Spring 2026 Digital Accessibility Workshop: Reading Order and Structure – Why They Matter
The Learning Experience Design team invites faculty and staff to a series of hands-on sessions focused on creating accessible digital content to be shared across the UMA community.
From designing accessible syllabi and document templates to interpreting PDF accessibility reports, each session provides practical strategies you can apply immediately. These are learning and working sessions, so bring your own materials and leave with concrete improvements.
Discover Session descriptions, dates, and registration information here.
Email uma-lxd@maine.edu for more information.
April 21: Reading Order and Structure – Why They Matter
When someone opens a PDF, they may not experience it visually. Screen readers and other assistive technologies rely on document structure, including headings, tags, and reading order, to interpret content. If that structure is unclear, the document can become confusing or difficult to navigate.
In this session, participants will learn how screen readers interpret PDF structure, how to identify issues related to reading order and tagging, and how to evaluate whether a document’s structure supports clear navigation. After a brief demonstration, participants will review and analyze PDFs using built-in accessibility tools. Please bring one or two PDFs so you can apply what you learn to your own documents.
Facilitated by: Jessica Ludders
