Testing PDF for Accessibility

Once you are familiar with the accessibility issues of PDF files, you are ready to test the PDF file for accessibility. It is recommended that testing come at the end of the development of the document, because the overall design and structure of the document is a key to its accessibility.

There are several approaches you can use to test a PDF file:

Have an individual who is blind or has a visual impairment examine the PDF file; an individual with a disability usually has a different approach to interacting with the document than you expected, thus exposing errors.
Download a screen reader; trial versions of screen reading technology are available and it provides insight as to how an individual who is blind or has a visual impairment might interpret your document.
Unplug your mouse; this provides insight as to how an individual using keyboard only would navigate the PDF file/use only the keyboard.

Aside from these ways of testing, you can also use the built-in accessibility checker of Acrobat to test your PDF file. However, this tool does not replace the aforementioned approaches of testing a PDF file, but should be used in conjunction with them.

The next page offers a lab that focuses on testing PDF files for accessibility.

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Lab: Forms in PDF

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Lab: Test Accessibility