The best way to make a PDF accessible is to make sure you are starting with an accessible Microsoft Office source document (Word, PowerPoint, etc.). Microsoft Office products will export a document as a PDF with the identifying structural elements (such as headings, lists, alt text, etc.) tagged, which is a key part of making a PDF accessible. Google docs, Slides, etc., however, will not.
But even after you have exported an accessible document to a PDF, the document still needs to be checked--and often some revisions need to be made--before the PDF is accessible too.
Start with an accessible document in Microsoft Office. For documents made in Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets, first export the document to the Microsoft equivalent and follow the steps to make it accessible before exporting it to a PDF.
How to Make Accessible Word Documents
How to Make Accessible PowerPoints
How to Make Accessible Excel Sheets
After you have exported your source document to a PDF and opened the document in Adobe Acrobat Pro, run the Adobe Accessibility Checker located in the Accessibility Tool.
Go to 'Tools' > 'Accessibility' located under the 'Protect & Standardize' category. If this is your first time using this tool, you can choose the 'Add' option so it will appear on the right-hand option menu.
Then select 'Accessibility Check' from the options.
Run the report and the results will show errors that need to be fixed, as well as areas that need to be manually checked, such as the Logical Reading Order.
*Note: The Color Contrast also requires a manual check because Adobe Acrobat's Accessibility Checker does not check it. If you started with a Microsoft source document and used its built-in Accessibility Checker, you've already done this step. Select 'Color Contrast - Needs manual check' in the report, right-click, and choose 'Pass'.
To fix errors, right-click the error in the report. If an option that says 'Fix' is available, choose 'Fix'. If not, choose the 'Explain' option to read more information about how to fix the error.
Manually check the Logical Reading Order by using the Tags pane. PDF Tags identify the structural elements of a document and determine the order that a screen reader will read it to a user. The Tags pane allows you to visually view, reorder, modify, and delete these tags.
To find the Tags pane, navigate to the left-hand side menu, which might appear minimized at first. Click the small triangle to reveal the menu, and then select the 'Tags' option.
The Tags pane might be hidden the first time you use it. If it doesn't appear in the left-hand toolbar, select 'View' > 'Show/Hide' > 'Navigation Panes' > 'Tags'.
The Tags pane will display all of the tags in a tree structure. Click down the tag tree to see the corresponding content highlighted in the document to make sure everything is properly tagged and appears in a logical reading order for a screen reader user to hear.
To move a tag that is out of order, click the element in the tag tree and drag it to the desired location.
For elements that are tagged incorrectly, change the tag from one type to another. Right-click the element and select 'Properties' from the dropdown menu. In the 'Tag' tab, edit the 'Type' field.
To delete a tag, select the 'Options' button above the Tags tree, and choose 'Delete' from the dropdown menu.
For more steps on tagging a PDF, including how to add tags, visit WebAIM's PDF Accessibility Guide as well as other resources in the Remediating a PDF section.
In some cases, you might not have access to the original source document before it was exported to a PDF. Making a PDF accessible in Adobe Acrobat can be a complicated and time consuming process, and sometimes it might be easier to remake the document entirely from scratch in Microsoft Office first and then export the file to a PDF. If that option is not possible, then below are some resources on how to remediate a document in Adobe Acrobat for accessibility.
Remediating PDFs for Accessibility Video (running time: 18:38) | Section 508 Training
PDF Remediation Basics Webinar (running time: 46:58) | UA Technology, YouTube
Make PDFs Accessible | Adobe Support
PDF Accessibility | WebAim
PDF Remediation for Accessibility | Wichita State University
Remediating PDFs for Accessibility | University of Nevada, Reno
PDF Accessibility Tutorials on LinkedIn Learning | How to log in to LinkedIn Learning from Simmons Technology
How to Add Alt Text in Adobe Acrobat
