PDFs

Before you start, open Adobe and go to Preferences > Accessibility and check the Enable cloud-based auto-tagging for accessibility checkbox.

Open a PDF in Acrobat and choose All tools > Prepare for accessibility.

• Select Automatically tag PDF
• Select Add alternate text, and manually add appropriate text alternative for each image
• Save PDF with updated file name

NOTE: This fixing workflow in Adobe will not fix all accessibility issues in every PDF. To manually check accessibility, following the steps below.

Manually Checking PDF Accessibility

To complete each of the items in this checklist, you will need Adobe Acrobat Pro. The checklist specifically applies to Acrobat Pro DC.

WebAIM’s tutorial on PDF Accessibility is an excellent accompaniment to the current checklist.

NOTE: Modifying PDFs can have unpredictable results. Save often! (Saving multiple versions is recommended.)

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. Covert 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 > Tools > Accessibility > “Add Tags To Document.”

Step 3. Run the accessibility checker.

How to test: Run the accessibility checker that is built in to Acrobat Pro.

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to All Tools > Prepare for Accessibility  > Check for Accessibility.
3. Select the desired options and select, Start Checking.
4. Review the Accessibility Report.

The report lists issues into categories (Document, Page Content, Forms, Alternate Text, Tables, Lists, and Headings). Each category label includes in parentheses the number of issues found. Expand the category to see specific issues within that category. Each issue 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.

In some instances, you may be able to fix issues addressed in the Accessibility Report by right clicking and selecting Fix from the context menu. In most instances, you will need to find the issue within the tag tree and make the correction.

Step 4. Check the “Tag Tree” for  lingering errors

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.

When starting from Google Docs or Microsoft Word, it is easy to create an accessible PDF in many cases.

Google Docs:

• Follow general best practices for document accessibility
• Export to PDF (File > Download > PDF Document)

Microsoft Word:

• Follow general best practices for document accessibility
• Go to Review > Check Accessibility to open the Accessibility pane, run a check, and review/fix issues
• Export to PDF using Microsoft's instructions to save an accessible PDF to preserve accessibility features in the final PDF. 

Other platforms:

Many other authoring tools allow export to PDF but may not create accessible PDFs including Canva and Adobe Indesign.

 

1. Upload your PDF to Google Drive: 
   1. Open Google Drive. 
   2. Select the "+ New" button in the left sidebar. 
   3. Select "File upload" and choose the PDF file you want to convert. 
       
2. Open your PDF with Google Docs:
   1. After the PDF uploads, right-click on the file in Google Drive. 
   2. Hover over "Open with" and select "Google Docs". 
   3. Google Drive will open the PDF as a Google Doc. 
       
3. Check your document's accessibility.
   1. Manually review your document using accessible document best practices and make adjustments as needed.