Introduction

SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader supports the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free app available from Adobe. It includes several useful accessibility settings for users of screen magnifiers and screen readers. It also includes its own reader.

Reading time: 6 minutes approx.

Download

You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader from https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/pdf-reader.html (opens in new tab). 

New and classic interface

Adobe Acrobat Reader offer a new and classic user interface. Currently, Dolphin recommends you use the classic interface for better magnification and screen reader accessibility.

You can switch to the classic interface by opening the "File" menu (ALT + F) and selecting "Disable new Acrobat Reader". You will be asked to restart Adobe Acrobat Reader, and, on restart, you will be using the recommended interface.

Tip: Dolphin is working towards improving accessibility to the new Acrobat Reader user interface. Once available, and if  you wish to, you can switch back to the new interface by opening the "View" menu and selecting "Enable new Acrobat Reader".

Accessibility Setup Assistant

The Adobe Accessibility Setup Assistant appears the first time you run Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can also run the Setup Assistant at any time by selecting it from the "Edit" menu (ALT + E, Y, S).

If you are a screen reader user, Dolphin recommends you infer reading order from document and that you choose to load the complete document. This should provide good accessibility to most accessible PDFs.

Other settings you may want to consider include defining colours, document scrolling, and zoom factor. As only SuperNova Standard Image Smoothing is supported in Adobe due to document restrictions, increasing the zoom factor can produce improved clarity when using magnification.

Remember, you can re-run the Setup Assistant at any time if you find you need to change the default settings. 

Tip: If you encounter a document that requires different accessibility settings to those defined in the Setup Assistant, then choosing "Change reading options" from the "Edit" menu (ALT + E, Y, R or CONTROL + SHIFT + 5) enables you to apply changes to only the current document.

Reading PDF documents

By default, SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader will automatically turn on the Dolphin Cursor when you open a PDF document. The Dolphin Cursor enables you to read the contents line by line, or word by word, or letter by letter using familiar keyboard commands.

You can also use the Dolphin Cursor to click links, and interact with form elements, which you may encounter when working with PDF forms.

Automatic document reading

You can use SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader Read from here to automatically read your document. Press NUMPAD PLUS or, if you are using the Laptop Universal Hotkey Set, press CAPS LOCK + DOWN ARROW to start Read from here. When done, press ESCAPE to exit Read from here.

Adobe Acrobat Reader also includes a basic document reader called Read Out Loud. This document reader will speak using either the computer's default voice or a computer voice you have selected in the Adobe Acrobat Reader "Preferences" dialog box. You may find this helpful if you use magnification without speech support and want to listen to your document being read aloud to you.

You will find options to activate, read, pause, and stop Read Out Loud in the Adobe Acrobat Reader "View" menu.

You can also control Read Out Loud with keyboard commands.

To activate Read Out Loud, press CONTROL +SHIFT + Y.

After activation:

• Press CONTROL + SHIFT + V to read only the current page.
• Press CONTROL + SHIFT + B to read to end of document.
• Press CONTROL + SHIFT + C to pause reading.
• Press CONTROL + SHIFT + E to stop reading.
• Press CONTROL + SHIFT + Y to deactivate reading.

Reading will read the amount of the document that has been loaded into the Adobe Acrobat Reader buffer. If you have chosen to load a single page, then only the single page will be read.

Dolphin recommends, where possible, you choose to load the complete document. You can find this setting in the Adobe Acrobat Reader Accessibility Setup Assistant (ALT + E, Y, S).

Basic page navigation

You can navigate a document with Adobe keyboard commands and with Dolphin Cursor commands. You should only require the Adobe basic page navigation keyboard commands if you are not using the Dolphin cursor.

If you are using the Adobe basic page navigation keyboard commands whilst using the Dolphin Cursor, then you may encounter hotkey conflicts. You can resolve these conflicts by using the Adobe menu items (ALT + V, N) or by using the SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader 'pass next' key to application command.

Basic Adobe page navigation keyboard commands:

• Press HOME or CONTROL + SHIFT + PAGE UP to navigate to first page.
• Press LEFT ARROW or CONTROL + PAGE UP to navigate to the previous page.
• Press RIGHT ARROW or CONTROL + PAGE DOWN to navigate to next page.
• Press END or CONTROL + SHIFT + PAGE DOWN to navigate to last page.

When using the Dolphin Cursor, you can perform the following navigation commands:

• Press LEFT ARROW to read previous character.
• Press RIGHT ARROW to read next character.
• Press UP ARROW to read previous line.
• Press DOWN ARROW to read next line.
• Press LEFT CONTROL + LEFT ARROW to read previous word on the line.
• Press LEFT CONTROL + RIGHT ARROW to read next word on the line.
• Press HOME to move to the start of the line.
• Press END to move to the end of the line.
• Press LEFT CONTROL + HOME to move to the start of the document.
• Press LEFT CONTROL + END to move to the end of the document.

Dolphin Cursor table navigation

When you move the Dolphin Cursor onto a table in a PDF document, SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader will announce that you are in a table and describe its dimensions (as defined by your Verbosity Scheme).

As you navigate the table, the Dolphin Cursor will move through the text in the cell before moving onto the next cell in the row. When the Dolphin Cursor reaches the last cell in the row, it automatically moves to the next row in the table.

You can quickly speak and navigate the rows and columns in a table by using the following Dolphin Cursor hotkeys,

Go to a specific page

You can go to a specific page in the document by using the "Go To Page" dialog box. If you wish to use this function, you need to set Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the current page in your document and not the entire document. This is to ensure the Dolphin Cursor can track Adobe's page movement.

To switch to single page navigation, do the following:

1. Press CONTROL + SHIFT + 5 (or ALT + E, Y, R). The Reading Options dialog box opens.
2. Select "Read the currently visible pages only".
3. Select the "Confirm" button.

Once done, to use the Adobe go to page option, press CONTROL + SHIFT + N. The "Go To Page" dialog box opens. Type the page number and press ENTER. The "Go To Page" dialog box closes, and focus moves to the page.

Working with PDF forms

You can access PDF forms with Adobe Acrobat Reader. Ensuring you have good access to the form requires the form to be properly structured and tagged. Authors must ensure the fields have correct labels and the TAB sequence is logical.

Tip: There are lots of webpages  and videos providing instructions for authors on how to make their forms accessible including Creating accessible PDFs by Adobe (opens in new tab). 

If you are working with an unfamiliar form, we recommend you navigate the form line-by-line with the Dolphin Cursor to ensure you read all instructions associated with the form elements. When you encounter a button, checkbox, or radio button, you can activate these controls by pressing the SPACEBAR. 

When you encounter an edit area or list box, you can interact with these controls by switching into Forms Mode. You can switch into Forms Mode by pressing ENTER. While in Forms Mode, all navigation keys are disabled to enable you to enter text and navigate list items. Once done, pressing ESCAPE turns off Forms Mode and switches on the Dolphin Cursor again.

If you are filling in a familiar and properly tagged form, you can navigate through the form using the TAB key. SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader will automatically switch into Forms Mode when an edit box or list box has focus. This helps you more seamlessly complete those familiar forms.

Inaccessible PDFs

When you open an inaccessible PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader will state that the document contains no text. 

When this occurs, you can take advantage of the SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader's 'Scan and read' feature. To begin this process: Press CAPS LOCK + O.

You can choose to give the converted file a new name, select the format you wish to view the converted document in, and choose the range of pages to be scanned. Once completed, the converted document will open in your chosen program.