This is a very brief tutorial on the Acrobat Pro Guided Action's Make Accessible tool. This tool can be helpful, and sometimes required, to make a PDF more accessible.  It is the best option if you do not have access to the PDF's editable source document (e.g., Word or InDesign file).

Step 1

Video Summary

  1. Check if you have the required buttons.
  2. Click the "Prepare for accessibility" button.
    • Choose "Start checking".
    • It will open a new right sidebar.
    • Review the errors.
  3. Click the "Use guided actions" button.
    • Choose the "Make accessible" button.
    • It will open a new right sidebar.
  4. Click the "Start" button.
    • Follow the Guided Action's "Make Accessible" prompts.
    • On the last dialog box "Accessibility Checker Options", choose "Start Checking".
      • It will open a new right sidebar.
      • Review the errors.
  5. Examine the Accessibility items in the right sidebar.

 

Step 2

Video Summary

  1. If it is not already open, run "Accessibility Checker" to reveal the results in the right side bar
  2. Manually review the page for a "Logical Reading Order" using the "Reading Order" Panel and the "Accessibility Tags" panel.
    1. There are two reading orders in Acrobat:
      1. Select the "Reading Order" icon on the right.
      2. Select the ellipsis and choose "Show Reading Order Panel".
      3. Use the dialog box to investigate the reading order and Tags.
      4. Select heading elements with the mouse to open them in the "Accessibility tags" panel. 
      5. Revise the headings to be accurate.
      6. Check the "Accessibility Tag" order to ensure it matches the visual order.
  3. Review all remaining issues marked in the left sidebar, in this example we check the following issues (Your results will likely be different):
    • Check color contrast visually, fix if necessary.
    • Check "Alternative text", fix if necessary.
    • Check "Tables", fix if necessary.
    • Check "Headings", fix if necessary.
  4. Recheck all issues with the "Accessibility Checker"

Tips for really bad documents

If the Accessibility Checker has a lot of issues that seem impossible to fix, try to run it through Robobraille instead as a start. Then try the Guided Action's "Make Accessible" again. For full documentation see:

  1. Adobe's documentation on Guided Actions.
  2. LinkedIn Learning Creating Accessible PDFs (Free when you log in using your Duke email address.)