Introduction

Creating accessible PDFs is essential to ensure that all users, including those who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers, can access and navigate digital content. Adobe Acrobat’s built-in Accessibility Checker is a powerful tool designed to help creators identify and correct potential barriers that may prevent individuals with disabilities from engaging with a document effectively.

The Accessibility Checker in Acrobat automatically scans a PDF for a wide range of accessibility issues, including missing alternative text on images, improper heading structures, insufficient color contrast, and issues with reading order or tab order. By generating a detailed report, it allows document authors to locate problem areas and make the necessary corrections.

Beyond compliance, running accessibility checks contributes to inclusive communication, ensuring that all students, colleagues, and community members can read, understand, and interact with content without barriers. It’s important to note that while the checker identifies many accessibility concerns, it does not catch everything. Human review remains essential for evaluating aspects such as the clarity of alternative text, the meaningful sequence of content, and the accuracy of tagged elements. Combining automated checks with thoughtful human evaluation results in the most accessible and equitable PDF documents possible.

Tutorials

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the Accessibility Checker in Adobe Acrobat to check that your PDF documents are accessible for everyone. We’ll walk you through how to review your PDF documents and interpret the reports. Let’s get started!

Duration: 2:01 | Click the CC icon to display closed captions.

Video Transcript