When you post a PDF on your website, not everyone opens it the way you do. Visitors who are blind or have low vision use software that reads the page aloud or magnifies it, and some navigate entirely by keyboard. A PDF that is not built with them in mind can be hard to use, and in some cases impossible. A scanned document is the clearest example. To a screen reader, a scan is just a photograph, so it reads nothing at all.
Why it matters
It includes everyone. People with disabilities can read, search, and act on your content.
It is a legal requirement. The recognized standard for public-facing content is ADA/WCAG. Government agencies are held to it directly and now have firm compliance deadlines. Private businesses and nonprofits that serve the public are covered by the same law, and lawsuits over inaccessible websites and documents are filed by the thousands every year, with the ADA as the benchmark the courts apply.
It helps everyone else too. Accessible PDFs are easier to search, work better on phones, and are clearer to read.
| The key idea: a PDF is only as accessible as the document it came from. Almost every PDF starts in Word or Google Docs, so the work happens there, before you export. The two most common mistakes are a document with no real headings, and a file that was printed to PDF, which strips out the structure entirely. The steps below fix both. |
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Is a PDF accessible? Three quick checks
Can you select the text with your cursor and copy it? If not, it is a scanned image and needs to be recreated or run through text recognition.
Does it use real headings? Headings should come from the built-in heading styles, not from simply enlarging or bolding text.
Does it have a title? A finished PDF should carry a real document title, not just a filename.
Microsoft Word to an accessible PDF
The single most important step is the first one. Most documents fail accessibility simply because no one applied heading styles.
Use real headings. Rather than making a line large and bold to look like a heading, apply a heading style. Select the line, then on the Home tab click Heading 1 in the Styles gallery for the document title, and Heading 2 for each section (Heading 3 for sub-sections). Shortcut: hold Ctrl+Alt and press 1, 2, or 3 on Windows, or Command+Option and 1, 2, or 3 on a Mac.
Add alt text to images. Right-click each image and choose View Alt Text (or Edit Alt Text), then type a short description of what the image shows. If it is purely decorative, mark it as decorative.
Use real lists and links. Build bulleted or numbered lists with the list buttons on the Home tab, not by typing dashes. For links, use Insert, then Link, and set the display text to something descriptive such as "2026 enrollment form."
Give the document a title. Go to File, then Info, and add a Title in the Properties panel. While you are there, set the document language under Review, then Language, so a screen reader pronounces it correctly.
Run the built-in checker. Go to Review, then Check Accessibility. Word lists any problems with instructions to fix them. Clear the errors before you export.
Export to PDF the right way. This step matters most.
On Windows: File, then Save As, choose PDF as the file type, click Options, and make sure "Document structure tags for accessibility" is checked. Then save.
On a Mac: File, then Save As, set the format to PDF, and choose "Best for electronic distribution and accessibility." Then save.
Avoid this common mistakeDo not create a PDF with File, then Print, then Save as PDF. Printing to PDF produces an untagged file, so none of the accessibility information you added carries over. Always use Save As or Export, as described above. |
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Google Docs to an accessible PDF
Google Docs has no built-in accessibility checker, so the habits below matter even more. The Grackle add-on, listed under Tools, fills that gap.
Use real headings. Place your cursor in a line, then open the styles menu in the toolbar (it usually reads "Normal text") and choose Heading 1 for the title, Heading 2 for sections, and Heading 3 for sub-sections. Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt and 1, 2, or 3 on Windows, or Command+Option and 1, 2, or 3 on a Mac.
Add alt text to images. Right-click an image and choose Alt text, then type a short description of what it shows.
Use real lists and links. Use the list buttons in the toolbar for bullets and numbers. For links, use Insert, then Link, and give the link descriptive text.
Name the document clearly. Google Docs uses the document name as the PDF's title, so give it a clear, specific name in the top-left rather than "Untitled document" or "Doc1."
Download as a PDF. Go to File, then Download, then PDF Document. Downloading this way keeps the headings and structure.
Do not use Print to save a PDF, otherwise the accessibility features may be removed.
Scanned or photographed documents
We strongly recommend against posting scanned documents. Whenever the original digital file exists, publish from that Word or Google document rather than from a scan of the printout. A scan is an image of text, so none of the steps above apply to it, and it cannot be made accessible by tagging alone.
If a scan is genuinely the only version available, it has to be turned into real text first, either by recreating the document in Word or Google Docs, or by running it through text recognition (OCR) in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Be aware that OCR identifies characters by best guess and can change the content without warning, misreading letters, numbers, and punctuation. Any OCR result therefore needs a careful manual review against the original before it is published.
Helpful tools and templates
Word Accessibility Checker (built in, free). Review, then Check Accessibility. For Word users this is usually all you need, no add-in required.
Accessible Word templates. In Word, go to File, then New, and search "accessible." Microsoft provides templates with headings and styles already set up correctly, which is the easiest way to start on the right foot.
Grackle Docs (Google Workspace add-on). Checks Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for accessibility and exports properly tagged PDFs. This is the closest equivalent to Word's checker for Google users.
PAC, the PDF Accessibility Checker (free). Verifies a finished PDF against the formal standard, so you can confirm your export worked.
Consider a web page instead of a PDF
| Before publishing anything as a PDF, consider posting the information as a web page instead. A web page is more accessible than a PDF, works better on phones, and is easier to find in search. This is work we handle for you: send us the content and we publish it. Even when the material already exists as a PDF, we can usually pull the content out and convert it to a web page, which is both faster and better than remediating the PDF. Reserve PDFs for documents that genuinely need to be downloaded or printed. |
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How this fits with our work
Because accessibility must be built in at the moment a document is created, any files you provide for us to upload need to be in an accessible format already. The exception is any document we create for you from scratch, which we build to be accessible as part of that work.
For existing files, the option also exists for us to run them through Adobe Acrobat Pro to add accessibility tagging after the fact. This adds the basic structure, but it is not a full substitute for building the document correctly at the source, and scanned pages, spreadsheets, and forms in particular still require manual work or recreation. Because it is additional work, we would first confirm that it fits your current retainer or provide a separate estimate.
Notice: provided for informational purposes only; not legal, financial, or professional advice.
Notice: The information provided in this document is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. All materials and guidance offered by Generose Corporation dba Risingline are subject to its Client Services Agreement and are provided without warranty as to accuracy, completeness, or applicability to any specific situation. While Risingline takes reasonable precautions to ensure the reliability of the information presented, compliance with regulatory requirements varies based on specific circumstances, jurisdiction, and evolving standards. Recipients are encouraged to conduct independent due diligence and consult with qualified professionals before implementing any recommendations. Generose Corporation dba Risingline expressly disclaims any liability for actions taken or not taken based on this document. Receipt of this information does not establish a client, advisory, or fiduciary relationship between Risingline and the recipient.