After you’ve proactively designed your content with accessibility in mind, check your content with the following resources to make sure that your content is accessible. You can also use these resources to check materials created by a third-party before including them in your content.
How do I check Third-party materials for accessibility and remediate them if needed?
If third-party materials are found to be inaccessible, it is strongly recommended that alternative accessible content be used. It can be costly and time consuming to remediate inaccessible documents and media (video/audio) created by a third-party; however, if third-party content must be used, it must also be made accessible.
Contact the content owner to ask for an accessible copy.
If the owner does not have an accessible copy available, ask for permission to make the content accessible. (If the owner does not give you permission or you do not receive a response to your request, you must still have an accessible version of the content available for persons with disabilities.)
With permission, remediate the inaccessible content. If you have attempted but are unable to get permission to remediate the inaccessible content from the owner, please email the Accessibility Coordinator at accessibility@uncg.edu.
If you find inaccessible online content and determine it can’t be fixed, you must provide an equivalent, alternative solution. Use the Accessibility Plan Template to document the accessibility limitations and to specifically identify the alternate resources, materials, etc. you plan to use in order to ensure that all students have full access to your online content.
This guide explains how to test and convert scanned PDFs using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to create accessible, searchable documents. Scanned PDFs are images of text and cannot be read by screen readers, making them inaccessible for visually impaired users. Converting them ensures everyone, especially those with visual impairments, can access the information.
How-To Guide: Testing Your PDF
Open
Open the PDF document with Adobe Reader.
Highlight Text
Select and highlight the text.
Read Out Loud
Test the text to see if it can be read aloud to you.
Go to Adobe Reader’s View menu.
Select Read Out Loud > Activate Read Out Loud.
Listen
Go back to View > Read Out Loud.
Click Read this page only or Read to the end of the document.
Listen to the document.
Does it read all text in the document?
Does it read the entire document in logical order?
How-To Guide: Converting Your Scanned PDF
Optical Character Recognition
For scanned documents, complete the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or Text Recognition process to see if it can be read aloud.
In Adobe Acrobat Pro, choose Tools > Enhance Scans > Recognize Text > In This File.
Then adjust Pages and Language, and click Recognize Text.
Creates a layer of text in your PDF that can be searched or copied/pasted into a new document.
Allows text to be readable by a screen reader.
Use the Read Aloud feature to make sure it is readable.
Alt Text
If images, photos, diagrams, etc. are included in the document, add alt text or captions to explain the key messages in the images.
Screen readers do not read/recognize any images if alt text is missing.
Go to Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order.
Reading Order window will be displayed; alt text will be shown near image.
This guide shows how to use Adobe Acrobat Pro’s Accessibility Checker to ensure PDFs are accessible. You’ll learn to identify and fix accessibility issues using built-in tools and resources, verify that documents aren’t image-only, include tags for screen readers, have logical reading and tab order, and provide alt text for images.
How-To Guide: Adobe Accessibility Checker
Note: If there are numerous errors found in your PDF document after using the accessibility checker, and reformatting is necessary, you may want to consider converting it to an MS Office document. It is often easier to reformat documents in MS Office first and convert it to a PDF second.
Preliminary Steps
Before you do anything, make sure you are using Adobe Acrobat DC Professional (i.e. Acrobat Pro), not Acrobat Reader. Only Acrobat Pro gives you the tools to create and edit a document, including the remediation tools you’ll need to make your PDFs accessible.
Once you have access to Acrobat Pro, you’ll want to make sure the tools that you need are readily available.
Open a PDF document in Acrobat Pro.
To set up your side panel:
Go to Menu > View > Show/Hide > Side panels
Accessibility tags
Make sure the following are all checked:
Content
Order
These panes should now appear in the right-hand side panel
To set up your All Tools panel:
Select All Tools
Make sure the Prepare for Accessibility option is visible
If Prepare for Accessibility is not visible, select View more at the bottom of the tools list and scroll down until you find it
Right click Prepare for Accessibility and move it up until it is visible in the All Tools list even when collapsed
Repeat Steps 2–4 for the Scan & OCR tool
Checking for Accessibility
Many PDFs that you pull from publishers or databases may already have some accessibility features built in. Before running Acrobat’s accessibility checker, you can spot check for these features following the instructions in the table below. Reviewing your PDF for these elements will let you know if you need to do a complete remediation or if you can go ahead and run the accessibility checker.
Accessible Element
How to Check
Screen readable text
Try to highlight the text or search for a word you can see visually. If either is unsuccessful, you may have to run OCR.
Select the Tags pane in the right Side Panel. If any tags are present, they will be listed. Click through the tags to check that there is a logical order, and check that there is a proper heading hierarchy.
Alt text for any non-decorative images
Find the image in the Tags panel (should be tagged as <Figure>), right click the tag, and select Properties. Check to see if any text exists in the box labeled “Alternative Text for Images.” If alt text is included, make sure it is accurate.
Metadata such as a document title
Go to Menu > Document Properties to check that this metadata is present and accurate.
Running the Accessibility Checker
Let’s get started using Acrobat Pro’s Accessibility Checker. Once you have the application downloaded and your PDF open, follow these steps to run the accessibility checker.
Open
Open the PDF document with Acrobat Pro.
All Tools
Click on the All Tools tab at the top of the screen.
Scroll down and select Prepare for Accessibility.
Full Check
The Prepare for Accessibility Toolbar will open to the side of your document.
In the sidebar, select Check for Accessibility.
Start Checking
In the Accessibility Checker Options dialogue box, select your choices.
We recommend leaving the default Checker Options selected to ensure you’re checking for the widest variety of accessibility issues.
Click Start Checking.
Review Results
Review the results in the Accessibility Checker panel on the left of your document.
Clicking on the arrow next to the category (Document, Page, Content, etc.) shows what was checked and whether it passed, failed, or needs to be manually checked.
Fix
Right-click (Windows) or control-click (MacOS) on one of the failed options for a menu that will allow you to fix the issue, skip the issue, or have the issue explained.
If you choose Fix, Acrobat will either fix the item automatically or display a dialogue box prompting you to fix the item manually.
Remediating Your PDF
Now that you’ve used Acrobat Pro’s Accessibility Checker to identify potential issues, you’ll need to work through the list to remediate them.
If the text of your PDF can’t be highlighted or searched, then it will not be recognizable to a screen reader. This is most often the case with scanned PDFs.
To fix this, you’ll have to run OCR (Optical Character Recognition).
In your All Tools panel, select the Scan & OCR tool.
If your PDF is a scan, you may want to first select the Enhance scanned file option, which can clean up the scanned text to improve the accuracy of the OCR, and click the Enhance button.
Once you’ve enhanced your scan (if necessary), you can run OCR by staying in the Scan & OCR tool panel, selecting the In this file option under the RECOGNIZE TEXT heading, making sure the correct language is selected, and then clicking the Recognize text button.
You have two options for how to tag the content of your PDF: autotagging or manual tagging.
Option 1: Autotagging Your PDF
To autotag your document, you can:
Select the Accessibility Tags icon from your right side panel to open the Accessibility Tags pane
At the top right of the Accessibility Tags pane, open the Options menu (using the three-dot icon)
Select Autotag Document
Autotagged documents often require significant tweaks. You will need to click through the tags to make sure they are accurate and ordered correctly. You may find this list of common PDF tags helpful.
You can edit tags by clicking twice and updating the text.
You can drag and drop tags to reorder them.
Option 2: Tagging Your PDF Manually
To tag your document manually, you can:
Open the Reading Order Panel
Click the Reading Order icon in your right side panel to open the Order pane
At the top right of the Order pane, open the Options menu (using the three-dot icon)
Select Show reading order panel
Select a section (e.g., the chapter title) of text by dragging your cursor around it
Click the corresponding button on the Reading Order Panel (e.g., Heading 1)
Make sure the correct tag shows up in the Tags pane
Repeat Steps 1–3 for each section of text, figure, table, etc. as you work your way through the document
How Different Elements Should be Tagged
You can tag any element by opening the Reading Order Panel, highlighting the element (by drawing a rectangle around it), and selecting the appropriate button in the Reading Order Panel. You can also edit any existing tag or generate new tags in the Tags panel.
Paragraphs. Each individual paragraph should be tagged as such. This will be indicated by a <P> tag in the Tags panel.
Images. Each image in your PDF should be tagged as a figure. This will be indicated by a <Figure> tag in the Tags panel. If the image contains a caption, then a <Caption> tag should be nested underneath it containing that text.
Lists. A list will include several different tagged elements:
First, the entire list must be tagged (as indicated by an <L> tag in the Tags panel).
Next, each individual list item must be tagged. These <LI> tags will appear nested under the <L> tag in the Tags panel.
Each list item is separated into a label and a list item body. The label is just the bullet point or number itself. The list item body is the textual content of the list item. These elements are tagged as <Lbl> and <LBody>, respectively, and are nested underneath the <LI> tag in the Tags panel.
Tables. Tables require several different levels of tags as well:
First, the entire table must be tagged (as indicated by a <Table> tag in the Tags panel).
Next, each row must be tagged, using the <TR> (table row) tag. The <TR> tags should be nested under the <Table> tag in the Tags panel.
Within each row, each individual cell must also be tagged. Cells in a header row can be tagged <TH> (table header), and cells in all other rows can be tagged <TD> (table data).
Artifacts. Many PDFs include elements that you won’t want a screen reader to recognize. These could be shadows from a scanned page, horizontal dividing lines, or publisher logos, just to name a few. These elements can be tagged as artifacts using the Background/Artifact button in the Reading Order Panel. Items tagged as artifacts will disappear from the Tags panel.
Reviewing Your Accessibility Updates
Before closing your remediated document, check it again to make sure everything is as it should be.
Click the Order icon in your right side panel to open the Order pane. Use the arrow buttons on your keyboard to click through each element to make sure they are in the correct order.
If you find any elements that are out of order, you can rearrange them by dragging them to a different location within the Order list.
Click the Accessibility Tags icon in your right side panel to open the Tags panel. Use the arrow buttons on your keyboard to click through the tags (just like with the Reading Order in the previous step) to make sure they are in the correct order and everything is nested appropriately.
If you find any elements that are out of order, you can rearrange them by dragging them to a different location within the Tags list.
Under Menu, select Document Properties. Check that the document title and any other pertinent information is accurate.
This guide explains how to use Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker in Excel to ensure spreadsheets are accessible to all users. You’ll learn how to identify elements that may cause problems for people with disabilities and receive suggestions for fixing issues. Checking accessibility not only supports students with disabilities but also improves usability for everyone through universal design principles.
How-To Guide: Microsoft Excel Accessibility Checker
Open
Open the Excel spreadsheet you want to check.
Check Accessibility
Click on the Review ribbon and click Check Accessibility.
If Check Accessibility is missing from your ribbon, choose Info from the File menu and then Check Accessibility from the Check for Issues box.
Review Results
The Accessibility Checker will run.
Then a window with the results opens on the right-hand side of the screen.
Accessibility issues fall into three categories:
Errors: Items that cannot be read by those who are differently abled, especially if they rely on screen readers.
Warnings: Less serious, but issues that can still cause difficulties.
Tips: Any potential issues that could cause problems in your MS Excel spreadsheet.
This guide explains how to use Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker in Word to ensure documents are accessible to all users. You’ll learn how to identify elements that may cause problems for people with disabilities and receive suggestions for fixing issues. Checking accessibility not only supports users with disabilities but also improves usability for everyone through universal design principles.
How-To Guide: Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker
Open
Open a document in Microsoft Word.
Check Accessibility
Select Review, then select Check Accessibility.
Review Errors
Microsoft Word will open a list of errors and warning on the right side of the screen. Microsoft will also offer recommendations on how to make your document more accessible.
Fix
When you choose an item from the list, Microsoft will show that portion of your document. Word will also show why and how to fix the issue.
Accessibility issues fall into three categories:
Errors: Items that cannot be read by those who are differently abled, especially if they rely on screen readers.
Warnings: Less serious, but issues that can still cause difficulties.
Tips: Any potential issues that could cause problems in your MS Word Document.
Accessible or Not?
If you have gone through Steps 1–4 with no errors, warning, or tips, then your document is well on its way to being accessible.
USING THE MICROSOFT POWERPOINT ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER
This guide explains how to use Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint to ensure presentations are accessible to all users. You’ll learn how to identify elements that may cause problems for people with disabilities and receive suggestions for fixing issues. Checking accessibility not only supports users with disabilities but also improves usability for everyone through universal design principles.
The following resources explain how to use the Canvas Accessibility Checker to ensure course pages are accessible to all users. Download the checklists and use the Canvas tutorial to work through your course materials.
Download the Course Accessibility Checklist document to aid you in reviewing accessibility for an overall course website, either in Canvas or another website platform. (Note: In the document, “PM only” refers to Project Manager. You can use this document as you wish.)
This guide and associated resources show how to use the Universal Design Online content Inspection Tool, or UDOIT, to identify and resolve accessibility issues in Canvas course content.
How-To Guide: UDOIT
Enable
In your Canvas, access course navigation and select Settings > Navigation.
Locate UDOIT Cloud and click the three vertical dots to open the Enable/Move menu.
Select Enable.
Click Save.
Run
Click UDOIT Cloud in your course navigation.
If prompted, authorize Cidi Labs UDOIT (this is only run once per course).
UDOIT will launch a scan of your course and show a welcome page with an overview and resources.
Review
Once the scan finishes, click Home or Continue to view results.
Review the Scorecard results categorized as High, Medium, and Low Impact to learn more about any identified accessibility issues occuring in your course and how you can address them.
To address issues identified in your course content and files, it is highly recommended that you explore the following resources to learn more about fixing issues in your content and making your files more accessible.
USING THE WEBAIM WAVE TOOL WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER
This guide shows how to use WebAIM’s WAVE Tool (browser extenstion) to evaluate and improve your website’s accessibility. You’ll learn to identify potential issues that affect user access and use the tool’s free, easy-to-understand reports to make fixes.