A Guide to PDF Accessibility

PDFs are one of the most widely used file formats on the web, ranking third in popularity behind only a few other formats like JPGs and PNGs. However, many PDFs do not meet accessibility standards and are unusable for people with disabilities.

Whether it’s a student browsing educational resources or a patient reviewing medical documents, PDF accessibility is essential to ensure everyone has equal access to digital information.

In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of PDF accessibility and outline key steps to make your documents legally compliant and usable for all people, regardless of disability.

What is a PDF?

A PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a file format created by Adobe that captures the layout, text, images, and graphics of a document in a fixed, un-editable layout. The main advantage of using PDFs is that they appear the same no matter what device or software is used to open them, which makes them ideal for sharing documents without worrying about compatibility issues.

PDFs are widely used for e-books, forms, reports, and official documents because they preserve original formatting. They can also include interactive elements like hyperlinks, buttons, and form fields. Plus, PDFs support encryption and digital signatures—key considerations for secure, professional documents.

Traditionally, PDFs are known for presenting static, unchanging content. While they can now support interactive elements like forms, hyperlinks, and multimedia, the fixed structure of a PDF can make it challenging for assistive technologies to interpret the content effectively. This is where accessibility issues can occur.

Why PDF accessibility matters

PDF accessibility ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and interact with the information in a PDF. When a PDF is inaccessible, people with disabilities—like those who are blind, have low vision, or have mobility disabilities—might struggle to read or navigate the document. Accessible PDFs enable screen readers to interpret text correctly, allow keyboard navigation for those who don’t use a mouse or pointer, and provide descriptive alt text for images so all users can understand their content.

Making PDFs accessible isn’t just about inclusivity; it’s required by laws such as the ADA and Section 508. Failing to comply with these laws can have consequences, including fines and lawsuits. In fact, between 2017 and 2022, over 13,000 ADA-related lawsuits were filed due to inaccessible digital content, with the pace of litigation showing no signs of slowing down.

Ultimately, accessible PDF documents both create a better experience for users and mitigate risk for organizations.

Who benefits from PDF accessibility?

PDF accessibility is essential for a diverse group of users who depend on accessible documents to read, understand, and interact with content. The users for whom PDF accessibility is particularly important include:

1. Individuals with vision disabilities

People who are blind may use screen readers to convert text to speech or braille. Accessible PDFs with proper tagging, alt text for images, and a logical reading order enable screen readers to accurately interpret and convey a document’s content. Users with low vision may use screen magnification tools or require high-contrast color schemes, so it’s important that PDFs are created with these considerations in mind.

2. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing

For PDFs that include multimedia elements like embedded videos or audio clips, accessibility means providing captions or transcripts so users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can access auditory information in a visual format.

3. Individuals with motor disabilities

Some people may have difficulty using a mouse or keyboard. Accessible PDFs enable easier navigation with keyboard commands and support alternative input devices by using a well-structured tagging system. Proper tagging of images, tables, forms and other non-textual objects allows users to move between sections and understand a document’s structure without needing a mouse.

4. Individuals with cognitive or learning disabilities

Users with cognitive or learning disabilities may benefit from clear layouts, straightforward language, and consistent formatting. Accessible PDFs help reduce cognitive load by presenting information in an organized and predictable manner.

5. Older adults

Accessible PDFs improve usability for seniors. Some may experience declining vision, hearing, or motor skills while others may not identify as having a disability, but still benefit from accessible design features.

6. Users of assistive technologies

Many assistive technologies depend on properly structured documents to function correctly. Accessible PDFs ensure compatibility with screen readers and a wide range of assistive technologies, facilitating smoother user experiences.

How to make PDFs accessible

By creating accessible PDFs, you can enhance readability, navigability, and overall user experience for countless people, including those who rely on assistive technologies. Here are five effective ways to make your PDFs more accessible:

• Provide a logical document structure

To create an accessible PDF, it’s important to use a proper document structure. This means organizing content with headings, lists, and formatting that follows a clear hierarchy. Headings should be structured logically (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.), helping screen readers and users navigate the document efficiently.

• Include alternative text for images

Including descriptive alternative text (alt text) is essential for making images accessible in PDFs. Alt text provides a textual description that conveys the information or purpose of an image to users who are unable to see it, such as those using screen readers.

• Ensure sufficient color contrast

Ensuring there is adequate color contrast between text and background elements in a PDF is critical to providing an accessible reading experience, especially for users with low vision or color blindness. Poor color contrast is one of the most frequently encountered violations of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). By following these guidelines for PDF accessibility and using a color contrast checker, you can evaluate and work to improve the readability of your content.

• Provide text resizing options

Some users may opt to increase text size for comfortable reading. PDFs should be designed to allow text resizing without distorting their layout or cutting off content. This flexibility ensures that users who need larger text can still access the document’s full content without difficulty.

• Include hyperlink descriptions

Links labeled with generic terms like “click here” don’t give users much information about a link’s destination. Instead, descriptive link text—such as “Read more about our services”—provides context and makes navigation clearer. This is especially important for screen reader users, as it allows them to understand where a link will take them before clicking. It also helps reduce frustration, as unnecessary navigation can be more cumbersome for those relying on assistive technologies.

• Use proper tagging

Using tags in PDFs is integral to accessibility, as these tags enable screen readers to interpret the content accurately. Tags create a structural hierarchy within the document, defining elements like headings, lists, and tables. This organization helps users navigate through the content more easily and improves readability for those using assistive technologies. By implementing proper tagging, you make it possible for screen readers to present the document in a logical order.

After implementing these six common techniques for creating accessible PDFs, the next step is to ensure that your document meets accessibility standards. That’s where PDF accessibility testing is key—to help you validate that your PDFs are accessible and usable for everyone. We’ll explore PDF accessibility testing more in the following section of this blog.

What is PDF accessibility testing?

PDF accessibility testing is the process of evaluating a PDF document to determine whether it meets accessibility standards and can be used by people with disabilities. This testing checks that the document is compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers, supports keyboard navigation, and includes features like tags, alt text for images, proper color contrast, and readable fonts.

Testing can be conducted manually or with automated tools. Manual testing typically involves using a screen reader to navigate the document, checking for issues like reading order, link descriptions, and overall text clarity.

Automated tools, such as Level Access’ PDF Accessibility Checker, can quickly identify common issues like missing tags or incorrect reading order. This tool adheres to the PDF/UA standard, a globally recognized benchmark for ensuring PDF accessibility.

For a more thorough approach, Level Access also provides comprehensive document remediation services—including manual evaluation and remediation of PDFs—so you don’t need to be a PDF accessibility expert to be confident in your documents’ usability.

It’s important to remember that achieving digital accessibility isn’t limited to making PDFs accessible; it requires a holistic approach across the entire web experience. This means testing for compliance not only in PDFs but also across all digital assets. It’s recommended to use an integrated platform that helps embed accessibility at every stage of digital content creation.

Streamline PDF accessibility

As PDFs evolve with interactive features and expanded capabilities, making sure they remain accessible is critical.

At Level Access, we’re here to support you in fixing and maintaining your PDFs to ensure they are accessible, user-friendly, and legally compliant.

To explore how your organization can benefit from the capabilities of our PDF Accessibility Checker and document remediation services, speak to a member of our team today.

Request a demo

FAQ

How do I fix PDF accessibility issues?

To fix accessibility issues in PDFs, use tools like Level Access’ PDF Accessibility Checker to identify problems. Common fixes include adding tags for structure, inserting alt text for images, ensuring logical reading order, and correcting contrast issues.

What does it mean for a document to be “Section 508 compliant”?

A Section 508 compliant document adheres to federal standards for accessibility, ensuring that it can be used by individuals with disabilities, particularly those relying on assistive technologies.

What are PDF accessibility services?

PDF accessibility services help organizations ensure their PDF documents are accessible to people with disabilities by offering remediation, testing, and compliance checks. These services may also provide guidance and training on creating accessible PDFs and verifying that they meet compliance requirements.