PDF Accessibility
Checker

PDF Accessibility: What You Need to Know

PDF documents are everywhere — contracts, reports, forms, invoices, and publications. But most PDFs are created without accessibility in mind, making them unusable for the 2.2 billion people worldwide with visual impairments or the millions who rely on screen readers and other assistive technologies. PDF accessibility isn't optional — it's required by law in many jurisdictions.

Legal Requirements for PDF Accessibility

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires all federal agencies and contractors to make electronic documents — including PDFs — accessible to people with disabilities. This applies to government forms, reports, publications, and any document shared publicly.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been interpreted by courts to cover digital content, including PDFs on websites. Multiple lawsuits have targeted inaccessible PDFs, particularly in healthcare, education, and financial services.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the technical standard referenced by most regulations. While WCAG was written for web content, its principles apply directly to PDFs: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users.

The PDF/UA standard (ISO 14289) is the dedicated accessibility standard specifically for PDF documents. It defines precise technical requirements for tagged structure, alternative text, navigation, and metadata. PDF/UA compliance generally satisfies WCAG requirements for PDF content.

The 7 Key Accessibility Checks

Our PDF accessibility checker tests the most critical compliance requirements:

• Document Title — A descriptive title in metadata helps users identify the document. Screen readers announce it when opening the file.
• Language Tag — Setting the primary language allows screen readers to use the correct pronunciation rules and speech synthesis.
• Tagged Structure — Tags define the document's logical structure (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables). Without tags, screen readers read content as a flat text stream with no navigation.
• Heading Hierarchy — Properly nested headings (H1 → H2 → H3) create a navigational outline. Users can jump between sections just as they would on a webpage.
• Image Alt Text — Every meaningful image needs alternative text describing its content. Decorative images should be marked as artifacts so screen readers skip them.
• Bookmarks — Long documents need bookmarks (like a table of contents) for navigation. They're especially important for documents over 5 pages.
• Text Extractability — If a PDF is a scanned image without OCR, no text can be read by assistive technology. OCR must be applied to make scanned content accessible.

How to Create Accessible PDFs

The best approach is to create accessibility at the source. In Microsoft Word, use built-in heading styles, add alt text to images, and use proper table structures. When exporting to PDF, enable "Document structure tags for accessibility" in the save options. Adobe InDesign, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer have similar features.

For existing PDFs, Adobe Acrobat Pro provides the most comprehensive remediation tools. The Accessibility panel includes automated tag detection, reading order adjustment, alt text editors, and a built-in checker. Free alternatives like the PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) from the Swiss foundation Access For All can validate compliance but can't fix issues.

Beyond PDFs: Full Website Accessibility

PDF accessibility is one piece of the compliance puzzle. Your website's HTML pages, forms, navigation, and multimedia content all need to meet WCAG standards too. Use an automated accessibility scanner like RatedWithAI to test your entire site and get prioritized fix recommendations across all content types.