Best practice
PDF accessibility concepts
- Understand the fundamental principles of PDF accessibility
- Recognize the importance of proper document structure from the source document
- Know when PDF is the appropriate format for accessibility
- Plan for accessibility during document creation, not as an afterthought
PDF structure and tagging
- Use proper heading hierarchy in the source document
- Ensure all content has appropriate tags
- Verify logical reading order matches visual layout
- Include document properties such as title, author, and subject
Reading order
- Test reading order with screen reader or tag panel
- Ensure content flows logically from top to bottom, left to right
- Address multi-column layouts and complex page structures
- Verify that sidebars and callouts are positioned appropriately
Alternative text in PDFs
- Provide meaningful alternative text for all informative images
- Mark decorative images appropriately to hide from screen readers
- Describe complex images, charts, and graphs adequately
- Use concise, clear descriptions that convey essential information
- Use proper form field labels and instructions
- Ensure tab order follows logical sequence
- Provide clear error messages and validation feedback
- Group related form fields appropriately
Tables in PDFs
- Include proper table headers for all data tables
- Ensure table structure is preserved in PDF conversion
- Provide table summaries when necessary
- Avoid using tables for layout purposes
Accessibility checkers
- Use built-in accessibility checkers in Adobe Acrobat
- Understand common accessibility issues identified by checkers
- Know that checkers catch technical issues but not content quality
- Perform manual testing in addition to automated checking
- Learn to use Adobe Acrobat's accessibility features
- Understand when to fix issues in source vs. PDF
- Use appropriate tools for tagging and reading order fixes
- Know the limitations of automated remediation
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