Accessible PDFs

Adobe Acrobat Pro provides tools for checking and fixing the accessibility of PDF documents. This webpage will explore how to use Adobe's tools to find and fix accessibility issues in PDFs.

Checking PDF accessibility

When working to make a PDF accessible, start with the following questions:

1. Is this a new document that will be converted to a PDF?
2. Is this a PDF that currently exists online or in some form of dissemination?
3. Would this document work better as a webpage?

Starting with the source document

If the document is new and is being finalized prior to PDF conversion, it is best to start by making the source document accessible.

As a general rule, is it always easier to start with the document used to create the PDF (e.g. Microsoft Word or PowerPoint). The converted document will still need to be checked, but there should be fewer issues to tackle.

If you are starting with Word or PowerPoint, WebAIM has extensive step-by-step guides on how to make documents accessible. 

• PowerPoint Accessibility
• Microsoft Word

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro

If the document is already a PDF, use Adobe’s Full Check feature (or Accessibility Checker) to start the process of finding and fixing accessibility issues.

In some cases, it might still be easier to return to the source document if the issues detected are too tricky to fix through Adobe.

To run the checker, make sure you have the following features are in place.

• Tool Bar: Accessibility tool (includes everything from the checker to alt text to auto tags)
• Action Wizard Tool: Includes steps to make certain elements accessible before you get to the checker
• Navigation Pane
• Tags
• Reading Order 
• Content
• Recommended additions to Quick Tools: These are shortcuts that will help make the process of checking a document a tad less tedious and daunting
• Accessibility Full Check - Run the check in just two clicks
• Accessibility Report - Pulls up the accessibility report for that document
• Set Alternate Text - Scans the document for everything tagged as a figure and opens a dialogue box where you can add alt text or mark something as decorative
• Other helpful Quick Tools
• Identify Form Fields
• Autotag Form Fields

Learn more about these accessibility features through Adobe’s website.

Running the Accessibility Checker

Adobe’s Accessibility Checker can help verify whether the document conforms to accessibility standards. Use the steps outlined below to run the check.

1. Under the Accessibility tool, click "Full Check" to open the Accessibility Checker Options dialog box. 
2. In the "Report Options" section, specify how you want to view the results. Examine all pages of the PDF for accessibility. 
3. In the "Checking Options" section, be sure to check for all of the items under each category in the drop-down menu. 

Finally, click the "Start Checking" button. Once Acrobat completes the Full Check, the results will appear in the Accessibility Checker panel.

Understanding the results and addressing issues

Once the checker is complete, you will have to determine the meaning behind the results. The results will be marked either as Passed, Failed, Skipped or Needs Manual Check.

The results are organized into seven different areas, each with different criteria.

Note that Logical Reading Order and Color contrast will always appear as errors on every check because they require a manual check to confirm accessibility conformance.

Learn more about techniques to fix these issues through WebAIM’s PDF Accessibility article. Adobe has extensive documentation on its website on how to address issues identified through the checker.

Alternatives to PDFs

Creating an accessible document for use on the web can be challenging, depending on the complexity of the document. Web usability research from Nielsen Norman Group has found that PDFs can present users with a number of challenges.

If you are finding that remediating a PDF is too time-consuming, consider the following alternatives.

Create a webpage

Building a webpage with information from the document can make managing accessibility much easier. 

Learn more about how to use T4 to craft an accessible webpage.

Build a fillable web form

Web Technologies can help build fillable, accessible web forms through Formstack. This process takes about two to six weeks, depending on the needs of the form.

Email webmaster@evms.edu to request a web form.

Link to the document’s source

If the document comes from an external source (such as the American Association of Medical Colleges), link to that organization's document or website instead of uploading the document to T4.

If the document is not absolutely essential for your web users, don't add it to the web.