[Step-by-Step Guide] How to Check PDF for Accessibility?

There are many accessibility standards for PDFs, like PDF/UA (Universal Access or ISO 14289) or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. It is necessary to follow these regulations in some countries to make PDFs accessible to individuals with disabilities. Failing to do so may lead to penalties or legal actions.

So, the question is how to check PDF for accessibility? This article presents a step-by-step guide to verify the accessibility of PDFs and how to fix the accessibility errors. So, let's jump right to it!

Part 1. What Is an Accessible PDF?

An accessible PDF is an easily readable and understandable document for people with disabilities. The document is structured in a way that assistive technologies, such as screen readers, can understand and convey the information to readers accurately.

The key features of an accessible PDF include:

• Proper tagging of document
• Text description for images
• Clear headings for easy navigation
• Proper content sequence for smooth read-aloud
• All text is searchable
• Interactive form fields
• Less color and readable fonts
• Navigation aids, such as bookmarks, links, table of contents, headings, and more

Simply put, an accessible PDF gives everyone the opportunity to fully grasp the document and extract the information they need.

Part 2. How to Check PDF for Accessibility?

Adobe Acrobat is a popular tool used to check PDF for accessibility. It has a dedicated "Check for accessibility" feature that verifies that the document follows accessibility standards, such as WCAG 2.0 and PDF/UA. Afterward, it summarizes the findings and provides links to documentation and tools to fix the accessibility issues.

Follow the below steps to perform accessibility check for PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro:

Step 1. Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro and open the PDF you want to check.

Step 2. From the "All Tools" toolbar, select the "Prepare for accessibility" icon and choose "Check for Accessibility".

Step 3. When the "Accessibility Checker Options" pop-up, select the characteristics you want to check and click "Start Checking".

Step 4. Wait for the check to complete. Once done, you will be able to see the list of accessibility issues in the right panel.

Step 5. Click the drop-down next to the issue to learn more details. Right-click the issue and use one of the below options to address the issue:

• Fix: Acrobat automatically resolves issues or prompts the user to input information or make choices, such as adding alternative text for images.
• Skip Rule: This option allows users to exclude specific checks in future accessibility evaluations and marks the item as skipped.
• Explain: Opens online Help documentation for further clarification on identified issues.
• Check Again: Re-runs the accessibility checker on all items after modifications have been made.
• Show Report: Displays an accessibility report, including links to repair tips for any failed checks.
• Options: Opens the Accessibility Checker Options dialog box to customize checking preferences.

Step 6. Click "Open accessibility report" from the left panel to view the complete check report.

This way, you can use Adobe Acrobat and check PDF for accessibility. Now, head to the next part to learn the best tips and tricks to do if the PDF is not accessible.

Part 3. What to Do If a PDF Is Not Accessible?

When you check PDF for accessibility, you may see many issues that need resolution. Below are some of the common issues and their solutions:

Image-only PDF - Failed

This issue can arise for scanned PDFs that lack extractable text. To fix this issue, you need to perform OCR to recognize the text. You can use UPDF's OCR tool to extract the text as follows:

1. Open the PDF with UPDF.
2. Click "OCR" from the right panel and adjust the settings. Once done, click "Perform OCR".
3. After the OCR, again perform the accessibility check for PDF.

Hit the download button below to get UPDF and use its AI-backed OCR right away to fix the image-only PDF error.

Tagged PDF - Failed

This issue occurs when the PDF is not tagged to reflect the clear reading order. To fix it:

1. Navigate to All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility.
2. Tick the "Document is tagged PDF" and run the accessibility check for PDF again.

This time, Adobe Acrobat will add tags automatically.

Logical Reading Order - Needs Manual Check

This issue occurs when the logical reading order of the document does not coincide with the reading order displayed in the Tags panel. You have to run a manual check on this to fix the issue.

Primary Language - Failed

When you have set the document language, it helps screen readers switch to that language. If this check fails, it means that the primary PDF text language is not specified. To fix it:

1. Under the "Accessibility Checker" tab, select "Primary Language".
2. Click "Fix" from the "Options" menu.
3. Select the language under the "Set Reading Language" dialog box and click "OK".

Title - Failed

This issue occurs when there is no title in the Acrobat application title bar. To fix it:

• Under the "Accessibility Checker" tab, select "Title".
• Click "Fix" from the "Options".
• In the "Description" dialog box, enter the document title.

Bookmarks - Failed

If the PDF has 21 pages or more without bookmarks, this issue can occur. To fix it, you need to add bookmarks to the PDF as follows:

1. Under the "Accessibility Checker" panel, select "Bookmarks".
2. Click "Fix" from the "Options".
3. Select the elements under the "Structure Elements" dialog box you intend to use as bookmarks and click "OK".

Color Contrast - Failed

If the PDF has content that might not be accessible to people with color blindness, this check fails. To tackle this issue, you can add a recommendation that the PDF viewer involves high-contrast colors, as follows:

1. Click the hamburger menu (or Acrobat menu) and select "Preferences".
2. Select "Accessibility" from the left panel.
3. Tap Replace Document Colors > Use High-Contrast Colors. Choose the combination you want and click "OK".

Alternative Text - Failed

This check fails when the PDF images do not have alternate text or are marked as artifacts. To fix it, you need to add alternative text to images, as follows:

1. Under the Accessibility Checker panel, select "Figures Alternate Text".
2. Click "Fix" from the "Options" menu.
3. Enter the alternate text in the "Set Alternate Text" box.

Part 4. Bonus Tip: A More Affordable Alternative to Adobe Acrobat for PDF Management

Although Adobe Acrobat is a great PDF tool to check PDF for accessibility and handle other activities, there are a few alternatives to Adobe Acrobat that are more affordable, powerful, and intuitive to use. One such tool worth considering is UPDF.

UPDF is an AI-powered PDF editor that offers a modernized interface and powerful features to handle PDFs. With UPDF, you can edit PDF's text/images/links and annotate PDFs with 13+ options. Moreover, you also get to convert PDF, perform AI-backed OCR, protect PDF, merge/split PDFs, and do more.

The unique aspect of UPDF is its highly capable AI assistant that takes PDF's analysis to the next level. Other than using UPDF AI for summarizing/translating/explaining PDFs, you can also generate mind maps, chat with images, and more.

Lastly, UPDF pricing plans are significantly lower than Adobe Acrobat. It costs only $39.99/year or $69.99/lifetime compared to $239.88/year for Adobe Acrobat Pro.

In short, UPDF is a full-fledged PDF editor that is more feature-packed, intuitive, and cost-friendly. So, why not give UPDF a try and see its features in action yourself?

To learn more about the differences between UPDF and Adobe Acrobat, check this video.

Conclusion

Sometimes, it becomes essential to make a PDF accessible to fulfill regulatory compliance. With Adobe Acrobat, you can easily check PDF for accessibility and then fix the issues as discussed above. If you have more PDF management needs other than an accessibility check, we recommend considering UPDF due to its feature-packed and affordable plans. So, the wrap-up of this guide is to follow the above instructions for accessibility check for PDF and use UPDF for an enhanced PDF management experience.