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Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)

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Overview

You can use Acrobat to make PDFs meet the common accessibility standards, such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and PDF/UA (Universal Access, or ISO 14289). Acrobat provides the following accessibility tools:

  • Prepare for accessibilityA predefined action automates many tasks, checks accessibility, and provides instructions for items that require manual fixes. Quickly find and fix problem areas.
  • Check for accessibility: It verifies whether the document conforms to accessibility standards, such as PDF/UA and WCAG 2.0.
  • Open accessibility report: It summarizes the findings of the accessibility check. It contains links to tools and documentation that assist in fixing problems.
  • Reading options: It includes settings for the available reading options. 
  • Fix reading order: You can use the Reading Order tool to examine the structure, reading order, and contents of a PDF.
  • Save as accessible text: It allows you to read the saved text file in a word-processing application. It also enables you to emulate the end-user experience of readers who use a braille printer to read the document.

Check accessibility of PDFs (Acrobat Pro)

You can use the Prepare for accessibility tool to check and make a PDF accessible. It prompts you to address accessibility issues, such as a missing document description or title. It looks for common elements that need further action, such as scanned text, form fields, tables, and images. You can run a Prepare for accessibility
action on all PDFs except dynamic forms (XFA documents) or portfolios.

  1. Open the PDF and then from the All tools menu on the left, select View more and then select Prepare for accessibility.

    Or, from the top menu, select See all tools. Then, scroll down to Prepare > Prepare for accessibility and select Open.

    It displays the Prepare for accessibility page with a list of available actions displayed on the left panel.

  2. From the left panel, select Check for accessibility

    The right-hand pane changes to display each task included in the Make Accessible action and the instructions to execute it.

  3. From the Accessibility Checker Options dialog, select the options as required and then select Start Checking.

  4. Once the check is complete, it displays a panel on the right that lists the accessibility issues. Select each issue type drop-down to view the details and make fixes, as suggested.

    Since the Accessibility Check feature does not distinguish between essential and nonessential content types, some reported issues may not affect readability. We suggest that you review all issues to determine the ones that need correction.

    The report displays one of the following statuses for each rule check:

    • Passed: The item is accessible.
    • Skipped By User: Rule was not checked because it wasn't selected in the Accessibility Checker Options dialog box.
    • Needs Manual Check: The Full Check/Accessibility Check feature couldn't check the item automatically. Verify the item manually.
    • Failed: The item didn't pass the accessibility check.
  5. To view a complete report of the check, from the left panel, select Open accessibility report.

    It displays a detailed report in the right panel.

Fix accessibility issues (Acrobat Pro)

To fix a failed check after running the Prepare for accessibility check, right-click the item in the Accessibility Checker panel on the right and select one of the following options from the context menu:

  • FixAcrobat either fixes the item automatically or displays a dialog box prompting you to fix the item manually.
  • Skip RuleDeselects this option in the Accessibility Checker Options dialog box for future checks of this document, and change the item status to Skipped.
  • ExplainOpens the online Help where you can get more details about the accessibility issue.
  • Check AgainRuns the checker again on all items. Choose this option after modifying one or more items.
  • Show ReportDisplays a report with links to tips on how to repair failed checks.
  • OptionsOpens the Accessibility Checker Options dialog box, so you can select which checks are performed.

Accessibility issues

Document

Prevent security settings from interfering with screen readers

A document author can specify that no part of an accessible PDF is to be copied, printed, extracted, commented on, or edited. This setting could interfere with a screen reader's ability to read the document because screen readers must be able to copy or extract the document's text to convert it to speech.

This flag reports whether it's necessary to turn on the security settings that allow accessibility.

To fix the rule automatically, go to All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility and then ensure that the option Accessibility permission flat is set is selected before running the check. Then, select Open accessibility report, and from the right panel, right-click the Accessibility permission flag and select Fix.

To manually fix the accessibility permissions:

  1. Select the hamburger menu  (Windows) or the File menu (macOS) > Document properties.

  2. In the Document properties dialog:

    1. Select the Security tab.
    2. From the Security Method drop-down, select No Security.
    3. Select OK.

If your assistive technology product is registered with Adobe as a Trusted Agent, you can read PDFs that might be inaccessible to another assistive technology product. Acrobat recognizes when a screen reader or other product is a Trusted Agent and overrides security settings that would typically limit access to the content for accessibility purposes. However, the security settings remain in effect for all other purposes, such as to prevent printing, copying, extracting, commenting, or editing text.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A), 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Image-only PDF

Reports whether the document contains non-text content that is not accessible. If the document appears to contain text, but doesn't contain fonts, it could be an image-only PDF file.

To fix the rule automatically, go to All tools Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility. Then, ensure that the option Document is not-image only PDF is deselected before running the check.

To fix this rule check manually, use OCR to recognize text in scanned images:

  1. From the All tools menu, select Scan & OCR.

  2. From the Scan & OCR panel, under Recognize Text, select In this file.

  3. From the Pages dialog, select the pages you want to process, the document language, and then select Recognize text.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.1.1. Non-text content (A)

Tagged PDF

If this rule check fails, the document isn't tagged to specify the correct reading order.

To fix the item automatically, go to All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility. Then, ensure that the option Document is tagged PDF is selected before running the check. Acrobat automatically adds tags to the PDF.

To specify tags manually, do one of the following:

  • Enable tagging in the source application and re-create the PDF.
  • Select All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Automatically tag PDF. If there are any issues, the Add Tags Report appears in the navigation pane. It lists potential problems by page, provides a navigational link to each problem, and suggests ways to fix them.
  • Select All tools > Prepare for Accessibility > Fix reading order and create the tags tree. For more information, see Reading Order.
  • Open the Tags panel and create the tags tree manually. To display the Tags panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side panels > Accessibility tags. For more information, see the Edit document structure with the Content and Tags panel.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 1.3.2, 2.4.1, 2.4.4, 2.4.5, 2.4.6, 3.1.2, 3.3.2, 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Logical reading order

Verify this rule check manually. Make sure that the reading order displayed in the Tags panel coincides with the logical reading order of the document.

Document language

Setting the document language in a PDF enables some screen readers to switch to the appropriate language. This check determines whether the primary text language for the PDF is specified. If the check fails, set the language.

To set the language automatically, select Primary Language in the Accessibility Checker tab and then choose Fix from the Options menu. Choose a language in the Set Reading Language dialog box, and then select OK.

To set the language manually, do one of the following:

  • Choose the hamburger menu  (Windows) or the File menu (macOS) > Properties > Advanced, and then select a language from the drop-down list in the Reading Options section. (If the language doesn't appear in the drop-down list, you can enter the ISO 639 code for the language in the Language field.) This setting applies the primary language for the entire PDF.
  • Set the language for all text in a subtree of the tags tree. Open the Tags panel. Expand the Tags root and select an element. Then choose Properties from the Options menu. Choose a language from the Language drop-down list. (To display the Tags panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side panels Accessibility tags.)
  • Set the language for a block of text by selecting the text element or container element in the Content panel. Then, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (macOS) the text, choose Properties from the context menu, and choose a language from the Language drop-down list. (To display the Content panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side panelsContent.)
Note:

See the related WCAG section: Language of Page (Level A)

Title

Reports whether there is a title in the Acrobat application title bar.

To fix the title automatically, select Title in the Accessibility Checker tab, and choose Fix from the Options menu. Enter the document title in the Description dialog box (deselect Leave As Is, if necessary).

To fix the title manually:

  1. Select the hamburger menu  (Windows) or the File menu (macOS) > Document properties.

  2. In the dialog that opens, under Description, enter a title in the Title text box.

  3. Select Initial View and then from the Show drop-down, select Document Title.

  4. Select OK.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 2.4 Page Titled (Level A)

Bookmarks

This check fails when the document has 21 or more pages, but doesn't have bookmarks that parallel the document structure.

To add bookmarks to the document, select Bookmarks on the Accessibility Checker panel, and choose Fix from the Options menu. In the Structure Elements dialog box, select the elements that you want to use as bookmarks, and click OK. (You can also access the Structure Elements dialog box by clicking the Options menu on the Bookmark tab and selecting the New Bookmarks From Structure command.)

Note:

See the related WCAG sections: 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (Level A), 2.4.5 Multiple Ways (Level AA)

Color contrast

When this check fails, it's possible that the document contains content that isn't accessible to people who are color-blind.

To fix this issue, make sure that the document's content adheres to the guidelines outlined in WCAG section 1.4.3. Or, include a recommendation that the PDF viewer use high-contrast colors:

  1. Select the hamburger menu  (Windows) or the Acrobat menu (macOS) > Preferences

  2. In the dialog that opens, from the left panel, select Accessibility.

  3. Select Replace Document Colors and then select Use High-Contrast Colors. From the High-contrast color combination, choose the color combination that you want and then select OK.

Page content

Tagged content

This check reports whether all content in the document is tagged. Ensure that all content in the document is either included in the Tags tree, or marked as an artifact.

Do one of the following to fix this rule check:

  • Open the Content panel and right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (macOS) the content that you want to mark as an artifact. Then, select Create Artifact from the context menu. (To display the Content tab, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side panelsContent.)
  • Tag the content by choosing All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order. Select the content, and then apply tags as necessary.
  • Assign tags using the Tags panel. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the element in the Tags tree, and choose Create Tag From Selection. Items such as comments, links, and annotations don't always appear in the Tags tree. To find these items, choose Find from the Options menu. (To display the Tags panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side panels > Accessibility tags.)
Note:

See the related WCAG sections: 1.1.1 Non-text content (A), 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A), 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (Level A), 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A), 3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA), 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Tagged annotations

This rule checks whether all annotations are tagged. Ensure that annotations such as comments and editorial marks (insert and highlight) are either included in the Tags tree or marked as artifacts.

  • Open the Content panel , and right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the content you want to mark as an artifact. Then, select Create Artifact from the context menu. (To display the Content panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels > Content).
  • To tag the content, select All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order. Then, select the content and apply the tags as necessary.
  • Assign tags using the Tags panel. (To display the Tags panel, choose select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide
    > Side Panels > Accessibility tags).

To have Acrobat assign tags automatically to annotations as they're created, choose Autotag document from the Options ( . . . ) menu on the Tags panel.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A), 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Tab order

Because tabs are often used to navigate a PDF, it's necessary that the tab order parallels the document structure.

To fix the tab order automatically, select Tab Order on the Accessibility Checker panel, and choose Fix from the Options menu.

To manually fix the tab order for links, form fields, comments, and other annotations:

  1. Click the Page Thumbnails panel on the navigation pane.

  2. Click a page thumbnail, and then choose Page Properties from the Options menu.

  3. In the Page Properties dialog box, choose Tab Order. Then, select Use Document Structure, and select OK.

  4. Repeat these steps for all thumbnails in the document.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 2.4.3, Focus Order (Level A)

Character encoding

Specifying the encoding helps PDF viewers' present users with readable text. However, some character-encoding issues aren't repairable within Acrobat.

To ensure proper encoding, do the following:

  • Verify that the necessary fonts are installed on your system.
  • Use a different font (preferably OpenType) in the original document, and then re-create the PDF.
  • Re-create the PDF file with a newer version of Acrobat Distiller.
  • Use the latest Adobe Postscript driver to create the PostScript file, and then re-create the PDF.
Note:

The WCAG doesn't address Unicode character mapping.

Tagged multimedia

This rule checks whether all multimedia objects are tagged. Ensure that content is included in the Tags tree or marked as an artifact.

Open the Content panel and right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the content that you want to mark as an artifact. Then, select Create Artifact from the context menu. (To display the Content panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels > Content.)

Tag the content by choosing All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order. Select the content, and then apply tags as necessary.

Assign tags using the Tags panel. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the element in the Tags tree, and choose Create Tag From Selection. (To display the Tags panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels > Accessibility tags.)

Note:

See the related WCAG sections: 1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A), 1.2.1 Audio- only and Video- only (Prerecorded). (A), 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded). (A), 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded). (A), 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded). (AA)

Screen flicker

Elements that make the screen flicker, such as animations and scripts, can cause seizures in individuals who have photosensitive epilepsy. These elements can also be difficult to see when the screen is magnified.

If the Screen Flicker rule fails, manually remove or modify the script or content that causes screen flicker.

Note:

See these related WCAG sections: 1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A), 1.2.1 Audio- only and Video- only (Prerecorded). (A), 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded). (A), 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded). (A), 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold. (Level A)

Scripts

Content cannot be script-dependent unless both content and functionality are accessible to assistive technologies. Make sure that scripting doesn't interfere with keyboard navigation or prevent the use of any input device.

Check the scripts manually. Remove or modify any script or content that compromises accessibility.

Note:

See these related WCAG sections: 1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A), 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide. (Level A), 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Timed responses

This rule check applies to documents that contain forms with JavaScript. If the rule check fails, make sure that the page does not require timed responses. Edit or remove scripts that impose timely user response so that users have enough time to read and use the content.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable. (Level A)

For URLs to be accessible to screen readers, they must be active links that are correctly tagged in the PDF. (The best way to create accessible links is with the Create Link command, which adds all three links that screen readers require to recognize a link.) Make sure that navigation links are not repetitive and that there is a way for users to skip over repetitive links.

If this rule check fails, check navigation links manually and verify that the content does not have too many identical links. Also, provide a way for users to skip over items that appear multiple times. For example, if the same links appear on each page of the document, also include a "Skip navigation" link.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks. (Level A)

Forms

Tagged form fields

In an accessible PDF, all form fields are tagged and part of the document structure. In addition, you can use the tool tip form field property to provide the user with information or instructions.

To tag form fields, choose All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Automatically tag PDF

Note:

See the related WCAG sections: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A), 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Field descriptions

For accessibility, all form fields need a text description (tool tip).

To add a text description to a form field:

  1. Select one of the Form tools, and then right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the form field.
  2. Choose Properties from the context menu.
  3. Click the General properties tab.
  4. Enter a description of the form field in the Tooltip field.
Note:

See the related WCAG sections: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A), 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A), 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Alternate text

Figures alternate text

Make sure that images in the document either have alternate text or are marked as artifacts.

If this rule check fails, do one of the following:

  • Select Figures Alternate Text in the Accessibility Checker panel, and choose Fix from the Options menu. Add alternate text as prompted in the Set Alternate Text dialog box.
  • Use the Tags panel to add alternate text for images in the PDF.
  • Open the Content panel and right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the content that you want to mark as an artifact. Then, select Create Artifact from the context menu. (To display the Content panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels > Content.)
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A)

Nested alternate text

Screen readers don't read the alternate text for nested elements. Therefore, don't apply alternate text to nested elements.

To remove alternate text from nested elements, do the following:

  1. Select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels > Accessibility tags.
  2. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) a nested element in the Accessibility tags panel and choose Properties from the context menu.
  3. Remove the Alternate Text and the text to which it's applied from the Object Properties dialog box, then select Close.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: #1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A)

Associated with content

Make sure that alternate text is always an alternate representation of content on the page. If an element has alternate text but does not contain any page content, there is no way to determine which page it is on. If the Screen Reader Option in the Reading preferences is not set to read the entire document, then screen readers never read the alternate text.

  1. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) an item to check.
  2. Open it in the Accessibility tags panel. (To display the Accessibility tags panel, select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels  > Accessibility tags.)
  3. Remove the Alternate Text from the Tags panel for any nested item that has no page content.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A)

Hides annotation

Alternate text can't hide an annotation. If an annotation is nested under a parent element with alternate text, then screen readers don't see it.

To remove alternate text from nested elements:

  1. Select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels > Accessibility tags.
  2. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) a nested element in the Tags panel and choose Properties from the context menu.
  3. Remove the alternate text from the Object Properties dialog box and select OK.
Note:

See the related WCAG sections: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A), 4.1.2 Name, role, value

Other elements alternate text

This report checks for content other than figures that require alternate text (such as multimedia, annotation, or 3D model). Make sure that alternate text is always an alternate representation of content on the page. If an element has alternate text but does not contain any page content, there is no way to determine which page it is on. If the Screen Reader Options in the Reading preferences is not set to read the entire document, then screen readers don't read the alternate text.

  1. Select the hamburger menu  (Windows) > View or select the View menu (macOS), and then select Show/Hide > Side Panels > Accessibility tags.
  2. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) a nested element in the Accessibility tags panel and choose Properties from the context menu.
  3. Remove the alternate text from the Object Properties dialog box and select OK.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.1.1 Non-text Content. (A)

Tables

Because table structure can be complex, it is best practice to check them for accessibility manually.

Rows

This rule checks whether each TR in a table is a child of Table, THead, TBody, or TFoot.

See Correct table tags with the Tags panel.

Note:

Related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A)

TH and TD

In a proper table structure, TH and TD are children of TR.

See Correct table tags with the Tags panel.

Note:

See related WCAG section: #1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A)

Headers

For accessibility, it's necessary that all tables in the PDF have a header.

See Correct table tags with the Tags panel.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A)

Regularity

To be accessible, tables must contain the same number of columns in each row, and rows in each column.

See Correct table tags with the Tags panel.

Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A)

Summary

Table summaries are optional, but can improve accessibility.

  1. Select All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order.
  2. Select the table by drawing a rectangle around it. 
  3. In the Fix reading order dialog box, select Table.
  4. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) Table.
  5. Click Edit Table Summary.
  6. Enter a summary and select OK.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A)

Lists

List items

The check reports whether each List Item (LI) is a child of List (L). When this rule check fails, the structure of this list is incorrect. Lists must have the following structure: A List element must contain List Item Elements. And, List Item Elements can only contain Label Elements and List Item Body Elements.

To fix the list structure:

  1. Find the list in the Accessibility Checker panel by right-clicking (Windows) or Ctrl-clicking (Mac OS) the failed element and choosing Show In Tags Panel.
  2. Create elements, change the types of elements, or rearrange existing elements by dragging them.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A)

Lbl and LBody

Lists must have the following structure: A List element must contain List Item Elements. And, List Item Elements can only contain Label Elements and List Item Body Elements. When this rule check fails, the structure of this list is incorrect.

To fix the list structure:

  1. Find the list in the Accessibility Checker panel by right-clicking (Windows) or Ctrl-clicking (Mac OS) the failed element and choosing Show In Tags Panel.
  2. Create elements, change the types of elements, or rearrange existing elements by dragging them.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. (Level A)

Headings

Appropriate nesting

This rule checks nested headings. When this check fails, headings are not nested properly.

To fix the list structure:

  1. Find the list in the Accessibility Checker panel by right-clicking (Windows) or Ctrl-clicking (macOS) the failed element and choosing Show in Tags Panel.
  2. Create elements, change the types of elements, or rearrange existing elements by dragging them.
Note:

See the related WCAG section: 2.4.6 Headings and Labels. (Level AA). The order of headings is not required under WCAG, and is only an advisory technique.

WCAG mapping to PDF/UA

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