Adobe Acrobat DC Basic Accessibility

Training Manual
January 2020

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Contents
Overview of PDF accessibility .................................................................................................................. 4
Laws ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
Acrobat Pro .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Setup for Acrobat Pro .......................................................................................................................... 4
What makes a PDF accessible? ............................................................................................................ 5
Additional Note .................................................................................................................................... 6
PDF Tags................................................................................................................................................... 6
What are PDF tags?.............................................................................................................................. 6
Tags Panel Reading .............................................................................................................................. 7
Fixing Tags at a Glance......................................................................................................................... 7
Viewing the Tags panel ........................................................................................................................ 7
Auto Tagging an Untagged Document............................................................................................... 10
Tags - Heading Structure.................................................................................................................... 14
Tags – Lists ......................................................................................................................................... 14
Tags – Images and Figures ................................................................................................................. 16
Tags - Tables....................................................................................................................................... 18
Make Accessible Action Wizard ............................................................................................................. 23
Make Accessible Workflow................................................................................................................ 23
In the Action Wizard .......................................................................................................................... 25
Set the Primary Language Manually .................................................................................................. 28
The Accessibility Checker....................................................................................................................... 29
The Checker Panel ............................................................................................................................. 29
Results Key......................................................................................................................................... 31
Running the Accessibility Checker ..................................................................................................... 32
Accessibility Checker Results ............................................................................................................. 35
Fixing items in the Accessibility Checker............................................................................................ 35
Security and Permission......................................................................................................................... 44
Color Contrast........................................................................................................................................ 46
Changing text font and background in Acrobat ................................................................................. 46
Color and Meaning............................................................................................................................. 47
Reading Order Tool – Formally known as the Touch-Up Reading Order Tool ....................................... 35

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Further Information on Reading Order Tool...................................................................................... 36
Reading Order Panel .......................................................................................................................... 36
Order Panel........................................................................................................................................ 36
Reclassifying Content using the Reading Order Tool ......................................................................... 37
Reading Order Key ............................................................................................................................. 37
Editing Tags with the Reading Order Tool ......................................................................................... 40
Empty Tags and Reading Order Tool .................................................................................................. 42

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Overview of PDF Accessibility
PDF file format accessibility features, combined with Adobe® Acrobat® and Adobe Reader®, allow
universal access to documents.

A document or application is considered accessible if it meets specific technical criteria and is usable by
people with disabilities. This includes access by people who are mobility impaired, blind, low vision,
deaf, hard of hearing, or who have cognitive impairments. Accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat,
Adobe Reader and in the Portable Document Format (PDF) make it easier for people with disabilities to
use PDF documents and forms, with and without the aid of assistive technology software and devices,
such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, text-to-speech software, speech recognition software,
alternative input devices, Braille embossers, and refresh-able Braille displays.

Laws
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (ISO/IEC 40500:2012) and the PDF/UA (ISO 14289-
1) standard, cover a wide range of recommendations for making content more accessible to people with
disabilities. A great benefit of following these guidelines is that content becomes more convenient for all
users. For example, the underlying document structure that makes it possible for a screen reader to
correctly read a PDF out loud, also makes it possible for a mobile device to correctly reflow and display
the document on a small screen. Similarly, the preset tab order of an accessible PDF form helps all
users—not just those who rely on the keyboard— to complete a form easier.

Acrobat Pro
Acrobat Standard provides some functionality for making existing PDFs accessible. Acrobat Pro must be
used to perform most tasks — such as editing the reading order or editing the document structure tags
— that are necessary to make PDF documents and forms accessible (For more information,
see Comparison of Accessibility Features in Adobe Acrobat DC Plans). These features include:

• The ability to create tagged PDFs from authoring applications.

• The ability to convert untagged PDFs to tagged PDFs from within Acrobat.
• Security settings that allow screen readers to access text, while preventing users from copying,
printing, editing and extracting text.
• The ability to add text to scanned pages to improve accessibility.
• Tools for editing the reading order and document structure.
• Tools for creating accessible PDF forms.
• The ability to set document properties, including titles, and expose them through the title bar of the
application.

Setup for Acrobat Pro

Add the Action wizard and the Accessibility tools to the tools pane. To do this, follow these steps:

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 1. Select Tools Tab

2. Select Add Tool

3. Select Organize Tools Pane
4. Add Accessibility and Action Wizard

What makes a PDF accessible?

Searchable Text
A document that is scanned or happens to be an image is not accessible. Text must be selectable and
extractable in order to be considered accessible. Fonts in an accessible PDF must contain enough
information for Acrobat to correctly extract all the characters to text, for purposes other than displaying
text on the screen. When you read a PDF with a screen reader or the Read Out Loud tool, or when you
save as text for a Braille embosser, acrobat extracts characters to Unicode text. This extraction fails if
Acrobat cannot determine how to map the font to Unicode characters.

Form Fields
Forms must provide the user information including identification, proper completion, logical reading
order, and proper tag semantics. Note: Not covered in this particular training

Hyperlinks and other Aids

Links, headings, bookmarks, and table of contents assist students in navigation. These features are
accessible via keyboard and can be activated by keyboard only.

Language, Title, and Security

Specifying the document language in a PDF enables some screen readers to switch the current speech
synthesizer to the appropriate language, allowing correct pronunciation of content in different
languages. Providing a document title allows the user to locate and identify the document.

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Some authors of PDFs restrict users from printing, copying, extracting, editing, or adding comments to
text. The text of an accessible PDF must be available to a screen reader. Acrobat’s security settings can
be set to protect document content while not interfering with a screen reader’s ability to convert the
on-screen text to speech or Braille.

Tags and Reading Order

PDFs need correctly structured tags, as screen readers or other assistive technologies determine
information, like reading order and interpreting the document, based on the tags panel. PDF tags
identify the reading order, headings, paragraphs, sections, tables, images, tables, and other page
elements. The tag's structure allows for documents to be resized and reflowed for viewing at larger sizes
and on mobile devices.

Alternate Text
Accessible equivalents must be provided to users for any video elements or other multimedia. Image
must have engaging and appropriate alternate text.

Additional Accessibility Characteristics:

There are additional characteristics of accessible documents, including:

• No reliance on color or sensory characteristics alone to convey meaning.

• Use of color combinations that provide a sufficient degree of contrast.
• Controls for audio.
• Use of text instead of images of text.
• No use of flashing or blinking elements.
• No focus changes without user initiation.
• Consistent navigation and identification of elements.

Additional Note
If possible, always start with an accessible Word document. PDFs can be difficult to make accessible and
is often much more time consuming than starting over in word. There are many ways to make files
accessible, and the goal of this guide is to give as much information as possible for remediating PDFs
using Adobe Acrobat. See Microsoft Word Guide for details on making word documents accessible.

PDF Tags
What are PDF tags?
PDF tags provide a hidden, structured, textual representation of the PDF content that is presented to
screen readers. For example, documents that have visual lists can be tagged with list tags, while
documents that have visual data tables can be tagged with table tags, etc. They exist for accessibility
purposes only and have no visible effect on the PDF file. When a PDF is created from a Microsoft Word
document, initial tags will be generated based on the content and formatting of the Microsoft Word
document. If your word processing document is correctly formatted, it should automatically create a
tagged PDF. You will need to double-check to verify your accessibility work has been retained.

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Tags Panel Reading
Screen readers follow the tag panel structure. Any other reading order is incorrect for accessibility
purposes.

Fixing Tags at a Glance

Content needs to be tagged in the Logical Reading Order

Common areas to review:

• Tables
• Figures
• Artifacts
• Lists

Unique considerations depending on the source document and means of conversion:

• Scanned Document
• Role Mapping
• Links
• Form Fields

Viewing the Tags panel

PDF tags provide a hidden, structured, and textual representation of the PDF content, that is then
presented to screen readers. For example, documents that have visual lists can be tagged with list tags,
documents that have visual data tables can be tagged with table tags, etc. They exist for accessibility
purposes only and have no visible effect on the PDF file. When a PDF is created from an office file, initial
tags will be generated based on the content of the office file and the styles used.

The first step is to locate the Tags Panel in Adobe Acrobat DC. The next module will explore the Tag
Panel in depth, as screen-readers interpret PDFs primarily through the Tags Panel.

Choose View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panels > Tags.

Do one of the following:

• Expand the tag for the section you want.

• Ctrl-click the plus sign (Windows) or Option-click the triangle (Mac OS) next to the Tags root to show
all tags in the logical structure tree.

The first step is to locate the Tags Panel in Adobe Acrobat DC.

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Tags Overview
Adobe Acrobat DC allows for elements of a document to be tagged according to their purpose. These
tags are not displayed in the document, but they are used by screen readers to understand the
structure.

Tagging documents used in online courses allows people with disabilities to access materials as quickly
as their classmates!

Tags are bins of information

The Tags Panel is divided into tags, which can be thought of as bins containing specific information. A tag
can be expanded via the carrot or the arrow next to the tag.

Each tag is unique, helping users who rely on screen readers to identify the elements on a page. For
example, a screen reader can recognize the difference between a table and a heading, due to the type
of tag.

Acrobat was not originally created for PDF accessibility, so it does not always work as intended.

Changing a Tag Type in the tags panel

Option 1

1. Right click on the tag, in the tag tree you want to modify, and select Properties.
2. From the Tag tab, select the appropriate tag from the drop-down box for Type.
3. Click Close.

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4. The old tag type changes to the new tag you just selected on the Tags Panel. You must do this for
every tag in your document that is classified incorrectly.

Option 2
1. Select the tag you want to change
2. Press F2 on your keyboard to rename
3. Type in the tag you want
a. Note: this must match perfectly to a preexisting tag like: H2, or P, or LI

Moving Tags for Reading order

You can drag and drop tags by simply clicking and dragging them in the tags panel. Tags can often have
multiple tags underneath it so be sure to carefully move tags around. You can also cut and paste tags in
the order panel. Remember, the order in the tags panel is the order that a screen reader will follow.

To Tag or Not to Tag

Some files may have already been tagged, and its much easier to edit if so. Some documents have not
been tagged, and should be “made accessible” using the wizard first!

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Untagged PDF (screenshot)

Tagged PDF (screenshot)

Auto Tagging an Untagged Document

To add tags to an untagged document, do the following:

• Add Tags from the Make Accessible Action Wizard

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• Add Tags from the Accessibility Checker results
• Add Tags Manually via the Tags panel

Add tags from the Make Accessible Action Wizard

1. Open the Make Accessible Wizard.

2. Activate the Autotag Document command to add tags to the document.
3. Verify the tags in the Tags panel.

Add tags from the Accessibility Checker Results

When the document is not tagged at all, “Tagged PDF” will be listed as “failed” under the Document tree
item. To add tags to the document:

1. Right-click or press the applications key (Windows) on the Tagged PDF—Failed tree item.
2. Choose Fix.
3. Verify tags have now been added to the document in the Tag panel. The “Tagged PDF” item will be
listed as “passed” under the Document tree.

When the document is tagged, but specific content is still missing tags:

1. Select New Tag from the Object tool in the Tag panel.
2. Select the type of tag from the New Tag dialog and select OK.
3. Move the new tag to the location in the Tag tree where the content is missing.
4. Highlight the missing object in the document pane.
5. Right-click on the new tag in the tree structure
6. Choose Create Tag from Selection:

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Note: It is useful to check the “highlight content” context menu item, shown in the image above. This
option will highlight the corresponding item from the tag tree in the document pane with a blue
rectangle.

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Add tags manually via the Tags Panel
With the Tags panel open, select Add Tags to Document from the Options button, or with the
Accessibility panel open in the Tools pane, select the “Add Tags to Document” command:

The Recognition Results Report for adding tags

If Acrobat encounters potential problems while adding tags to the document, the Add Tags Report
opens in the navigation pane. The report lists potential problems by page, provides a navigational link to
each problem, and offers suggestions for fixing them. This is like the Accessibility Checker Report that is
produced when an accessibility full check is run. Recognition Results report requires human intervention
to determine the best solution. For example, the report might state that an element has been tagged as
a figure and requires alternate text to make it accessible. However, that figure may be a background
design element that doesn’t convey any meaning to the user.

Tags - Logical Reading order – needs manual check

We must verify this rule manually. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Verify the headings structure

• Make sure the documents have headers and they go in order.
2. Check the entire documents order
• You can do this by using the down arrow to “walk the tag tree” and go through
each item individually to ensure it aligns with the true reading order on the
page.

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Tags - Heading Structure
Heading tags provide organization for the PDF. The image on the left shows heading tags in the Tags
Panel that are structured correctly, beginning with <H1>, as this designates the title of the document.

• <H1> = Heading 1. This is the title of your document. There should only be one <H1> for the
entire document.
• <H2> = Heading 2. This is the highest level sub-headings in a document.
• <H3> = Heading 3. This is a third level heading.
• <H4> = Heading 4. This is a fourth level heading.

Note:
Like in an Outline, you should never skip heading levels.
For example, an incorrect heading structure would be:
Heading 1 > Heading 3 > Heading 2 > Heading 4.

Tags – Lists
Different List Types for Different Needs

Headings are used to provide organization and structure to content.

Lists are great from an accessibility standpoint, because they provide structured order to content in a
linear fashion. Lists are recommended as potential replacements for simple tables, as tables can be
more difficult to navigate and, sometimes, the info in tables would be better suited to lists anyway.

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You can use lists inside of lists, nested lists, just check to make sure they are coded properly. Lists should
always be checked to make sure that the list items are really contained within one list, check to make
sure that spacing does not break a list into multiple individual points, and use the proper techniques,
described below, to create lists. You should never rely on indentation to provide a visual list, use the
proper structure instead.

There are two types of lists used in word processors: ordered and unordered. Make sure you are using
built-in lists and not manually creating lists!

When to Use Which List

Ordered

Ordered or numbered lists are used to present a group of items (words, phrases, sentences) that follow
a sequence:

1. Visit the school homepage.

2. Download and fill out the "Submit Additional Information" PDF.
3. Print your PDF.
4. Submit to the Student Center on campus.

Unordered

Unordered or bullet lists are used for a group of items without a sequence:

• Eggs
• Milk
• Bread

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In the Tags Panel

Tagging Lists
A list must have:

• the List <L> tag

• List Item <LI> tags

They may also have the Label <Lbl> and List Body <Lbody> tags.

In the Tags Panel image on the left, the first tagged item is <LI>, which contains the word, "Ontario", as
it is listed as the first item on the document to the right of the Tags Panel.

Observe the two different tags listed in the Tags Panel within the image. The first tag is the List <L> tag.
Under the List <L> tag are the List Item <LI> tags.

Tags – Images and Figures

Images are classified as <Figure> tags. The image below shows a highlighted <Figure> tag that has been
expanded to reveal the tag's contents. The content is the image's size dimensions, "Image (2837): w:483
h:451".

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Adding Alternate Text to Images and Figures
There are several ways to add alternate text to a figure.

Option 1
1. Right click the figure tag
2. Select Properties
3. Add Text into the Alternate Text Box

Option 2
1. Run the “make accessible” wizard.
2. Step 5 of that process will allow you to enter alternate text on images
a. Images missing alternate text. Acrobat will prompt you to add any alternate text for
images that might be missing it.

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Option 3
1. Run the accessibility checker
2. In the accessibility checker results window, under alternate text will be list of all the errors
3. Right Click one of the figures and select Fix.

Tags - Tables
There are two types of tables that may be used in documents - data tables and layout tables. When
authoring documents, particularly from word processing applications, it is not recommended to use
layout tables to organize and visually arrange content. If there is a need to create rich, visual layouts,
then the use of layout and design tools that support accessibility is necessary (e.g., Adobe InDesign).
Data tables, on the other hand, are a functional method to organize and relate various pieces of
information into a coherent display. Data tables may be used where appropriate and are an acceptable
method to present content.

One challenge when applying accessibility to data tables is verifying how the information will be
presented to the actual user if assistive computer technology is being utilized. For instance, it is fairly

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easy to determine the logical reading order of a document, but it is not as easy to determine if a data
table contains all the relevant code to communicate the appropriate row and column information.
Testing with assistive computer technology is one method, however, this assumes that the assistive
computer technology supports the included tag information to accurately communicate the data table
to the user.

With respect to PDF, the recommendation is to include the appropriate code information and test
(when necessary) with the understanding that not all assistive computer technology will support the PDF
data table content.

In order to specify row and column headers, as well as create a table summary, it is necessary to begin
with a tagged PDF document with the data table marked as “Table”. If tags are added using the “Add
Tags to Document” function, it is possible that tables may be marked as “Figure” or as other text
content. Use the TouchUp Reading Order tool to zone and mark data table content as “Table” before
proceeding below.

Step 1: Set Row and Column Headers

Row and column headers, as well as their “scope”, can be specified using the Reading Order tool
(formally known as the TouchUp Reading Order tool). This would potentially aid assistive computer
technology applications in speaking the relevant row or column information to an individual navigating
the data table.

Step 1
To add row and column header information, enable the Reading Order
tool (Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order).

Step 2

Do you have an untagged or tagged document?

If the table is untagged; in Reading Order, draw a rectangle around the content then click on Table.

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If the table is tagged; in Reading Order, designate a header cell by selecting it. To select a cell, click it
and the cell should turn blue.

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Step 3
In the Reading Order tool, choose the Table Editor button.

Step 4
If, on the table, you do not see TD or TH, right click on a cell > select Table Editor Options > Under Label
Option, check Show cell type (TH or TD).

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Step 5
For each row header, right-click in the actual table cell and choose “Table Cell Properties”
Set the “Type” as Header Cell and the “Scope” property as Row.

Step 2: Double check table navigation and cell type via Tags Panel.

Verify that table headers and cell types are in the correct reading order using the Tags Panel.

Add a table Summary

A table summary can be added that provides the user with a very brief overview of what information is
to follow in the data table. It is not necessary to repeat the actual data in the table summary; rather, use
the table summary to give the user a preview of what information the table communicates. The table
summary is not viewable in the PDF document, it is designed to be spoken to an individual using
assistive computer technology.

Step 1

To add a table summary, enable the Reading Order tool (Accessibility > Reading Order...)

Step 2

With the data table marked as a Table, right-click anywhere in the data table.

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Step 3

Choose the option Edit Table Summary.

Step 4
Add a summary for the table and press OK. Save the document to retain the changes. It is recommended
that you break complex tables into simpler ones for readability and managing table accessibility.

No Tags in Document? Run the Action Wizard

Make Accessible Action Wizard
Important Note
The accessibility checking tools in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC — the Accessibility Checker (Full Check) and the
Make Accessible Action Wizard — can identify many issues in PDF documents. However, it is important
to note that these accessibility checking tools are automated evaluation tools; they do not check
documents for all accessibility criteria, and Adobe does not warrant that documents will comply with
any specific guidelines or regulations.

Make Accessible Workflow

1. Click on the Tools menu
2. Find the Action Wizard tool near the bottom of the list, under the “Customize” label.

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3. Click on Action Wizard and a list of actions will appear on the right-hand side of your screen

4. Select the Make Accessible Action and the Make Accessible Wizard will replace the list of
actions.

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 5. Click the Start button and follow the on screen popups.

6. The last step will be to Run a Full Check on the document.

In the Action Wizard

With your file open > Select Action Wizard > Select Make Accessible > Select Start

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Step 1
The Description Window. The one required element is the title.

Step 2
Recognizing Text. Output settings should be set to Searchable Images and the settings for Downsample
to should be set to 600 DPI.

Step 3
Form fields. For purposes of this guide – skip this step.

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Step 4
Set the reading Language for the document overall.

Step 5
Images missing alternate text. Acrobat will prompt you to add any alternate text for images that might
be missing it.

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Step 6
Running the Accessibility Checker. This is the final step in beginning to make a document accessible.

Set the Primary Language Manually

Setting the document language in a PDF enables screen readers to switch to the appropriate language.
This check determines whether the primary text language for the PDF is specified. If the check fails, set
the language.

To set the language automatically, select Primary Language in the Accessibility Checker tab, and then
choose Fix from the Options menu. Choose a language in the Set Reading Language dialog box, and then
click OK.

To set the language manually, do one of the following:

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 • Choose File > Properties > Advanced and then select English from the drop-down list in the
Reading Options section. This setting applies the primary language for the entire PDF.

• Set the language for all text in a subtree of the tags tree. Open the Tags panel. Expand the Tags
root and select an element. Then choose Properties from the Options menu. Choose a language
from the Language drop-down list. (To display the Tags panel, choose View > Show/Hide >
Navigation Panes > Tags.)
• Set the language for a block of text by selecting the text element or container element in the
Content panel. Then, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) the text and choose Properties
from the context menu and choose a language from the Language drop-down list. (To display
the Content panel, choose View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Content.)

The Accessibility Checker

The Accessibility Checker provides an accessibility assessment and helps you determine how easily
people with disabilities can access your PDF. The accessibility checker (Full check) helps to determine
the presence of:

• Alternate text on images

• Tags
• Table Headers
• Document Language

The Checker Panel

Once a report is executed, the issues that have been found are displayed in the Accessibility Checker
panel. The results tree displays one of the following states for each rule check.

• Passed: The item passed this accessible check.

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• Passed Manually: The item was marked passed by a manual inspection.
• Skipped By User: The rule was not selected in the Accessibility Checker Options dialog box.
• Needs Manual Check: The Full Check feature could not check the item automatically. Verify the
item manually.
• Failed: The item did not pass the accessibility check.

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Results Key

Use the Accessibility Full Check command to perform a thorough check for many characteristics of
accessible PDFs, such as the use of alternative text on images, the presence of tags, document language,
and fonts that can be mapped reliably to Unicode text.

It is possible to choose which kinds of accessibility issues to look for in Full Check by using the
Accessibility Checker Options. There are also options to view and save the results.

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Running the Accessibility Checker
Step 1
Select the Accessibility Tools Button

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Step 2
Select the Full Check Button

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Step 3
Select All pages, choose Document Category, and Select Start Checking

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Accessibility Checker Results

There are several common issues that occur when running the accessibility checker. Two points that
always are flagged for manual checking is Logical reading Order and Color Contrast. These two items will
always be defaulted to manual check, and even after passing them, they will show up again once
opened.

Fixing items in the Accessibility Checker

Many items can be fixed by simply right clicking the error and choosing the option Fix.

Reading Order Tool – Formally known as the Touch-Up Reading Order

Tool
The Reading Order tool is a useful tool that can identify the content type or tag type of each object on a
page. Recall that objects include text, images, and tables.

The Reading Order tool can also help with tagging page objects, so they appear in the Tags Panel. For
example, if specific text content is intended to be classified as a Heading 1, the Reading Order tool can
confirm this or change the content type or tag type to "H1" for this specific content.

Can I use the Reading Order Tool to control Logical Reading Order?

No, this is not a function of the Reading Order tool. Given its name, you would think it could help control
the logical reading order, right? Unfortunately, the Reading Order tool is limited.

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Primarily rely on it as a content object type identifier (...not as a tool that edits Reading Order...)

Further Information on Reading Order Tool

The Reading Order tool reveals the semantic structure and, to some degree, content sequencing.
Although one can use the Reading Order Pane to manipulate the reading sequence, it is not
recommended to use it to fix logical reading order issues as it may cause additional issues in the tag
structure, and/or cost more effort. Unfortunately, the Reading Order tool is a bit of a misnomer.
Correcting logical reading with the Reading Order tool and Order Pane may not be accurately reflected in
the Tags Panel. Use the Tags Panel to correctly structure reading order. The Tags Panel is the definitive
source on the logical reading order for an accessible PDF document per the PDF/UA-1 standard.

Reading Order Panel

The Reading Order tool is located in the Accessibility Menu. To access Reading Order:

Choose Tools > Accessibility, and then choose Reading Order in the right pane.

Order Panel
Although the Order Panel can shift objects around, it is highly recommended that you verify and edit the
logical reading order in the Tags Panel.

To access the Order Panel:

1. Select the Reading Order tool in the right pane.

2. In the Reading Order dialog box, click Show Order Panel.
3. In the Order panel, navigate to view a list of highlighted regions that appear in the document pane.
4. In the Order panel, drag the tag for a highlighted region to the location you want. As you drag, a line
appears to show potential locations. After you drag an item to a new location, the highlighted
regions are renumbered to show the new reading order. You can select and move multiple, adjacent
regions.

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Reclassifying Content using the Reading Order Tool
When viewing in the “structure Type” within the Reading Order Panel, you can choose to reclassify a
specific tag to another. To do this, simply open the reading order tool, select the tag you want to change
in the document, and then select the new tag option from the listed options.

Reading Order Key

You can select Reading Order options from the dialog box, from the pop-up menu that appears when
you right-click a highlighted region, or from the options menu in the Order panel. The Reading Order
tool includes the following options:

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Text/Paragraph

Tags the selection as text.

Figure
Tags the selection as a figure. The text contained within a figure tag is defined as part of the image and
screen readers do not read it.

Form Field

Tags the selection as a form field.

Figure/Caption
Tags a selected figure and caption as a single tag. Any text contained in the tag is defined as a caption.
Useful for tagging photos and captions, and preventing caption text from being incorrectly added to
adjacent text blocks. Figures may require alternate text.

Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, Heading 4, Heading 5, Heading 6

Tags the selection as a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth level heading tag. You can convert
heading tags to bookmarks to help users navigate the document.

Table
Tags the selection as a table after the selection is analyzed to determine the location of headings,
columns, and rows.

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Cell

Tags the selection as a table or header cell. Use this option to merge cells that are incorrectly split.

Formula
Tags the selection as a formula. Speech software may handle formula tags differently from normal text,
so you may want to add a description using alternate text.

Note
Tags the selection as a note.

Reference

Tags the selection as a reference.

Background/Artifact
Tags the selection as a background element or artifact, removing the item from the tag tree. This
ensures that it does not appear in the reflowed document and screen readers do not read it.

Table Editor
Automatically analyzes the selected table into cells and applies the appropriate tags. The table must be
tagged as a table before you can use the Table Editor command on it.

Show Page Content Groups

Shows content elements as highlighted areas that contain numbers to indicate the reading order.
Specify the highlight color by clicking the color swatch.

Show Table Cells

Highlights the content of individual table cells. Specify the highlight color by clicking the color swatch.

Display Like Elements In A Single Block

Adjacent squares with the same tag type are collapsed into a single, bigger square with the common tag
type that encompasses the original square.

Show Tables And Figures

Outlines each table and figure with a crossed-out box. The box also indicates whether the element
includes alternate text. Specify the box color by clicking the color swatch.

Clear Page Structure

Removes the tagging structure from the page. Use this option to start over and create a new structure if
the existing structure contains too many problems.

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Show Order Panel

Opens the Order tab for reordering highlighted content.

Edit Alternate Text

Available in the menu that appears when you right-click a highlighted figure. Allows the user to add or
edit a text description about the figure properties that a screen reader or other assistive technology
reads.

Edit Form Field Text

Available in the menu that appears when you right-click a form field. Allows the user to add or edit a
form field text description that a screen reader or other assistive technology reads.

Edit Table Summary

Available in the menu that appears when you right-click a highlighted table. Allows the user to add or
edit a text description about the table properties that a screen reader or other assistive technology
reads.

Editing Tags with the Reading Order Tool

You can use the Reading Order tool to create tags in untagged PDFs or to add new tags to an existing
structure. Acrobat analyzes the content of the PDF to interpret the individual page elements, their
hierarchical structure, and the intended reading order of each page. Then, it builds a tag tree that
reflects that information. It also creates tags for any links, cross-references, and bookmarks that you
added to the document in Acrobat.

Note: Add Tags To Document is another tool that can be used to tag an untagged document. However,
it cannot always correctly interpret the structure and reading order of complex page elements. These
elements include closely spaced columns, irregular text alignment, nonfillable form fields, and tables
that don’t have borders. Tagging these pages by using the Add Tags To Document command can result
in improperly combined elements or out-of-sequence tags. These issues cause reading order problems
in the PDF. Before you clear the existing structure, make sure that manual tagging is your only recourse.

Add or remove content from a tagged region

The Reading Order tool always displays as few highlighted regions as possible. If content within a
highlighted region does not flow properly, you may need to split a region to reorder it. Highlighted
regions may also contain adjacent page content that is unrelated or that requires a different tag type.
Page content may become orphaned from related elements, particularly if the content doesn’t fit within
a rectangular shape. Use the Reading Order tool to add or remove content from a region, or to split a
region to reorder the content.

• Select the Reading Order tool.

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• In the Reading Order dialog box, select Show Page Content Groups, and then click Page Content
Order.

• In the document pane, select a highlighted region.

• Do one of the following:
o To add content to the current selection, Shift-click the content you want to add. The pointer
changes to include a plus sign (+).
o To remove content from the current selection, Ctrl-click the content you want to remove. The
pointer changes to include a minus sign (-).
• Click the button for the tag type that you want for the highlighted region.

Artifacts and Missing Content – Using the Reading Order Tool

There may be times when there is content missing from the tags panel or you want to mark an item as
an artifact. Using the Reading Order tool to mark this content, and follow these steps.

1. Select the accessibility button

2. Select the reading order button
3. Drag a box around the content that is not tagged, or the content you want to make an artifact

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 4. Choose the desired tag from the choices

Empty Tags and Reading Order Tool

These empty regions may be formatting elements that have been used for visual formatting purposes
(e.g., extra carriage returns). The example below shows extra carriage returns in the document, that
were correctly converted into tags. These are elements that are left over from the document authoring
process and, as they serve no actual purpose, may be set as Background (and thus removed from the
document's structure).

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1. With the PDF document open and the Reading Order activated: Within the Reading Order, ensure
that the "Display like elements in a single block" option is NOT selected.
2. Locate any empty tags and select them by clicking on the white label in the upper left-hand corner.
3. With the empty tag element selected, click the Background/Artifact button on the Reading Order.
4. Repeat steps 4 and 5 on each page of the PDF until all of the empty tags have been removed.

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Example of document showing empty tags:

Security and Permission

It is important to ensure that the Acrobat DC security settings permit access to the document by
assistive technology. Verify that the Acrobat DC or Acrobat Reader DC security settings do not prohibit
access by assistive technology by checking the Security tab of the Document Properties dialog.

1. Open the Document Properties dialog: Select File > Properties

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2. Select the Security tab of the Document Properties dialog (See Figure 2).

3. Determine the security level needed. If security is not required, the document will be unsecured
by default, allowing assistive technologies to access the document content.
4. When security is required, select Password Security as the security method from the drop-down
list. In the Permissions section of the Password Security Settings dialog, verify that the box
labeled Enable text access for screen reader devices for the visually impaired is checked.

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 5. This is the default setting for Adobe Acrobat DC and Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Color Contrast
Color contrast is one of the accessibility issues that Acrobat Pro is unable to help with, beyond simply
reminding us to check it.

There are a variety of tools available to help with checking color contrast. You are encouraged to find
one that you like and use it as part of your standard workflow.

The Paciello Group has provided a free color contrast checking tool that can be installed on your local
machine and used to test the color contrast of anything you can see on the computer
monitor. Download Paciello Colour Contrast Analyzer.

Changing text font and background in Acrobat

When this check fails, it's possible that the document contains content that isn't accessible to people
who are colorblind. To fix this issue, make sure that the document's content adheres to the guidelines
outlined in WCAG.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat > Preferences (Mac OS).
2 Click Accessibility.
3 Select Replace Document Colors. Choose the color combination that you
want from the drop-down list, then click OK. Typically, a white background with black text will suffice for
color contrast.

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Standard for accessible color contrast
WCAG 2.0 success criteria 1.4.3 (AA) requires a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for all text, with the
following exceptions:

• Large Text: Large-scale text and images of large-scale text should have a contrast ratio of at least
3:1.
• Incidental: Text or images of text that are part of an active user interface component, that are pure
decoration, that are not visible to anyone, or that are part of a picture that contains other
significant visual content, have no contrast requirement.
• Logotypes: Text that is part of a logo or brand name has no minimum contrast requirement.

Color and Meaning

Do not use only color to show emphasis. Bold formatting, size variations, and/or patterns and shapes
can be used along with color to show emphasis or make comparisons between data paints. This simple
technique can help improve information access for people in a wide variety of situations and with
various conditions, including:

• Color blindness
• Low vision
• Age-related vision issues such as macular degeneration

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• Monitors with incorrect or imperfect color rendering
• People trying to read your materials on their phone while standing in broad daylight

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