Compile pre- and post-construction monitoring records into a single comparison file that clearly shows whether the pro…
Open the PDF file to be checked in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Select Tools in the upper left, then add or open the Accessibility tool.
In the Accessibility pane, select Full Check.
In the dialog that opens, under Report Options, ensure Create accessibility report is checked.
Under Checking Options, select the desired standard (e.g., WCAG 2.0 or PDF/UA) if available.
NoteIf your version of Acrobat does not list PDF/UA or WCAG options, the checker will still test for core accessibility issues relevant to both standards.
Click Start Checking to run the accessibility check.
Review the results in the Accessibility Checker panel; expand each section to see issues flagged.
Address all issues marked as Failed or Needs manual check by following the recommended fixes or using the Fix option where available.
Best practiceFor best results, avoid using 'Print to PDF' when creating documents, as this removes accessibility tags and formatting.
Repeat the accessibility check after making corrections to confirm compliance.
Save a copy of the accessibility report for documentation or auditing purposes.
Best practiceAlways verify that text is selectable and not an image; scanned PDFs are not accessible and should be remediated or recreated.
The Accessibility Checker panel provides a detailed breakdown of compliance issues and links directly to problem elements in your PDF.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
PDF/UA is a specific standard just for PDF documents, focusing on how the PDF itself is built. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a broader set of rules for all digital content, not just PDFs. Many regulated tasks need you to meet both standards.
The best way to ensure an accessible PDF is to start with an accessible source document. For example, if you create your document in Microsoft Word, use its built-in accessibility features like heading styles, alt text for images, and proper list formatting. When you export from Word to PDF, these accessibility features are often carried over, saving you a lot of time on remediation in Acrobat.
Tagging is the most important part of PDF accessibility because it tells assistive technologies, like screen readers, the structure and order of the document. Without tags, a screen reader cannot understand the content, making the PDF unusable for many people.
Yes, remediating an existing untagged PDF can be very time-consuming. It often requires manually adding tags, fixing reading order, and adding alt text to all images. It's much easier to create an accessible PDF from the beginning than to fix an old one.