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PDF Accessibility & Remediation

Making PDFs accessible or finding better alternatives.

⚠️ PDFs are often problematic — consider alternatives first

Why PDFs are challenging

PDF (Portable Document Format) was designed for print, not digital accessibility. While PDFs can be made accessible, they present significant challenges:

  • Scanned PDFs are images — No selectable text, completely inaccessible
  • Complex remediation — Requires specialized software and expertise
  • Often unnecessary — HTML or Word formats are usually better alternatives
  • Inconsistent support — Screen reader behavior varies across PDF readers

Consider alternatives first

Before creating or remediating a PDF, ask:

  • Could this be a web page (HTML)?
  • Could users access a Word document instead?
  • Is the PDF necessary for legal/archival purposes?

Web pages and Word documents are almost always more accessible than PDFs.

Types of PDFs

TypeHow createdAccessibility statusWhat to do
Scanned/image PDFScanner, photo❌ InaccessibleOCR + full remediation needed
Untagged digital PDFExport without accessibility settings⚠️ Partially accessibleAdd tags and structure
Tagged PDFProper export from Word/InDesign✓ Potentially accessibleVerify and fix issues
PDF/UA compliantProfessional remediation✓✓ Fully accessibleVerify periodically

Checking if a PDF is accessible

Quick tests

  1. Select text: Try to highlight text. If you can't, it's a scanned image.
  2. Check for tags: In Acrobat, go to File → Properties → check if "Tagged PDF: Yes"
  3. Read with screen reader: Does it make sense when read aloud?

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro accessibility checker

  1. Open PDF in Acrobat Pro
  2. Go to All tools → Prepare for accessibility
  3. Click Check for accessibility
  4. Run Full Check
  5. Review results in the Accessibility Checker panel

Free checking tools

  • PAVE — Free online PDF accessibility checker
  • PAC 2024 — Free desktop checker (Windows)

Creating accessible PDFs

The best approach is to create accessible source documents and export properly.

From Microsoft Word

  1. Create accessible Word document (see Word guide)
  2. Run Accessibility Checker in Word first
  3. Go to File → Export → Create PDF/XPS
  4. Click Options
  5. Check "Document structure tags for accessibility"
  6. Check "PDF/A compliance" if needed for archival
  7. Click OK, then Publish

From Adobe InDesign

  1. Build accessibility into the InDesign document:
    • Use paragraph styles for headings
    • Set reading order in Articles panel
    • Add alt text to images (Object → Object Export Options)
  2. Export: File → Export → Adobe PDF (Interactive)
  3. Check "Create Tagged PDF"
  4. Set language in Advanced options

From Google Docs

Google Docs PDF export has limited accessibility support:

  • Exports some structure but often incomplete
  • Better option: Download as Word, then export from Word
  • Or: Publish as web page (File → Share → Publish to web)

Remediating existing PDFs

If you must remediate an existing PDF, here's the process:

Tools needed

  • Adobe Acrobat Pro — Required for full remediation (UA site license available)
  • ABBYY FineReader — For OCR of scanned documents
  • CommonLook PDF — Professional remediation tool

Basic remediation steps (Acrobat Pro)

  1. OCR if needed: All tools → Scan & OCR → Recognize Text
  2. Add tags: All tools → Prepare for accessibility → Auto-tag document
  3. Set language: File → Properties → Advanced → Reading Options → Language
  4. Set title: File → Properties → Description → Title
  5. Fix reading order: All tools → Prepare for accessibility → Set reading order
  6. Add alt text: Right-click images → Edit Alt Text
  7. Fix tables: Use Table Editor to set headers
  8. Create bookmarks: For long documents, add navigational bookmarks
  9. Run checker: Full accessibility check, fix remaining issues

Scanned document remediation

  1. Run OCR: Converts image text to selectable text
  2. Review OCR accuracy: Check for recognition errors, especially in tables
  3. Add structure: Follow basic remediation steps above
  4. Consider alternatives: Often easier to recreate than remediate

When to remediate vs. recreate

ScenarioRecommendation
Simple text documentRecreate in Word or as web page
Scanned formRecreate as fillable web form or Word
Complex report with source filesFix source, re-export with accessibility
Historical document (no source)Remediate if important; provide text alternative
Legal/archival documentRemediate; may need PDF/UA compliance
Frequently updated documentConvert to web page for easier maintenance

Accessible PDF forms

PDF forms have additional accessibility requirements:

  • All form fields must have labels
  • Tab order must be logical
  • Required fields must be indicated
  • Error messages must be accessible
  • Submit buttons must be keyboard accessible

Better alternative: Web forms

Consider using web-based forms instead of PDF forms:

  • Microsoft Forms — Accessible and UA-supported
  • Qualtrics — For surveys and complex forms
  • HTML forms — Most flexible and accessible option

PDF accessibility checklist

  • check_box_outline_blank Document is tagged (not a scanned image)
  • check_box_outline_blank Document title is set in properties
  • check_box_outline_blank Document language is specified
  • check_box_outline_blank Reading order is logical
  • check_box_outline_blank Headings are properly tagged (H1, H2, etc.)
  • check_box_outline_blank Images have alt text
  • check_box_outline_blank Tables have header cells identified
  • check_box_outline_blank Links have meaningful text
  • check_box_outline_blank Color contrast is sufficient
  • check_box_outline_blank Bookmarks exist for long documents
  • check_box_outline_blank Acrobat Accessibility Checker passes
  • check_box_outline_blank Tested with screen reader

Getting help

PDF remediation can be time-consuming. Get help:

Resources