What is the difference between PDF/UA and WCAG for PDF accessibility?

Standard Focus Applicability. PDF/UA Specific to PDF documents, ensures technical accessibility of the PDF file structure. Often required for regulated work, focuses on the PDF's internal structure. WCAG General guidelines for web content accessibility, applies to many technologies. Technology-agnostic, covers a wider range of accessibility principles for all digital content.

What are the main things I need to check after using the Accessibility Checker in Acrobat?

Tab Order: Make sure the order in which users can tab through interactive elements is logical. Alt Text: Verify that all images have meaningful alternative text descriptions. Headings: Check that headings are used correctly to structure the document and are in the right order.

Accessibility As Design KPI in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

DBecome — “help me grow”Looking at every accessibility ticket this year, propose one reporting cadence and one team…+

Looking at every accessibility ticket this year, propose one reporting cadence and one team habit that makes fixes visible and accountable. Recommend the acknowledgement wording, the routing owner role, and one metric to show leadership progress every month.

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.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

I want accessibility reporting to become a design KPI, not a support annoyance.

FAQ

about this task

The best way to make a PDF accessible is to fix the source document, like a Word file, before you export it to PDF. This makes sure the PDF starts with good accessibility features, saving you time later.

Standard	Focus	Applicability
PDF/UA	Specific to PDF documents, ensures technical accessibility of the PDF file structure.	Often required for regulated work, focuses on the PDF's internal structure.
WCAG	General guidelines for web content accessibility, applies to many technologies.	Technology-agnostic, covers a wider range of accessibility principles for all digital content.

Yes, you can still make a scanned PDF accessible. The 'Automatically tag PDF' feature, powered by Sensei, can tag headings, tables, lists, and paragraphs even in scanned PDFs. You will still need to check and fix things manually afterward.

Fixing the reading order is important because it tells screen readers the correct sequence to read the content. If the order is wrong, a user might hear parts of the document in a confusing or illogical way.

Tab Order: Make sure the order in which users can tab through interactive elements is logical.
Alt Text: Verify that all images have meaningful alternative text descriptions.
Headings: Check that headings are used correctly to structure the document and are in the right order.

Accessibility As Design KPI

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

Other guides