Document Accessibility

All documents must undergo accessibility compliance reviews before they are uploaded to websites. Many of the same accessibility requirements that apply to websites also apply to documents.

Document Accessibility Best Practices

• Use built-in headings and a logical heading structure.
• Provide alternate text for all visuals, including images and charts. Avoid displaying text as part of images.
• Provide an appropriate color contrast between text and page background.
• Use a simple table structure, and specify column header information. Avoid split cells, merge cells and nested tables.
• Add meaningful hyperlink text. For example, instead of linking to the text “click here”, include the full title of the destination page. Also, link descriptive text phrases instead of listing long URLs since they are read aloud by screen readers.
• Use bulleted and numbered lists.

The newest versions of Microsoft Office have a built-in accessibility checker. Adobe Acrobat DC, the professional version of Adobe Acrobat, also comes with a built-in accessibility checker and accessibility reporting.

If you plan to export PDF files from Microsoft applications or graphic design applications like Adobe Indesign or Quark, it is strongly recommended that you also understand Adobe Acrobat DC's accessibility checker, accessibility reporting and remediation tools.