Conference organizers asked for an accessible version of my paper suitable for screen readers in [deadline=two days], …
Open the PDF document you want to check for accessibility.
Click the Tools tab at the top of the Acrobat window.
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.
In the Accessibility tools pane, click Full Check.
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.
Review the results displayed in the Accessibility Checker panel on the left side of the screen.
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.
| Standard | Focus |
|---|---|
| PDF/UA | A standard specifically for PDF documents. |
| WCAG | A broader standard for web content that applies to many technologies, including PDFs. |
Fixing the original document (like a Word file) before creating the PDF saves a lot of time. If the source is accessible, the PDF export will likely be accessible too. This means less work to fix problems later in the PDF, making the process faster and more efficient.
The most important first step for an untagged PDF is to use the 'Automatically tag PDF' feature. This adds basic structure, which is the biggest factor in making a PDF accessible. After this, you can start fixing other details.
The 'Reading Order' tool lets you check and change the order in which a screen reader will read the content on a page. It is important because if the reading order is wrong, a screen reader might jump around the page, making the document confusing or impossible to understand for users with visual impairments.