Most documents found on websites are PDFs, so this page was created to help you understand how to make them accessible. In general, making PDFs accessible is going to be more difficult than it will be to make a webpage content accessible, so you will want to consider if the content really needs to be in a PDF.
Instances where a web page is the better option
- Your audience is primarily trying to quickly find information, complete a task, view on mobile, and/or skim, scan, and search.
- The content will likely need to be updated/maintained.
Instances where a PDF may be the appropriate
- The content is a formal document, legal record, printable official document, or a document that your audience must download and submit.
- The content is primarily intended for printing, not viewing online, such as a flyer that is going to be distributed at an event.
If you do decide to create a PDF with the intention of sharing it digitally, then it is best practice to make it as accessible as possible in the original document (such as in MS Word). Then, use accessibility checkers to find issues in the document so you can go back and fix them in the original document. After fixing issues in the original document, run the checker again. Repeat this process until the document’s accessibility issues have all been addressed.
If you do not have access to the original document, and you are unable to recreate it, then you can use the auto-tag feature available in paid checkers to help give you a starting point with tagging. However, the auto-tag features are not proven to be accurate, so you will need to still put a fair amount of time into reviewing and fixing tags in that tool in order to make your documents accessible.
Microsoft Word
Accessible Word Document Training
(State of Minnesota)
This training put together by MN Information Technology (MNIT) clearly explains the components to making Word documents accessible. The training modules aren’t very long, but cover all of the pieces that need to be taken into account and applied.
PDFs
All PDFs should be tested after they are created, even if they were created in a program that has an accessibility check (such as Microsoft Word). Here are a couple of tools that you may want to consider using, along with some training resources.
PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker)
The PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) tool can help check your PDF documents for accessibility issues. It is free software that you download to your computer. However, it is only available for Windows PCs, so Mac users will not be able to use it.
The PAC tool will help you identify issues, but you will not be able to fix them in the tool. You will need to go back to your original document or use another tool or software to fix them.
Download and resources provided by PAC
Other PAC resource
How to Use PAC Accessibility Checker for a Deeper PDF ADA Validation (6 minute video)
(MayeCreate)
This is a nice short video overview of how to use PAC. It covers the basics without going too much into detail, so it’s perfect for someone just starting to use the tool. The recommendation to use ChatGPT or another AI tool to figure out how to fix issues that show up in PAC is a good way to understand what you need to do to make your documents accessible.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
This is a paid software program offered by Adobe. It is not the free Adobe Reader. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC has an auto-tag feature and will allow you to make many accessibility fixes which may be helpful if you do not have the original document to start from. However, Acrobat Pro DC does not fully check for all accessibility, so you will still want to use another tool such as PAC as a final check.
Creating Accessible PDFs
(Digital Accessibility Services – Harvard University Information Technology)
This page provides an overview of what accessibility checks you should perform in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
Create and Verify PDF Accessibility
(Adobe)
This is the first section in the “help” documentation that Adobe has for Acrobat Pro DC. This section and the other sections that are with it may be helpful to reference if you are trying to figure out what the different features are within the tool.