In order to comply with legal requirements and provide an effective user experience, the web team will no longer remediate and/or upload inaccessible PDFs to NIU websites as of July 1, 2024.
The following tips and resources will help you check PDF accessibility and fix any issues you find. If you have any questions about PDFs or accessibility, contact us at webcommunications@niu.edu.
How to Check PDF Accessibility
- Open the PDF in Adobe and open the Tools menu.
- Under Protect & Standardize, select Accessibility.
- Select Accessibility Check, then Start Checking.
How to Fix Identified Issues
- In the Accessibility Checker menu on the left, expand the dropdown for items that have issues.
- Right-click on the problematic item and select Fix (if available).
- If Fix isn’t an option, select Explain to open a webpage that describes next steps.
Common Issues
Tagging and Ordering Content Areas
To work with assistive technologies like screen readers, a PDF must be tagged appropriately. Each content area must be assigned the correct kind of content tag and appear in the correct order. Some common tags you’ll encounter are P, for paragraph text, and H2 (or H3, H4, etc.) for headings.
- Open the Accessibility menu under Tools. Select Autotag Document if the PDF isn’t already tagged.
- Select Reading Order, then Show Order Panel.
- Under the Order menu on the left, drag and drop content areas into the correct order, if needed.
- Select Structure Types in the Reading Order dialogue box.
- In the Order menu on the left, right-click on any incorrectly tagged content areas and select the correct “Tag as” option from the displayed menu.
Adding Alternative Text to Images
The accessibility checker will identify images, or figures, that don’t have alternative text. Only those that serve an informational purpose need alternative (or alt) text.
- After running the accessibility checker, open the dropdown for any Alternate Text issues.
- Right-click on the failed figure and select Fix.
- Either check the box for Decorative Figure or enter text that accurately and concisely explains the image to someone who can’t see it.
Resources
These articles from Adobe explain PDF accessibility features and processes:
The color contrast on university websites and templates is acceptable. If needed, you can use the WCAG color contrast checker to verify accessibility.
