Create an accessible version of the draft [document=long-range plan PDF] with tags and readable structure so visually …
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.
Tagging is the most important part of making a PDF accessible. It tells screen readers how the document is organized. Without tags, a screen reader might read text in the wrong order or miss important information, making the PDF hard to understand for someone who cannot see it.
| Feature | PDF/UA | WCAG |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Rules for PDF files only | Rules for all web content, not just PDFs |
| Use | Specific for making PDF documents accessible | General guidelines for digital accessibility |
| Requirement | Often needed for official or regulated PDF documents | Common standard for all online content |
Yes, if you make your original document accessible (for example, by using proper headings and alt text in Word), the PDF created from it will usually be much more accessible. This is the best way to start, as it saves a lot of time fixing the PDF later.
Auto-tagging is good, but it only gets about 80% of the structure right. A computer cannot always understand complex layouts, tables, or the best descriptions for images. You need to check the reading order to make sure content flows logically and add alt text so people using screen readers understand what images show.