When You Need This Guide
PDFs are a common — but very challenging — document format for accessibility. The work required depends on how the PDF was created:
| PDF Type | What's Needed | Effort Level |
|---|---|---|
| Exported from an accessible Word document | Run Accessibility Check, fix minor issues | Low |
| Scanned document with OCR already applied | Tagging + structure + alt text | Medium-High |
| Created from scratch in Acrobat | Full tagging and structure setup | High |
| Scanned document (image-only) | OCR (text recognition) + full remediation | Very High |
Key takeaway: If the content can be a Word document, start in Word. Use PDF only when the format is genuinely necessary (forms, complex layouts, official documents).
Note: Adobe Acrobat Pro is available to SRJC faculty and staff. If you don't have it installed, contact the IT Help Desk for assistance.
Step-by-Step: Checking a PDF in Acrobat Pro
- Step 1: Run the Accessibility Check
Always the first step — it tells you exactly what needs fixing.
- Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro (not Acrobat Reader — Pro is required for remediation)
- All Tools → Prepare for Accessibility → Check for Accessibility → Make sure all Checking Options are selected (32 in all)
- Click Start Checking
- Review the results in the Accessibility Checker panel on the right
The report categorizes issues as Failed (must fix), Passed, and Needs Manual Check (needs human review).
- Step 2: Set the Document Language
If the checker reports "Document language not set":
File → Properties → Advanced → Reading Options → Language → English- Step 3: Add Alt Text to Images
If the checker reports missing alt text:
- Tools → Accessibility → Set Alternative Text
- Acrobat guides you to enter a description for each image
- Mark decorative images as decorative (background artifacts)
- Step 4: Fix Reading Order
If the checker reports reading order issues:
- Menu → View → Show/Hide → Side Panels → Order
- The Order panel shows the current reading sequence with numbered items
- Drag items to reorder them so the sequence matches the visual reading order
- Verify that headings, paragraphs, images, and tables are in the correct sequence
See Reading Order for why this matters.
- Step 5: Check and Fix Tags
Tags are the structure that tells screen readers what each element is (heading, paragraph, image, table, etc.).
- Menu → View → Show/Hide → Side Panels → Tags
- Expand the tags tree to verify:
- Document has a proper tag structure
- Headings are tagged as H1, H2, H3 (not just P)
- Images have alt text in their tag properties
- Tables have proper TR, TH, TD tags (TR = table row, TH = table header, and TD = table data)
- Right-click a tag → Properties to edit tag type or add alt text
- Step 6: Re-Run the Accessibility Check
After making fixes, run the full check again to be sure all issues are resolved.
OCR for Scanned PDFs
Scanned PDFs are image-only — they contain no real text. Screen readers cannot read them at all. You must apply OCR (Optical Character Recognition) before any other remediation:
- All Tools → Scan & OCR → Recognize Text → In This File
- Wait for OCR to process
- Then proceed with the accessibility check and remediation steps above
Important: After OCR, always proofread the recognized text — OCR is not 100% accurate, especially with handwriting, unusual fonts, or poor-quality scans.
When to Use Word Instead
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Creating a new document | Use Word — it's much easier to make accessible |
| Need to share a form | Use Word or a web form tool — PDF forms are very difficult to make accessible |
| Have a scanned document | If possible, find the original document and recreate it in Word |
| Need a fixed-format official document | PDF is appropriate, but build from an accessible Word file and use Save As PDF |
Common Issues & Fixes
| Issue | How to Fix |
|---|---|
| Document not tagged | All Tools → Prepare for Accessibility → Automatically tag PDF (then verify and fix tags) |
| Scanned/image-only document | All Tools → Scan & OCR → Recognize Text (OCR) first |
| Missing alt text | All Tools → Prepare for Accessibility → Add Alternate Text |
| Wrong reading order | All Tools → Prepare for Accessibility → Fix reading order → Show Order Panel → drag items to correct sequence |
| Undefined language | Menu → Document Properties → Advanced → Reading Options → Language |
| Headings tagged as paragraphs | Accessibility Tags panel → right-click tag → change to H1/H2/H3 |
| Table missing header tags | Accessibility Tags panel → expand table tag → right-click cells → change to TH |
Checking Your Work: Complete Checklist
[ ] Accessibility Check run — all "Failed" items resolved
[ ] Document language is set
[ ] All meaningful images have alt text
[ ] Reading order matches visual order
[ ] Tags are correct (headings as H1/H2/H3, not paragraphs)
[ ] Tables have header cells tagged as TH
[ ] Re-ran Accessibility Check after fixes — no remaining failures