Improve accessibility for specific document/content types. Be sure to also review the core concepts for creating accessible content.
How to create accessible...
- Google Docs and Slides
- Microsoft Word documents
- PowerPoint presentations
- PDFs made using Acrobat Pro
- PDFs converted from Microsoft Word
- PDFs converted from InDesign
- Images made using Illustrator
Check a PDF for Accessibility and Remediation
Appalachian State Faculty/Staff can download Adobe Creative Cloud and install Adobe Acrobat. Once Acrobat is installed, open the PDF:
- Access the Accessibility Tools: Go to Tools in the main menu, then select Prepare for Accessibility.
- Run the Accessibility Check: Within the "Prepare for Accessibility" panel, choose Check for Accessibility.
- Start Checking: In the dialog box that appears, click Start Checking.
- Review the Report: The Accessibility Checker will analyze the document and display a report on the left side of the window.
- Interpret the Results: The report categorizes issues as Errors, Warnings, or Needs Manual Check, providing explanations and suggestions for remediation.
- Address Issues: You can click on each issue to get more information on how to fix it. Some issues can be automatically fixed by right-clicking and selecting "Fix". You can also use the "Explain" option to get detailed instructions on how to address the issue.
- Correct Accessibility Issues: Based on the report, you can modify the PDF to address the identified problems.
- Use Adobe Acrobat Pro to correct accessibility issues. For assistance, watch how to remediate a PDF for accessibility using Adobe's Accessibility Checker (Video: 4:49 min).
- Tip: Grainy or pixelated scans may not convert, and may require re-scanning of a clean hardcopy of the original content.
Additional PDF Resources
- Creating Accessible PDFs LinkedIn Learning course (5h 33min)
- Check PDF accessibility in Adobe LinkedIn Learning video (4min 59)
Accessible document conversion
SensusAccess is a self-service document conversion tool available to all App State students, staff, and faculty. SensusAccess can convert text and image-based files into more accessible formats. It can also be used to transform text and image-based files into different outputs including audio, Braille, or e-text formats.