Accessible PDFs

Summary

This page summarizes WCAG 2.1 AA standards for creating accessible PDFs. If any conflict exists, follow the WCAG documentation.

Best Practices

1. Create your document in Microsoft Word, using built-in features for lists, headings, tables, etc, then export to PDF.

2. Simplify charts, tables and graphs to the best of your ability. Only use built-in features to create these items, and provide alternative methods of accessing the content where possible.

Details

• Alternative text

• Bookmarks

  • Procedure

    1. Check that the Bookmarks panel displays bookmarks.

    2. Check that the bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document.

• Tabs and Reading Order

  • Procedure

    1. Verify that the content is in the correct reading order by one of the following:

       • Read the PDF document with a screen reader or a tool that reads aloud, listening to hear that each element is read in the correct order.

       • Use a tool that exposes the document through the accessibility API, and verify that the reading order is correct.

    2. Verify that the tab order is correct for focusable content by one of the following:

       • Use the tab key to traverse the focus order in the document.

       • Use a tool that is capable of showing the page object entry that specifies the tab order setting to open the PDF document and view the setting.

• Artifact images

  • Procedure

    1. For an image that is purely decorative, use one of the following to verify that it is marked as an artifact:

       • Read the PDF document with a screen reader, listening to hear that the decorative image is not announced when reading the content line-by-line.

       • Using a PDF editor, make sure the decorative image is marked as an artifact.

       • Reflow the document and make sure the decorative image does not appear on the page.

       • Use a tool that is capable of showing the /Artifact entry or property list, such as aDesigner, to open the PDF document and verify that decorative images are marked as artifacts.

       • Use a tool that exposes the document through the accessibility API and verify that the decorative image is not exposed through the API.

• (forms only) Form controls

  • Procedure

    For each form field that is required, verify that validation information and instructions are provided by applying the following:

    1. Check that the required status is indicated in the form control's label.

    2. Leave the field blank and submit the form. Check that an alert describing the error is provided.

    3. Use a tool that exposes the document through the accessibility API, and verify that the required property is indicated.

• Table markup

  • Procedure

    1. For each table, confirm one of the following:

       • Read the PDF document with a screen reader, listening to hear that the tabular information is presented in a way that preserves logical relationships among the table header and data cells.

       • Using a PDF editor, verify that the appropriate TR, TH, and TD tags are in the proper reading order and hierarchy in the table tree.

       • Use a tool which is capable of showing the table elements to open the PDF document, view the table structure, and verify that it contains the appropriate TR, TH, and TD structures.

       • Use a tool that exposes the document through the accessibility API, and verify that the table structure contains the appropriate TR, TH, and TD structures, and that they are in the proper reading order and hierarchy.

• OCR/Actual Text

  • Procedure

    1. For each page converted to text using OCR, ensure that the resulting PDF has been converted correctly, using one of the following ways:

       • Read the PDF document with a screen reader or a tool that reads aloud, listening to hear that all text is read correctly and in the correct reading order.

       • Save the document as text and check that the converted text is complete and in the correct reading order.

       • Use a tool that is capable of showing the converted content to open the PDF document and verify that all text was converted and is in the correct reading order.

       • Use a tool that exposes the document through the accessibility API and verify that all text was converted and is in the correct reading order.

• Abbreviations and acronyms

  • Procedure

    1. Verify that the first occurrence of abbreviations that require expansion text have /E entries on an enclosing tag by one of the following and that both the abbreviation and the expansion text are provided:

       • In Windows, use Microsoft's Inspect.exe tool, or some other tool that allows inspection of the MSAA interface, to locate the text of the abbreviation in the document tree and ensure that the value of the abbreviation is in the expansion text.

       • In a PDF editor, locate the tag for the text that is the abbreviation, and check that an expansion or definition is provided for each abbreviation in the Expansion Text field in the corresponding tag's properties.

       • Read the PDF document with a screen reader, listening to hear that on the first occurrence, the abbreviation and expansion are read when the screen reader reads the content line-by-line.

       • Use a tool that is capable of showing the /E entry value, such as aDesigner to open the PDF document and view the GUI summary to read the text expansions for abbreviations.

       • Use a tool that exposes the document through the accessibility API and verify that the text expansion of the abbreviation is properly implemented.

• Headings

• (forms only) Labels

• Links

• (forms only) Informative form fields

• Replacement text

• Running headers and footers

• (forms only) Submit Buttons

• Default Language

• Page numbering

• Document title

• Multi-language documents

• Editing tables

• Lists

• (forms only) Values input

• (forms only) Interactive form controls