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Adobe PDF Accessibility:
From Fundamentals to Mastery
Introduction
Adobe Acrobat Pro is an essential tool for creating, testing, and remediating accessible PDF documents. Ensuring digital materials meet accessibility standards, such as ADA Title II, WCAG 2.1 AA, and PDF/UA, supports St. Cloud State University’s commitment to inclusive learning environments. This guide compiles key Adobe resources in order of skill progression, helping faculty and staff build confidence in accessible document design.
Faculty and Staff Access: St. Cloud State University provides Adobe Creative Cloud (including Acrobat Pro) for all faculty and staff under the university’s campus license. You may install it on one personal or university-managed device.
Need Help?
If you encounter installation issues or license errors, contact HuskyTech or your technician for assistance.
📧 Email: huskytech@stcloudstate.edu
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1. PDF Accessibility Overview
Organization: Adobe Inc.
Summary: A foundational introduction explaining why accessibility matters and how accessible PDFs support universal access. The article describes the relationship between PDF accessibility, WCAG, and PDF/UA, highlighting key features like logical structure, tagging, metadata, and compatibility with screen readers. Ideal for understanding the why behind accessible document practices.
Keywords: accessibility overview, PDF/UA, WCAG, tagged PDF, metadata, reflow, assistive technology, inclusive design
Reference Page: PDF Accessibility Review
2. The Complete Checklist to PDF Accessibility
Organization: Adobe Blog
Summary: An accessible, plain-language guide that translates accessibility standards into everyday practices. This checklist walks readers through essential accessibility elements, like text readability, color contrast, alternative text, and reading order, and shows how to apply them in real-world workflows. It serves as an excellent bridge between conceptual awareness and hands-on design habits.
Keywords: accessibility checklist, PDF accessibility, best practices, alt text, readability, contrast, document design
Reference Page: The complete checklist to PDF accessibility
3. Creating Accessible PDFs
Organization: Adobe Inc.
Summary: A step-by-step tutorial on how to create accessible PDFs using Adobe Acrobat Pro and Microsoft Office. It covers setting document properties, creating tagged PDFs, adding alt text, defining reading order, and ensuring forms are navigable with assistive technology. This guide focuses on proactive creation, designing accessibly from the start rather than fixing files later.
Keywords: PDF creation, tagged PDF, alt text, reading order, Acrobat Pro, Section 508, WCAG 2.1, proactive design
Reference Page: Workflow for creating accessible PDFs
4. Make PDFs Accessible (Acrobat Pro)
Organization: Adobe Inc.
Summary: Introduces the Make Accessible action within Acrobat Pro’s Action Wizard, which automates many accessibility setup steps and launches the Accessibility Checker. The article explains how to run and interpret automated checks, address flagged issues, and apply manual fixes. Readers learn how automation and human review intersect to ensure compliance.
Keywords: Make Accessible, Action Wizard, Accessibility Checker, automation, WCAG compliance, Acrobat Pro
Reference Page: Make PDFs Accessible (Acrobat Pro)
5. Create and Verify PDF Accessibility (Adobe Acrobat Pro)
Organization: Adobe Inc.
Summary: A deep-dive technical guide on verifying accessibility in existing PDFs. It details the Accessibility Checker, Tags panel, and Reading Order tool, showing how to repair complex issues in documents not originally built accessibly. This article moves readers into full compliance workflows, including verification against WCAG 2.1, PDF/UA, and Section 508 standards, an essential resource for accessibility specialists and advanced users.
Keywords: verification, remediation, Accessibility Checker, tagged structure, PDF/UA, WCAG 2.1, document repair, compliance testing
Reference Page: Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)