Accessibility Checklist for PDF

Manual checking of PDF fillable forms

• Use the tab key to note the order in which the focus is moving on the fillable form
• If it is out of order, Adobe Acrobat Pro will be required to realign the tab order

Request Adobe Acrobat Pro

• Please contact IT, or complete a ticket to request access to Adobe Acrobat Pro license (Creative Cloud)

Using Adobe Pro to check for accessibility of the document

Please visit – Create and verify PDF Accessibility site for detailed step-by-step instructions on how to check your document’s accessibility. 

Here are a couple of first steps from that page:

1. Open the PDF, and then, from the global bar in the upper left, select All tools, select View more, and then select Prepare for accessibility.

Prepare for accessibility panel with a list of available actions appear on the left panel. 

2. From the left panel, select Check for accessibility. 
3. From the Accessibility Checker Options dialog, select the options as required and then select Start Checking.
4. Once the check is complete, it displays a panel on the right that lists the accessibility issues. Select each issue type drop-down to view the details and make fixes, as suggested.

 Since the Accessibility Check feature does not distinguish between essential and nonessential content types, some reported issues may not affect readability. We suggest that you review all issues to determine the ones that need correction.

The report displays one of the following statuses for each rule check:

• Passed: The item is accessible.
• Skipped By User: Rule was not checked because it wasn't selected in the Accessibility Checker Options dialog box.
• Needs Manual Check: The Full Check/Accessibility Check feature couldn't check the item automatically. Verify the item manually.
• Failed: The item didn't pass the accessibility check.

5. To view a complete report of the check, from the left panel, select Open accessibility report.

It displays a detailed report in the right panel.

NOTE:

Alternatives to PDF forms should be explored. The use of MS Office Forms and Qualitrics supports accessibility as well as collection of data in Excel forms or CSV formats. These are easier to analyze and work with.

Banner, Slate and other tools that are currently used on campus should also be explored for its capacity to create forms. 

Create an accessible MS Word document

• Follow the instructions on how to create an accessible Word document. This accessibility checklist is available on the Student Accessibility Services, Content Accessibility tab. 
• Use the Check Accessibility tool in MS Word to resolve any flags that are raised. 
• Follow the steps below to save the document as a PDF.

Note: PDF document may still have accessibility issues as this process is not perfect. The accessibility checker available in Adobe Pro (process provided in a separate document) should be used to check for errors in the document after the procedure below is used to convert to the PDF format. 

With Adobe Pro: 

• WINDOWS:
  • File > Save as Adobe > Options > Create PDF/A > Converting PDF-1a:2005 complaint file > OK
• MAC(APPLE):
  • Save As > drop down menu option- PDF > ensure the “Best for electronic distribution and accessibility" button is selected

Without Adobe Pro:

• WINDOWS:
  • File > Save As > (upper middle dropdown menu) select PDF > More Options > Options > Ensure “Document structure tags for accessibility” box and the PDF/A compliant boxes are selected > OK > Rename > Save
• MAC(APPLE):
  • Save As > drop down menu option- PDF > ensure the “Best for electronic distribution and accessibility" button is selected