PDF accessibility includes structural tagging, searchable text, and logical reading order, as well as headings, lists, links, and alternative text. Making a PDF accessible can be challenging and time-consuming, so we recommend avoiding the use of PDFs as your fully accessible document, if possible.
- Difficult to Update: PDFs are time-consuming to make accessible, and any edits—even small ones—must first be completed in the source document. Then each time a new PDF is created, you must reapply the accessibility settings in Acrobat Pro.
- Not Mobile Friendly: PDFs don’t adjust to different screen sizes, so users often need to zoom and scroll extensively, which is difficult on mobile devices.
- Challenging User Experience: PDFs often lack intuitive navigation features and interactivity, such as clickable tables of content, menus, or robust search tools. This makes longer documents harder to navigate compared to webpages.
- Legal or Compliance Documents: When precise formatting, secure delivery, and an unalterable record are required.
- Official Forms: When an online form is not feasible or when a fixed layout is necessary for signatures or standardized processing.
- Print-Ready Materials: When documents must be printed in an exact, consistent format across all users and devices.
When a PDF Is Necessary
Ensure your source file (PowerPoint or Word ) is fully accessible before converting it to a PDF . Many accessibility features will carry over into the PDF , but you still need to review and make additional adjustments for the PDF to meet accessibility requirements.
Create a source file (PowerPoint or Word ) that meets all accessibility requirements. Then, create a PDF that may not be fully accessible, but if someone needs an accessible document, you have the source file ready for them.
How to Use the Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker
Best Practices
- We recommend that you avoid PDFs as your main accessible document (because of the time and expertise needed to make them accessible).
- If you need to use a PDF , please be sure to have an accessible version of the document (PowerPoint or Word ), too.
- Make sure your PDF has a logical reading order. PDFs can display content in a different order than intended. Review and adjust the reading order, so it logically follows your intended flow of information.
- Tag the PDF correctly. Tags define the document’s structure (headings, paragraphs, lists, etc). These are essential for accessibility. Adobe Acrobat Pro allows you to view and edit tags.
- Do not fix the accessibility issues in the PDF without fixing the accessibility issues in the source document (PowerPoint , Word , or InDesign). Then export to PDF again and use the Acrobat accessibility checker to fix the reading ordering and tags in the PDF .
Resources
- WSU: Creating an accessible PDF .
- Adobe: Creating accessible PDFs .
- Section508.gov Video: How to Test and Remediate PDFs for Accessibility Using Adobe Acrobat.
- How to use the PowerPoint Accessibility Checker.
- How to use the Word Accessibility Checker.
- Make your PowerPoint document accessible.
- Make your Word documents accessible.
Need assistance?
Contact the College of Medicine Digital Accessibility Team if you have questions or need one-on-one support or additional training.
Contact the Digital Accessibility Team