An estimated 15% of internet users are visually impaired or blind. To ensure that the PDF documents are accessible to all users it is essential to make it accessible. Find out how to make it accessible...

Portable Document Format, commonly known as PDF was initially developed so that the documents saved can be printed. Slowly but gradually this format became a standard for exchanging digital files as the users are able to view the documents irrespective of the environment in which it was created. Now, most of the documents on public or private websites are stored in this format. But one major drawback with this format is, they are not accessible to the visually-impaired. This can impact the browsing experience and lead to a loss of credibility in business.

There are numerous documents in various file formats available on the websites and the internet in general. These files have to be accessible to all including people with visual and hearing disabilities. PDF accessibility is the process of editing the files so that they are interpreted properly with the help of software or tools like Braille, speech synthesizers.

A PDF accessible file offers many benefits, some of them are listed below:

How to make PDFs accessible is the most common question that arises, but it all starts at the source document level.

PDFs created from MS word Doc: The word documents are the easiest of formats to make it accessible.
If you are creating a new word document making it accessible is easy. First, create a document that is accessible and most of the accessibility will then be carried forward to the PDF too. MS word has a lot of functionality that makes it easy to create documents with accessibility. For example, the Styles option can help in creating various sections within the different fonts and styles. Use list functionality instead of using bullets or numbers to automatically format lists. Tables can be added to the document, etc. Make use of the features to create a structured document.

Any issues with accessibility can be checked by the ‘check accessibility’ option in MS Word before saving the document. But note that not all issues are caught by the automated checker and hence expertise in manually checking is essential. So many businesses prefer to hire the services of professional companies who can aid in designing and testing the documents for accessibility. The results will be displayed on a panel and the errors must be addressed.
After checking the document, it can then be saved as a PDF file. Depending on the version of MS Word, the checkbox for ‘document structure tags’ or ‘enable accessibility and reflow with Tagged PDF’ should be enabled before saving the file.

PDFs created through scan: The scanned documents are pictures of the original. The information contained in these scanned images is not accessible as computers can’t read them. Hence, this has to be first converted into an optical character recognition image by using Acrobat Pro so that the computer can read it. The scanned images contain bitmaps and the software converts the bitmap into actual characters by performing the OCR (Optical Character Recognition). It can be done in two ways either by using the Scanned Page Alert Dialog box or by using the Action Wizard in Tools Menu of the Acrobat Pro.

PDF Files created from Adobe Indesign: Adobe Indesign which is a desktop publishing application is used to create ebooks, newspapers, magazines, etc. These files can be converted into PDF accessible files by applying the accessibility features. Create your documents using the ‘Paragraph’ styles so that the documents are accessible. Use ‘styles’ for the text that includes headings and subheadings. Ensure that you associate each of the styles with specific PDF tags. Add alt text to all images. In the Articles menu use the content read to establish read order. Export the document to PDF and ensure that you select the ‘Create tagged PDF’ checkbox.

PDF accessibility is dependent on how well the source document is structured. How to create accessible PDFs is determined by the original source, the more the source is inaccessible more it becomes difficult. When creating a new document or remediating the old one there are a few core steps that should be followed. These steps for accessibility are regardless of whether the document is MS Word, PDF, scanned image or even an HTML.

Before proclaiming that the document is accessible it needs to be tested to ensure that everything on the document is readable by speech synthesizers. Testing of these can be done using a manual process as well as using automated tools. One of the commonly used tools is the PAC, PDF Accessibility Checker which determines accessibility. After the results are processed by the tools, the readings have to manually check to know its accuracy. Testing using screen readers is also essential to ensure that every aspect of the document is accessible. The accessible documents should be as per the Section 508 guidelines so that it is accessible via all assistive technologies.

PDF/UA Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 requirements need to be fulfilled for accessibility. The scope of this is not more of a set of guidelines so that the file is available for all possible users including those with disabilities. Some of the components included in the guidelines are:

When these files are made accessible it increases the usability and enhances the reach for all users including those with visual impairments.