PDFs are commonly used in education, but they often present major accessibility barriers—especially for students who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, or text-to-speech tools. Common issues include:
Missing headings and reading order
Images without alt text
Unlabeled form fields
Scanned documents with no actual text (just images)
Making your PDFs accessible ensures that all learners—including those who are blind, low-vision, dyslexic, or using mobile devices—can read and interact with the content.
Help you check for potential barriers (via explanation or checklists)
Generate alternative formats (text versions, plain language summaries)
Write alt text or headings from pasted content
Explain how to use tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro or Microsoft Word to fix accessibility issues
I’m reviewing a PDF document I use in my online course. Can you walk me through the steps to make it accessible, including checking for reading order, adding alt text to images, tagging headings, and ensuring color contrast? Also, give me a checklist I can follow.
Sure! Here's a step-by-step guide to creating an accessible PDF:
Start with a well-formatted source file (like Word or PowerPoint).
Use proper headings and styles in your source document.
Add alt text to all meaningful images.
Export to PDF using the “Best for Accessibility” option (not Print to PDF).
Open in Adobe Acrobat Pro:
Run the Accessibility Checker
Use the Reading Order tool to verify the logical flow
Add missing tags (e.g., headings, lists, tables)
Set the document title and language
Check for color contrast and font legibility.
☐ Tagged properly
☐ Logical reading order
☐ Headings used
☐ Alt text added
☐ Tables formatted with headers
☐ Title and language defined
☐ No scanned-only text (OCR applied)
Tool
Function
Link
Ally
Flags inaccessible PDFs in LMS content. Alternate formats tool can be used to create an OCRed version
Open a syllabus or reading PDF you use in your course.
Ask ChatGPT for a plain language summary of a dense section.
Use Adobe Acrobat Pro to run the Accessibility Checker.
Add alt text to at least one image and check reading order.
Export a clean, tagged version and upload to your LMS.
📄 [PDF Accessibility Quick Checklist (Coming Soon)]
If you're unsure how to test reading order, or encounter issues, contact Instructional Accessibility Designer Terisa O'Dowd for support:
todowd1@twu.edu