PDF Accessibility Repair Checklist

Meta data

• Add document title and language meta data.

Document elements

Tags

• Add tags to document if they don't exist.
• Rebuild tags from document structure if the document tags are not PDF tags.
• Manually adjust invalid tags (headings, etc.)
• Manually adjust document structure defined in the document tags (esp. tables and lists).
• Mark elements as artifacts (spacer paragraphs, decorative images, etc.)

Alternate text

• Manually enter alternate text for elements requiring it:
  • Informational images
  • Charts
  • Formulas

Links

• Confirm behavior for any existing link elements.
• Manually create links for any text suggesting linked behavior.
• Add link tags as necessary.
• Run Find > Unmarked Annotations to locate any untagged links.

Tables

• Confirm that tag structure matches table content.
• Confirm valid tag structure (e.g. consistent cell counts across all rows)
• Confirm header cells.

Lists

• Confirm correct tag structure.

Table of contents

• For each TOC item, confirm links to appropriate pages.
• Confirm TOC tag structure.

Forms

• Add interactive form fields.
• Generate fields from document structure.
• Confirm and adjust field names and field tab order as necessary.
• Remove signature fields (optional)
• Add form tags and place them within the document's tag structure.
  • Run Find > Unmarked Annotations to locate any untagged form fields.

Reading order

• Manually confirm reading order.

Bookmarks

• Add bookmarks from document structure.

Notes

See also

Acrobat XI PDF Accessibility Repair Workflow