# 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)](https://accessible-pdf.info/en/)
- [US Dept. of Health Section 508 PDF Guide(link is external)](https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/pdf-required/index.html)
- [The PDF Accessibility Guide(link is external)](https://medium.com/@krisrivenburgh/the-pdf-accessibility-guide-how-to-make-your-portable-documents-accessible-6e77a21a098f)
- [Cornell’s Guide to PDF Accessibility(link is external)](https://it.cornell.edu/accessibility/create-accessible-pdfs)
- [Georgetown University’s PDF Accessibility Guide(link is external)](https://accessibility.georgetown.edu/getting-started/pdf-accessibility/)
- [Using Adobe InDesign to Create Accessibility PDF Documents(link is external)](https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/may_2019_section_508_compliance_event_-_indesign_accessibility.pdf)
- [Adobe InDesign Accessibility Page(link is external)](https://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/indesign.html)