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Accessible PDF's

Creating Accessible PDFs from Microsoft Word

The first step in creating an accessible PDF from Microsoft Word is to ensure that the original Word document is accessible. For steps, see the Accessible MS Word documents page.

Starting with an accessible Word document, a goal when exporting to PDF is do so in a way that preserves the accessibility features of the Word document, including heading structure, alternate text for images, and markup that explicitly identifies lists, tables, document language, and other content that is important for accessibility.

Do not print to PDF. This method of creating a PDF does not preserve the document’s accessibility features. The correct method of exporting to PDF depends on which version of Microsoft Office you’re using.

Word 2013 and Word 2010 (Windows)

  • Go to File > “Save As…” and select PDF from the choices provided. By default this produces a PDF that preserves the document’s accessibility features.
  • When saving, select Options and be sure that “Document structure tags for accessibility” is checked. This is checked by default, but could become unchecked under certain circumstances.
  • If you select “Minimize Size” to reduce the size of your PDF, be sure to repeat the preceding step, as this option might uncheck the “Document structure tags for accessibility” checkbox.

Word 2016 (Mac)

In Office 2016, Word can now generate a tagged PDF that preserves a document’s accessibility features. To use this feature:

  • Go to File > “Save As…” and select PDF from the choices provided. By default this produces a PDF that preserves the document’s accessibility features.
  • When saving, be sure the box labeled “Best for electronic distribution and accessibility” is checked.

Creating Accessible PDFs from Adobe InDesign

Adobe made significant improvements to accessibility with the release of InDesign CS5.5. The following are some basic steps for creating accessible documents in InDesign. These steps apply specifically to InDesign CS5.5, which includes significant improvements to accessibility support over previous versions. For comparison sake, each steps includes a note regarding how to attain a similar level of accessibility using CS4.

For information that applies to later versions, plus a variety of other instructional resources, see the Adobe InDesign Accessibility site.

Tips for Optimizing Accessibility in CS5.5

  • Create your document using paragraph styles (Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles). These aren’t just a good idea—they’re required for accessibility. Use them consistently throughout the document to define styles for all text, including headings and sub-headings. For headings, use styles that indicate the heading level (e.g., H-1, H-2) within the organizational structure of the document (headings should form an outline of the document).
  • Associate each of the styles you’ve created with specific PDF tags. From the Paragraph Styles options menu, select Edit All Export Tags, check the PDF radio button, then select the relevant tags for each of your styles.
  • Add alt text to images (Object > Object Export Options > Alt Text).
  • Establish content read order with the Articles panel (Window > Articles). Simply drag content from the document into the Articles panel in the order in which it should be read by screen readers. To drag multiple items, select them in the correct read order using Shift+click, then drag them all at once to the Articles panel.
  • Export to PDF, and be sure to select “Acrobat 6” or higher for Compatibility, and check the “Create Tagged PDF” checkbox.