How to Make PDFs Accessible: WCAG 2.2 Document Compliance

PDFs are among the most common accessibility barriers on the web. Scanned documents, improperly tagged files, and missing alternative text make many PDFs completely inaccessible to screen reader users. This guide covers creating accessible PDFs from the start and remediating existing inaccessible documents.

Understanding PDF Accessibility

Why PDF Accessibility Matters

Legal requirements:

• ADA compliance extends to digital documents
• Section 508 requires accessible PDFs for federal agencies
• Many lawsuits specifically cite inaccessible documents

User impact:

• Screen readers cannot access untagged PDFs
• Scanned documents appear as images only
• Poor structure prevents navigation
• Missing alt text hides visual information

What Makes a PDF Accessible

Tagged structure: Document structure (headings, lists, tables) marked with tags.

Reading order: Logical sequence for screen reader navigation.

Alternative text: Descriptions for images, charts, and graphics.

Bookmarks: Navigation aids for long documents.

Text-based: Actual text, not images of text.

Language specified: Document and content language identified.

Creating Accessible PDFs from Source

Microsoft Word to PDF

Step 1: Structure your Word document

Use built-in styles:
- Title style for document title
- Heading 1, 2, 3 for sections
- Normal for body text
- List styles for bullets/numbers

Step 2: Add alt text to images

1. Right-click image
2. Select "Edit Alt Text"
3. Enter description
4. For decorative images, check "Mark as decorative"

Step 3: Create accessible tables

1. Use Insert > Table (not draw table)
2. Select first row
3. Table Properties > Row > "Repeat as header row"
4. Keep tables simple (avoid merged cells)

Step 4: Check accessibility

1. Review > Check Accessibility
2. Fix all errors and warnings
3. Re-check until clean

Step 5: Export to PDF

1. File > Save As > PDF
2. Options > "Document structure tags for accessibility"
3. Options > "Create bookmarks using Headings"
4. Save

Adobe InDesign to PDF

Step 1: Set up document structure

1. Use paragraph styles for headings
2. Map styles to PDF tags: Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles
3. Right-click style > Export Tagging > PDF tag

Step 2: Set reading order

1. Window > Articles
2. Create article and add content in reading order
3. Drag items to correct sequence

Step 3: Add alt text

1. Object > Object Export Options
2. Alt Text tab > Custom
3. Enter description

Step 4: Export

1. File > Export > Adobe PDF
2. Check "Create Tagged PDF"
3. Check "Use Structure for Tab Order"
4. Check "Create Bookmarks"

Google Docs to PDF

Step 1: Structure document

• Apply Heading 1, 2, 3 from Format menu
• Use bulleted/numbered lists
• Add alt text: right-click image > Alt text

Step 2: Download as PDF

• File > Download > PDF Document
• Google Docs creates tagged PDF automatically

Note: Google Docs PDF accessibility is basic—may need remediation for complex documents.

Remediating Existing PDFs

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro

Check Accessibility First

1. Tools > Accessibility > Full Check
2. Review Accessibility Report
3. Address issues in priority order

Fix Document Structure

Add tags to untagged PDF:

1. Tools > Accessibility > Autotag Document
2. Review tags in Tags panel
3. Manual corrections likely needed

Fix reading order:

1. Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order
2. Use "Order" panel to drag items
3. Or use Reading Order tool to draw regions

Correct tag types:

1. Open Tags panel (View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags)
2. Right-click incorrect tag
3. Properties > Type > select correct tag

Common Tag Corrections

| Content          | Correct Tag                      |
|------------------|----------------------------------|
| Main title       | `<H1>`                           |
| Section headings | `<H2>`, `<H3>`, etc.             |
| Body paragraphs  | `<P>`                            |
| Lists            | `<L>` with `<LI>` items          |
| Tables           | `<Table>` with `<TH>` and `<TD>` |
| Images           | `<Figure>`                       |

Add Alternative Text

1. Tools > Accessibility > Set Alternate Text
2. Or: Tags panel > right-click Figure tag
3. Properties > Alternate Text
4. Enter description

For decorative images: Check "Decorative figure" or add empty alt text.

Fix Tables

1. Select table with Reading Order tool
2. Right-click > Table Editor
3. Mark header cells
4. Set scope (row/column)

Header cells: <TH> with scope attribute
Data cells: <TD>

Set Document Properties

1. File > Properties
2. Description tab:

- Title (required) - Author - Subject

1. Initial View tab:

- Show: Document Title

1. Advanced tab:

- Language: Select document language

Create Bookmarks

1. View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Bookmarks
2. Navigate to heading
3. Edit > Add Bookmark
4. Name bookmark to match heading

Or generate automatically:

1. Tools > Accessibility
2. Autotag Document > Options
3. Check "Create Bookmarks"

Handling Scanned PDFs

The Problem

Scanned PDFs are images—no searchable text, no structure, completely inaccessible.

Solution: OCR Processing

Adobe Acrobat Pro:

1. Open scanned PDF
2. Tools > Scan & OCR
3. Recognize Text > In This File
4. Settings: Searchable Image or Editable Text
5. Run OCR

After OCR:

• Document contains actual text
• Still needs structure tagging
• Review OCR accuracy
• Add alt text to remaining images

Alternative tools:

• ABBYY FineReader
• Adobe Acrobat online OCR
• Various free OCR tools

Verify OCR Quality

After OCR, check for errors:

1. Search for common OCR mistakes (1/l, 0/O)
2. Review tables and columns
3. Check special characters
4. Verify mathematical notation

Complex Content Accessibility

Data Tables

Simple tables:

• Header row marked with <TH>
• Clear scope attributes

Complex tables:

• Avoid when possible
• If required, use ID/Headers relationships
• Consider breaking into simpler tables

<!-- Table tag structure -->
<Table>
  <THead>
    <TR>
      <TH scope="col" id="col1">Column 1</TH>
      <TH scope="col" id="col2">Column 2</TH>
    </TR>
  </THead>
  <TBody>
    <TR>
      <TD headers="col1">Data 1</TD>
      <TD headers="col2">Data 2</TD>
    </TR>
  </TBody>
</Table>

Forms

Accessible PDF forms:

1. Use Acrobat form tools (not flattened images)
2. Add tooltip to each field (serves as label)
3. Set tab order
4. Group related fields
5. Add descriptions for buttons

Form field properties:

• Tooltip: Descriptive label
• Required: Mark required fields
• Tab order: Logical sequence

Mathematical Content

Options for equations:

• MathML (preferred for screen readers)
• Alt text descriptions
• LaTeX notation in alt text

Example alt text for equation:

Alt: "The quadratic formula: x equals negative b
plus or minus the square root of b squared minus
4 a c, all divided by 2 a"

Accessibility Checker Tools

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Full accessibility check:

1. Tools > Accessibility > Full Check
2. Select all checking options
3. Review report
4. Click items to locate issues

PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker): Free tool from PDF/UA Foundation

• More thorough than Acrobat checker
• Tests against PDF/UA standard
• Detailed error explanations

Common Issues and Fixes

| Issue                   | Fix                          |
|-------------------------|------------------------------|
| Document not tagged     | Autotag or manual tagging    |
| Missing alt text        | Add via Set Alternate Text   |
| No document title       | File > Properties > Title    |
| No language set         | File > Properties > Language |
| Incorrect reading order | Reading Order tool           |
| Table missing headers   | Table Editor > mark TH       |
| No bookmarks            | Add based on headings        |

Best Practices

Document Creation

Start accessible:

• Use source application properly (Word, InDesign)
• Build structure from the beginning
• Add alt text as you insert images
• Check accessibility before exporting

Keep it simple:

• Simple layouts remediate easier
• Single-column text when possible
• Avoid text boxes/floating elements
• Minimize decorative elements

Maintenance

Version control:

• Keep source files (Word, InDesign)
• Remediate from source when possible
• Document accessibility fixes

Testing:

• Check with screen reader after remediation
• Verify reading order makes sense
• Test form functionality
• Verify navigation with bookmarks

When to Provide Alternatives

Consider HTML Instead

For web content, HTML is often better than PDF:

• Natively responsive
• Easier to make accessible
• Better search engine indexing
• Lighter file size

Offer both:

<p>
  <a href="/report.pdf">Download report (PDF, 2.5 MB)</a>
  <a href="/report.html">Read report online (HTML)</a>
</p>

Alternative Format Requests

Even with accessible PDFs, offer alternatives:

<p class="alternative-formats">
  Need this document in another format?
  <a href="/contact?format-request">Request accessible format</a>
  (Large print, Braille, audio)
</p>

PDF Accessibility Checklist

Document Structure
□ Tagged PDF (View > Show/Hide > Tags)
□ Proper heading hierarchy (H1 > H2 > H3)
□ Lists tagged as L/LI
□ Tables tagged with TH/TD

Navigation
□ Document title set (File > Properties)
□ Bookmarks for sections
□ Tab order logical (forms)
□ Reading order correct

Alternative Text
□ All images have alt text
□ Decorative images marked
□ Complex images have extended descriptions
□ Charts/graphs described

Language
□ Document language set
□ Language changes marked

Forms (if applicable)
□ All fields labeled
□ Required fields indicated
□ Tab order set
□ Error messages accessible

Taking Action

PDF accessibility requires attention at creation and remediation for existing documents. Start by fixing high-traffic documents first—forms, key reports, and frequently downloaded files. Build accessibility into your document creation workflow to prevent future remediation work.

TestParty identifies inaccessible PDFs linked from your website as part of comprehensive accessibility monitoring.

Schedule a TestParty demo and get a 14-day compliance implementation plan.

Related Resources

• Alt Text Best Practices
• Accessibility Audit Guide
• WCAG 2.2 Level AA Checklist
• Accessibility Statement Template