PDFs are a widely used format, but they can present a challenge for accessibility if they are not structured properly.
What is an Accessible PDF?
An accessible PDF is real text, not a scan or image of text. Scanned or image PDFs are not accessible.
To check if your PDF is real text, open the PDF and try to select / highlight individual words of the text with your cursor. Alternatively, use Control + F (or Command + F) to open a search, and try to search for a common word. If you can’t do either, the pages are images, not readable text.
An accessible PDF is also "tagged," meaning it has an underlying structure that identifies headings, paragraphs, images, and tables. Without these tags, people using assistive technology have no way to navigate through a PDF document.
Always go back to the source document if you have it!
It will always be easier to fix accessibility problems in the source document (Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs with Grackle, etc.) than to fix it in Acrobat. If you have the source document, use the accessibility checker there before saving as an accessible PDF.
Using Acrobat Pro Accessibility Tools
Adobe Acrobat Pro offers several accessibility tools to fix a PDF when you don't have the source document.
Please note: Accessibility tools are only available in Adobe Acrobat Pro,
not the free Acrobat Reader. Adobe Acrobat Pro is available to all Binghamton faculty and staff through our Adobe contract. To get access, submit an
Adobe Product Licensing Request.
Step 1: Set Up Your Workspace
Before you begin, ensure you have the necessary tools visible in Acrobat Pro.
- Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
- In the All Tools menu, select "Prepare for Accessibility".
- If you cant find it, click "View More" or use the search bar at the top of the tools pane to add it to your sidebar.
Step 2: Use the Make Accessible Action Wizard
For most documents, the Action Wizard is the most efficient way to start. It walks you through a series of automated steps to fix common issues.
- Go to All Tools and select Action Wizard.
- From the list of actions, choose Make Accessible and click Start.
- The wizard will prompt you to:
- Add a Title: Essential for screen readers to identify the file.
- Recognize Text (OCR): Turns scanned images into searchable/readable text.
- Detect Form Fields: If your PDF is a fillable form.
- Set Reading Language: Tells the screen reader which language to use for pronunciation.
- Add Alternate Text: Prompts you to describe any images found in the document.
Step 3: Run the Accessibility Check
- In the Prepare for Accessibility pane, select Check for Accessibility.
- Keep the default settings and click Start Checking.
- A report will appear in a pane on the left side of your screen. This report categorizes issues as Passed, Failed, or Needs Manual Check, allowing you to address specific errors one by one.
Common Remediation Tasks
Fixing the Reading Order
If the checker flags "Logical Reading Order," you must verify that the content is read in the correct sequence (e.g., top-to-bottom, left-to-right).
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Select Fix Reading Order from the accessibility pane
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A window will appear, and your PDF will show numbered boxes.
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To fix: Drag a box around content and select the correct tag type (Heading 1, Paragraph, etc.) or use the Order Pane to drag and drop items into the correct sequence.
Managing the Tag Tree
The "Tags" pane is the most powerful tool for remediation. It allows you to see exactly how a screen reader "sees" your document.
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Go to View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags.
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Click through the tags to see which part of the document they highlight
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To fix: Right-click a tag and select Properties to change its type (e.g., changing a <P> tag to an <H1> tag)
Adding Alternate Text to Images
Images must have a description (Alt Text) for users who cannot see them.
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Go to the Prepare for Accessibility > Add alternate text. Acrobat will automatically scan the document for all figures.
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A dialog box will appear that allows you to use arrows to cycle through every image in the document.
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For each image, you can either type in a concise description or check the "Decorative figure" box if the image is purely aesthetic. This method ensures you don't miss any images and allows you to address them all in one workflow.
A note about fillable PDF forms
PDF forms are the most difficult kind of document to make accessible. Consider using a webform instead, if at all possible.
If you absolutely must use a PDF form, don't try to remediate it yourself. Submit it to ITS for remediation.
Additional Resources
These additional resources have screenshots and detailed directions for specific tasks.
From Adobe: