Accessible Documents

Source: https://accessibility.web-resources.upenn.edu/resources/accessible-documents Parent: https://accessibility.web-resources.upenn.edu/get-help

Checking for PDF Accessibility

Document requirements

• Is the file name free of spaces and/or special characters?
• Does the document have the Title and Language set in its properties?
• Was the Table of Contents (TOC) created using the TOC Command?
• Are page numbering codes being used, instead of adding page numbers manually?
• Were the Footnotes created using the Insert Footnotes tool?
• Are links descriptive and free of terms like “Click here” and “Read more”?
• Do all the links work?
• Is any information that is conveyed through the use of color available without color?
• Are scanned pages included as plain text within the same PDF?
• Are all comments, sticky notes, and review comments removed?
• Does the tab order match the order in which the document is read in?
• If the document has multi-column text, tables, or call-out boxes, has it been checked for correct reading order using the Acrobat Pro/Acrobat Reader “Read Aloud” function?

Text formatting

• Does the document use standard system fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Verdana, Georgia)?
• Does the text have proper color contrast against its background (required ratio is 4.5:1)?
• Are texts that look like headings tagged as headings?
• Are headings presented hierarchically (no skipped heading levels)?
• Were tables made using the Insert Table option?
• Are tables free of blank and/or merged cells?
• Do data tables have the first row set as “Header Row” within the Table Properties?
• Are data cells associated with the Row/Column Header elements?
• Is “Allow row to break across pages” unchecked under Table Properties?
• Are all tables labeled and/or described as necessary?
• Is the document free of layout tables?
• Are lists created using built-in bullet and list tools instead of manually?
• Are all table cells, except those associated with the Header Row, designated as data cells?

Images and media

• Is the document free of background images, watermarks, and scanned images of text?
• Do all images and non-text elements have alternative text?
• Do all complex images have long descriptions?
• Are multilayered objects, such as graphs, flattened?
• Were the Footnotes created using the Insert Footnotes tool?
• Are links descriptive and free of terms like “Click here” and “Read more”?
• Do all the links work?
• Is any information that is conveyed through the use of color available without color?
• Are scanned pages included as plain text within the same PDF?
• Are multiple associated images on the same page, like boxes in an organization chart or a timeline, grouped as one object?

PDF Resources

• Accessible PDF Hub(link is external)
• US Dept. of Health Section 508 PDF Guide(link is external)
• The PDF Accessibility Guide(link is external)
• Cornell’s Guide to PDF Accessibility(link is external)
• Georgetown University’s PDF Accessibility Guide(link is external)
• Using Adobe InDesign to Create Accessibility PDF Documents(link is external)
• Adobe InDesign Accessibility Page(link is external)