Document Title 
Language
Font
Creating PDFs from Office 365 products
Tab/Reading Order
Document Tags
Alt Text
Hyperlinks
Scanned Documents
How to Check Accessibility
Resources

When developing a PDF, it is crucial to ensure accessibility for all users, including those who rely on assistive technologies. This guide provides a summary of best practices for creating an accessible document that follows Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Washington State University (WSU) standards.
When creating content, it's important to evaluate whether PDF is the most suitable format. For web content, HTML is generally more accessible and should be preferred over PDFs.

Document Title

Saved documents require document titles so that a screen reader will be able to scan and read it. For Adobe Acrobat, a title must be manually added in the document properties. The title should clearly communicate the purpose, provide a summary of the content, and be easily searchable.
To add a document title to your PDF:

  • Select Menu and then select Document Properties.
  • Under the Description tag, fill out both the Title and the Author of the PDF.
  • Select Ok which will close the box.
Document Titles for PDFs

Titles in Documents

Language

  • Use plain language appropriate for the intended audience.
  • When using abbreviations or acronyms, they must be defined early on.
    • For example: Washington State University (WSU) is in Pullman, Washington (WA).
  • Avoid using sensory characteristics, references to shape, size, sound, color, and location, when providing instructions.
    • Use: Select the link that says Understanding Sensory Characteristics for more information.
    • Not: Select the link at the bottom of the section for more information.

Understanding Sensory Characteristics

Font

While Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) require that you use a plain easy to read font, WSU has several recommended fonts. Note: some of these fonts may not be available for all applications.
For Print and Digital: Proxima Nova, FreightBig Pro
For Web: Montserrat
Microsoft Office: Corbel, Arial, Baskerville Old Face

While it is tempting to use a "fun" font, they are often difficult to read.
Font size should be a minimum of 12 pts.

Outside of titles and headings, text should be in the "normal" style.

Creating PDFs from Office 365 products

Microsoft Office 365 offers robust tools for converting documents into PDF format with ease. Additionally, Microsoft provides easy to use features to facilitate the creation of accessible content.
However, it is important to note that complex documents, such as Excel spreadsheet reports, may present challenges in maintaining accessibility once converted to PDF. For example, issues may arise with reading order, table structures, or embedded charts. Therefore, it is advisable to consider accessibility requirements during the document creation process if the final output is intended to be a PDF. This can include using clear headings, ensuring proper table formatting, and providing alternative text for images and charts.

Tab Order

The tab order determines the sequence in which users navigate through elements using the Tab key. It's crucial to verify this order to ensure that text and images are read in the correct sequence.
To manually fix the tab order for links, form fields, comments, and other annotations:

  1. Select the Pages panel on the navigation pane (this is a series of icons under the Share button).
  2. Select a page, right-click, and then choose Page Properties from the Options menu.
  3. In the Page Properties dialog box, choose Tab Order. Then, select Use Document Structure, and select OK.
  4. Repeat these steps for all thumbnails in the document.


To add the pages panel to your navigation panel:

  1. Go to Menu and select view.
  2. Select Show/Hide.
  3. Select Side Panels.
  4. Check Pages.

Manual adjustments may be necessary if the automatic fix does not correctly order all elements, especially in complex documents.

Reading Order

Reading Order helps assistive technology know the sequence of information in a PDF. Complex documents, such as reports with numerous tables, will have issues with reading order as Adobe attempts to understand the document's flow.
To fix reading order issues:

  1. In the All Tools menu, select Prepare for accessibility.
  2. Select Fix Reading Order. This will open a box with options such as Text/Paragraph and Heading 1.
  3. Using your curser, highlight a section of the document that is grouped together and in the order you wish, such as highlight the first paragraph of your document. This will create a series of lines that are a different color.
  4. Identify which type of content and select the matching box in the dialogue box. (If you highlighted the first paragraph, you will select the text/paragraph button.)
  5. When you hit return, all the lines will disappear. You can follow the changes and the order of your document in the Order Panel.
  6. If you make a mistake, you can select Clear Page Structure and start over.

Reading Order tool for PDFS
WCAG article: Ensuring correct tab and reading order in PDF documents

Document Tags

Document tags allow a screen reader to know if they are looking at an image, a paragraph, a heading, etc. Acrobat tags your PDF automatically, but you can manually alter the tags, especially for complex documents, in the Accessibility tags side panel.
To add the tags panel to your navigation panel (under the Share button):

  1. Go to Menu and select view.
  2. Select Show/Hide.
  3. Select Side Panels.
  4. Check accessibility tags.

When you have the Accessibility tags side panel open, you can select a tag type and see what is tagged under it. When you select a specific tag, the area in the document will be outlined so you can see what is tagged.
Right clicking on the tag will open a menu where you can delete and edit tags. To edit, select properties which will open a dialog box.

 
Edit document structure with the Content and Tags panels

Alt Text

Alt text is a detailed description of the content in an image, table, chart or other visual media. It is attached to the visual media so that a screen reader can read the description and convey the important information to users with visual impairments.
To ensure your images in a PDF have alt text, add the alt text to the original document. Adobe Acrobat will carry this alt text into the PDF.
For some images, you can view the alt text by hovering your cursor over the image.
If this is not possible or if you need to edit the alt text, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Accessibility tags side panel.
  2. If there are tags for the images, select the appropriate tag (some will be under 'figure' and some 'image'). Right-click and open Properties. The alt text goes in the title section.
  3. If there is not a tag for an image, select the image, then the three dots near "Accessibility tags". Here, select New Tag. In the new dialogue box, select type and put in a title.

WCAG article: Hiding decorative images with the Artifact tag in PDF documents

Hyperlinks

When creating a hyperlink, the link must describe the destination so that the reader has a clear understanding of where the link goes. Hyperlinks can move within a document or outside of the document.
To create a hyperlink in a PDF:

  1. Highlight the text you would like to link (externally or internally) and right-click.
  2. Select Create link in the menu.
  3. A dialog box will appear. Here, you can decide what the link looks like and where the link goes (within the document, a file, or a web page).
  4. Select Next.
  • If you are linking internally, the next step will be to select the location by navigating through the document and clicking where you want it to link. Select Set Link.
  • For a file, the next menu will prompt you to search and select a file from your device.
  • For a webpage, you will be prompted to insert the web address and save.

Scanned Documents

When documents are scanned, they are converted into images. As a result, they become inaccessible to individuals who rely on assistive technology.
If there is no other way to create the document, consider the following:

  • Make sure the scanner and image are as clean as possible.
  • Make sure the image is centered and nothing is cut off.
  • Once scanned, save your image as a jpeg to reduce file size.
  • Use an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tool to make the document readable.

Adobe Article – Edit scanned PDFs
WCAG Article – Performing OCR on a scanned PDF document to provide actual text

How to Check Accessibility

  • Go to the All Tools Panel.
  • Select Prepare for accessibility.
  • Select Check for accessibility. This will open a dialog box where you can select options before selecting Start Checking.
  • The Accessibility Checker side panel will open once the check is completed. This will tell you where the issues were found and allow you to select the areas that have issues.
  • For a more robust report, select Open accessibility report from the Prepare for accessibility menu. If you click it once, it will open the report over the Accessibility Checker side panel. If you click it twice, you will be given the option to download the report onto your device.

One advantage of opening the accessibility report is that it details all the criteria the checker evaluates and includes a link to the Adobe Help Center, which offers explanations and solutions for each issue.

Resources

Adobe Acrobat User Guide
How to Turn a Scanned Document into a PDF
WSU Digital Accessibility Guide – Creating an Accessible PDF
How to check and fix PDF accessibility issues
Your eight-step PDF accessibility checklist