How can I make sure the reading order of my accessible soil report is correct?

After auto-tagging, go to 'All tools' > 'Prepare for accessibility'. Select the 'Reading Order' tool. Visually check the numbered boxes on your page. They show the order a screen reader will follow. Drag and drop boxes to reorder them if needed, ensuring a logical flow.

What is the difference between WCAG and PDF/UA for accessible soil reports?

Feature WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) PDF/UA (PDF/Universal Accessibility). Focus General web content and digital information. Specific to PDF documents. Scope Technology-agnostic (applies to websites, documents, etc.). PDF-specific requirements for structure and tags. Use Common standard for digital accessibility globally. Often required for highly regulated PDF documents.

Accessible Soil Report Handout in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

CDecide — “help me choose”Convert this technical soil report into a brief, accessible version for community members:…+

Convert this technical soil report into a brief, accessible version for community members: simplify jargon, keep crucial figures, and add two plain-language bullet points that explain what the data means for their land. Warn me if any technical simplifications risk misrepresenting uncertainty and provide one clear sentence the outreach lead can read aloud at the meeting.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF document you want to check for accessibility.
2
Click the Tools tab at the top of the Acrobat window.
3
Scroll through the list and select Accessibility to add the Accessibility tools to your workspace if they are not already visible.
Best practiceIf you do not see the Accessibility tools, you may need to add them from the Tools pane as they are not shown by default.
4
In the Accessibility tools pane, click Full Check.
5
In the Accessibility Checker Options dialog, review the settings and click Start Checking.
Best practiceFor a thorough check, ensure all checkboxes are selected before starting the check.
6
Review the results displayed in the Accessibility Checker panel on the left side of the screen.

In the appWith the API

You can right-click in the Navigation Pane to show the Accessibility tags panel for more detailed tag inspection.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

AccessibilityMaking sure everyone, including people with disabilities, can use something.ExampleThe website was designed with Accessibility in mind, so screen readers can easily navigate it.

Alt textA short description for images so people who cannot see them know what they show.ExampleA person using a screen reader hears 'a red bicycle leaning against a brick wall' when they encounter the image.

TaggingAdding labels to parts of a document so screen readers can understand it.ExampleTagging a document helps visually impaired users navigate its content with a screen reader.

Who does this

3 roles

Accessibility SpecialistInstructional DesignerDocument Remediator

FAQ

about this task

The most important step for PDF accessibility is tagging. Tags tell assistive technologies, like screen readers, the structure of your document. Without tags, the content might be unreadable or make no sense to someone using these tools.

After auto-tagging, go to 'All tools' > 'Prepare for accessibility'.
Select the 'Reading Order' tool.
Visually check the numbered boxes on your page. They show the order a screen reader will follow.
Drag and drop boxes to reorder them if needed, ensuring a logical flow.

Yes, Acrobat can help make scanned PDFs accessible. The 'Automatically tag PDF' tool uses Sensei AI to identify and tag elements like headings, tables, and paragraphs, even in scanned documents. However, scanned documents often need more manual review for reading order and alt text accuracy than PDFs created from digital sources.

It is always better to fix accessibility issues in the original source file, like a Word document, because changes made there will carry over when you export to PDF. This saves a lot of time and effort. Remediating an existing PDF can be very time-consuming, especially for complex documents, as you are fixing problems after they are created.

Feature	WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)	PDF/UA (PDF/Universal Accessibility)
Focus	General web content and digital information.	Specific to PDF documents.
Scope	Technology-agnostic (applies to websites, documents, etc.).	PDF-specific requirements for structure and tags.
Use	Common standard for digital accessibility globally.	Often required for highly regulated PDF documents.

Accessible Soil Report Handout

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

Other guides