Structuring Content with Tags
Upload your PDF to the PDFTools accessibility workspace and open the tag tree. Assign Heading 1 to the title, Heading 2 to major sections, and so on. Proper tags let screen readers announce structure, which dramatically improves comprehension.
Lists, tables, and callouts should receive their respective tags as well. A bulleted list tagged as plain paragraphs may read as a run-on sentence, confusing anyone using assistive tech.
Adding Alt Text and Descriptions
Every meaningful image needs a short description. Focus on the insight the image delivers rather than pixel-perfect detail: for example, “Bar chart showing Q2 revenue up 18% year over year.”
If an image is purely decorative, mark it as “Artifact” so screen readers can skip it. This prevents noise and keeps the reading experience efficient.
Testing Reading Order and Contrast
Use PDFTools reading-order simulator to step through each element exactly as a screen reader would. Adjust the order tree until captions, figures, and footnotes flow logically.
Finish with a contrast scan. PDFs exported from design tools sometimes bake light-gray text into backgrounds. The simulator highlights low-contrast regions so you can fix them before publishing.
Conclusion
The accessibility checklist is a great way to ensure that your documents are accessible to everyone. By structuring content with tags, adding alt text and descriptions, and testing reading order and contrast, you can ensure that your documents are accessible to everyone.