If possible, it is always best to start with an accessible source document (e.g., in Microsoft Word) and export it to an accessible PDF. This way, if the document is edited later, the document’s accessibility features will still be intact. When the document is exported to PDF, the accessibility features will be passed to the PDF.
If the source document exists but has accessibility issues, fix those issues in the source file before exporting the PDF. Addressing accessibility at the source ensures those improvements carry over to the PDF.
If the original source document is not available, accessibility features can be added to the PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro. Employees will need to have Acrobat Pro installed.
Table of Contents
Checking PDF Accessibility Yourself
Consult the following checklist to review a PDF for accessibility. To complete each of the items in this checklist, you will need Adobe Acrobat Pro, which is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of software. Adobe Acrobat Pro is only available to employees.
WebAIM’s tutorial on PDF Accessibility is an excellent accompaniment to the current checklist.
Using Adobe Acrobat Pro
Step 1. Does document have text?
How to test: Try selecting text using a mouse, or select all text using Edit > “Select All” from the Acrobat menu.
If no, this is an image file and is not accessible. Convert to text using View > Tools > “Recognize Text.”
Step 2. Is document tagged?
How to test: Go to File Properties (Ctrl+D in Windows, Command+D in Mac). In the bottom left corner of the Document Properties dialog, see the “Tagged PDF” field.
If no, this document needs to be tagged. Tags provide the structure on which accessibility is built. Add tags by selecting View > (All) Tools > (Prepare for) Accessibility > “Add Tags To Document” or “Automatically tag PDF.”
Step 3. Check for any lingering errors.
How to test: Run the accessibility checker that is built into Acrobat Pro. Select: Tools > Accessibility > “Full Check” then read the report and follow the prompts.
The report lists items in various categories such as Document, Page Content, etc. Each item is preceded by an icon indicating that the item either passes, fails, or requires manual inspection. Right-click on any item to see a list of options for fixing the problem or learning more about it.
This is the final step in our checklist, rather than the first step, because some documents generate dozens of errors that can easily be addressed with the first two steps. This way, the accessibility checker will report fewer problems and will be easier to read and work with.
‘Walking’ the Tag Tree
To manually inspect the tag tree in Adobe Acrobat Pro, from the View drop-down menu select Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags. This will display the tags in descending order from top to bottom. Place focus at the top of the tag tree and use the down arrow on your keyboard to inspect the tags to make sure the heading level structure is correct and elements are tagged accurately. For details, see Adobe’s Accessibility Repair Workflow for PDFs using Acrobat DC.
