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Accessible Documents

Checking for PDF Accessibility
 

Document requirements
  • Is the file name free of spaces and/or special characters?
  • Does the document have the Title and Language set in its properties?
  • Was the Table of Contents (TOC) created using the TOC Command?
  • Are page numbering codes being used, instead of adding page numbers manually?
  • Were the Footnotes created using the Insert Footnotes tool?
  • Are links descriptive and free of terms like “Click here” and “Read more”?
  • Do all the links work?
  • Is any information that is conveyed through the use of color available without color?
  • Are scanned pages included as plain text within the same PDF?
  • Are all comments, sticky notes, and review comments removed?
  • Does the tab order match the order in which the document is read in?
  • If the document has multi-column text, tables, or call-out boxes, has it been checked for correct reading order using the Acrobat Pro/Acrobat Reader “Read Aloud” function?
Text formatting
  • Does the document use standard system fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Verdana, Georgia)?
  • Does the text have proper color contrast against its background (required ratio is 4.5:1)?
  • Are texts that look like headings tagged as headings?
  • Are headings presented hierarchically (no skipped heading levels)?
  • Were tables made using the Insert Table option?
  • Are tables free of blank and/or merged cells?
  • Do data tables have the first row set as “Header Row” within the Table Properties?
  • Are data cells associated with the Row/Column Header elements?
  • Is “Allow row to break across pages” unchecked under Table Properties?
  • Are all tables labeled and/or described as necessary?
  • Is the document free of layout tables?
  • Are lists created using built-in bullet and list tools instead of manually?
  • Are all table cells, except those associated with the Header Row, designated as data cells?
Images and media
  • Is the document free of background images, watermarks, and scanned images of text?
  • Do all images and non-text elements have alternative text?
  • Do all complex images have long descriptions?
  • Are multilayered objects, such as graphs, flattened?
  • Were the Footnotes created using the Insert Footnotes tool?
  • Are links descriptive and free of terms like “Click here” and “Read more”?
  • Do all the links work?
  • Is any information that is conveyed through the use of color available without color?
  • Are scanned pages included as plain text within the same PDF?
  • Are multiple associated images on the same page, like boxes in an organization chart or a timeline, grouped as one object?

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