PDFs are widely used for sharing information, but they can be difficult to make accessible. Without proper structure and tagging, PDFs may create barriers for people using assistive technologies. This page provides guidance on when to use PDFs and how to create and remediate them to meet accessibility standards.

See the Document Accessibility page for Word, Excel and Google Doc guidance and the Presentation Accessibility page for PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Before you create a PDF

Whenever possible, avoid using PDFs. Instead, share content as an accessible webpage (HTML), Word document or Google Doc. These formats are easier to make accessible, work better on mobile devices, and are simpler to update. Use PDFs only when you need a fixed layout for printing or an official, unchanging record.

Who is responsible?

Anyone who creates, uploads, edits or distributes PDFs for instruction, communication, marketing, promotion, or other academic or business purposes is responsible for ensuring those materials are accessible.

What standards do you need to meet?

All PDFs must comply with the required WCAG 2.1 AA standards. These guidelines are referenced in WMU’s Digital Accessibility Policy (coming soon) and in the ADA Title II federal regulations.

What to do?

Use the following best practices to help ensure your PDFs are accessible to all users.

When creating or fixing PDFs in Acrobat Pro

• Run an initial check: Use “Prepare for accessibility” (Accessibility Checker) to find common issues and add a title, language and tags.
• Add tags and structure: Ensure the PDF is tagged; check the Order and Tags panels to verify reading order, headings, lists and tables.
• Alt text: Add or verify alt text for informative images, figures, and tables.
• Tables: Define table headers and scope; split complex tables or provide summaries.
• Forms: Use form tools to add programmatic labels, tooltips, required indicators and clear error messages; set a logical tab order; ensure keyboard access.
• Bookmarks: Provide bookmarks for long documents that mirror the heading structure.
• Color and contrast: Verify contrast for text and form; ensure focus indicators are visible in interactive PDFs.
• Document Properties: Set the document language in the document settings. Provide a clear, descriptive document title to help users understand the content and context.
• Security: Avoid security settings that block assistive technologies from accessing content.

Scanned or image‑only PDFs

• Avoid when possible: If you must use them, run OCR to convert images of text into real, selectable text.
• ReadReady Accessible PDF Converter
   

What tools are available?

ReadReady helps improve the accessibility of existing PDFs by adding structure for assistive technologies. It can also generate accessible HTML and reports.

Adobe Acrobat Pro is the standard tool for evaluating and remediating PDFs and is available to all WMU users.

What training and resources are available?

• Adobe Acrobat's Accessibility series overview
• Adobe Acrobat's Creating accessible PDFs
• Adobe Acrobat Pro’s create and verify PDF accessibility
• Siteimproves Accessibility for PDFs
• Siteimprove’s Accessibility for PDFs with InDesign
• WebAIM’s PDF Accessibility
   

Siteimprove Learning Hub

To learn how to sign in to Siteimprove's Learning Hub using WMU's single sign-on (SSO) and access training resources, visit the Siteimprove: Learning Hub initial setup help article in goWMU.