts from foundational principles.
Features
- Understand accessibility laws and standards (WCAG, PDF/UA, ADA, AODA)
- Use paragraph and character styles for accessible text structure
- Add and tag alt text for images and graphics
- Create accessible tables, lists, and hyperlinks
- Organize reading order and layers for assistive technologies
- Add accessible forms and buttons
- Export fully tagged, compliant PDFs
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