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.
Acrobat is a very challenging tool to correct accessibility issues in, and it is strongly recommended that you sign up for on-demand Accessible Document training. Contact the Online Accessibility Coordinator for more information (see sidebar).
Bottom Line: If the content of your document can be shared as web page content, that is the most accessible format available (HTML). An accessible Word document is good for internal use (as Word is available to all employees).
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