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PDF Accessibility Compliance
PDF files that are publicly accessible are subject to WCAG 2+ accessibility guideline compliance. This document not only explains remediation of PDF files, but accessibility of content in general.
Some key areas to be aware of:
- Headings, paragraphs and lists are tagged appropriately and ordered sequentially. Use the built-in task menus (Ex: Format, Styles, Unordered List, Ordered List) to format the content.
- Images have alternative text, or are labeled for decoration only if they do not supplement the content.
- Ensure PDF document metadata is completely filled out using an appropriate title, subject, keywords, and author.
- Ensure tables ( if used ) are semantically correct.
- Text contrast passes WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Use this color contrast checker if you are unsure.
- All text can be selected or highlighted with a keyboard or mouse.
- Links to other files or pages are descriptive. Instead of using "Click Here" or "Go", use descriptive words like, "Follow this link to the course catalog".
- If you use forms in PDFs, they should be labeled correctly. ( You should be using Qualtrics or other business tools like BP Logix or Dynamic Forms )
Adobe Acrobat publishes an accessibility checker to help you.
In order to remediate your PDF files in one place, you will need to ensure that you have Adobe Acrobat installed on your machine. Please follow this knowledge base article for Installing and managing Adobe Creative Cloud applications using Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop - University Owned Devices
Locate the original PDF file and download a copy; for example, from SHARED drive, OneDrive, or Canvas.
Fixing Title Issues:
1. Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Click on the Menu button in the top left.
3. Select Document Properties.
4. Update the “Title” field to reflect what you want to title the document.
Note: A PDF title is a piece of metadata within a PDF document that provides a brief description or title for the file. It's separate from the file name and is often used by applications and browsers to display a title for the document.
5. Click Ok.
6. Save your document changes.
Fixing Tagging Issues:
1. Click on All tools up on the navigation bar.
2. Click on the Prepare for accessibility button. You may need to click on View more to find it in the list.
3. Click on Automatically tag PDF. This runs the tagging process and displays them on the right-hand side menu bar.
4. Save your document changes.
Once you have updated your PDF file, you can then re-upload it to your desired location. NOTE: In a Canvas Course, you will need to re-link it wherever you had it originally linked.
Need help?
If you have questions, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 608.342.1400 or helpdesk@uwplatt.edu. You may also visit the Help Desk on the first floor of the Karrmann Library.