To make a PDF ADA compliant (accessible), start with an accessible source document, preserve its structure when exporting to PDF, and check the PDF’s tags, reading order, images, tables, links and form fields. Set the document title and language, then run an accessibility checker and manually test the document with a keyboard and screen reader. Automated checks help identify issues, but they do not prove that every part of a PDF is accessible.
What Makes a PDF ADA Compliant?
An ADA-compliant PDF should be accessible to people with disabilities, including those who use screen readers or keyboard navigation. This means the document must have a clear structure, readable text, and accessible content that assistive technologies can interpret.
Key elements include:
Proper tags and headings: Organise headings, paragraphs, and lists so screen readers can identify the document structure.
Logical reading order: Ensure content is read in the correct sequence, including columns, tables, and footnotes.
Alternative text: Describe meaningful images and mark decorative images so assistive technologies can skip them.
Accessible tables, links, and forms: Use clear link labels, properly identified table headers, and labelled form fields.
Document properties: Set the document title and language, and add bookmarks where useful.
Searchable text: Use OCR for scanned documents, then check text accuracy, tags, and reading order.
Meeting these technical requirements helps make a PDF accessible, but compliance depends on the applicable legal requirements and context. Automated checkers can identify many issues, but manual review and assistive-technology testing are also important.
Why Should PDFs be ADA-Compliant?
How to Create an ADA-Compliant PDF?
- Choose the Right Language: Make sure your PDF is set in the correct language. This helps screen readers understand the text correctly and avoids confusion.
- Begin With an Accessible Document: If you can, start with a document that is easy to access. Then, change it into a PDF while keeping its accessibility features intact.
- Use Clear Headings and Structure: Arrange your information with clear headings and in a way that makes sense. This helps readers navigate through the document and grasp the content easily.
- Add Descriptions for Pictures and Charts: Make sure all important images, charts, and other non-text elements have descriptions. This helps people who use screen readers understand what is in the images.
- Tag Tables and Forms Correctly: When you use tables and forms, tag them properly so they are easy to navigate. Tables should have header rows and columns labeled correctly. Remember to use specific tags, like for the whole table and individual rows.
- Ensure Good Color Contrast: Make sure there is enough contrast between your text and background colors. This helps everyone read your content, especially people with vision problems like color blindness. To learn more about how color contrast works in ADA-compliant documents, you can check out our guide here.
- Use Easy-to-Read Fonts and Consistent Formatting: When creating PDFs, it is important to use fonts that are easy to read and keep the formatting consistent. This ensures that everyone can access the information without any difficulty.
- Make Links Easy to Understand: Hyperlinks in your PDF should have clear and descriptive text so that readers know where they will go when they click. This is especially helpful for people using assistive technology.
- Ensure Accessibility: After finishing your document, run a check to find any accessibility problems. This helps ensure everyone can use your PDF without trouble.
Industries That Utilize ADA-Compliant PDFs
- Education Industry: Schools and universities can make PDF versions of textbooks and handouts so that differently abled students can easily read them.
- Government Agencies: These bodies can create PDFs of reports and brochures that follow ADA guidelines, making them accessible to everyone.
- Healthcare Industry: Hospitals can make PDFs of patient forms and consent forms that meet ADA standards, allowing patients with disabilities to understand and fill them out.
- Businesses: Companies can produce ADA-compliant PDFs like employee manuals and marketing materials, ensuring all employees and customers can read them.
- Law Firms: They can make ADA-friendly PDFs of legal papers like contracts and court filings. This means including things like alt text for images and clear headings so that people with disabilities can understand them too.
What Happens if Your PDFs are not Accessible?
How to Check if an Existing PDF is ADA-Compliant
- Images lacking descriptive alternative text.
- Disordered or illogical reading flow.
- Inadequate color contrast between text and background.
- Improperly structured headings that affect document navigation.
- Use of fonts that are not screen reader–friendly.
- Untagged or incorrectly tagged elements that disrupt accessibility.
How can PREP Help in Creating an ADA-Compliant PDF?
PREP is a PDF remediation tool that processes inaccessible documents and extracts data with the help of advanced AI technology. It ensures efficient data conversion into a logical format by understanding the context of each document.
Apart from this, it also provides customized solutions for unstructured data. The compliance guidelines undergo updates frequently, and these constant updates can make it challenging to keep up with compliance manually. However, the robust built-in ADA-compliant accessibility checker and PDF checker in PREP validate the document’s compliance with the WCAG and ADA guidelines. PREP can automate the remediation of complex documents in multiple formats at affordable prices and a quicker turnaround time.
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