PDF Content Accessibility Requirements
It’s the law!Section 508 of federal law requires accessibility compliance for documents posted online. Developing a more inclusive document strategy is not only a major component of CCBC’s digital strategy, but a legal requirement to which we are held accountable.
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a user friendly file format to consistently present and share documents across operating systems and application environments. PDFs can contain text, links, buttons, form fields, audio, video and diagrams. They can also be signed electronically and are easily viewed using free, reliable software. PDFs must be in a format that individuals with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with in the same manner as individuals without disabilities.
Standards
Best Practices
Timeline
Learn accessibility best practices and compliance standards
- Create accessible PDFs »
- Create accessible PDFs using Microsoft Word »
- Create accessible PDFs using Microsoft Excel »
- Create accessible PDFs using Adobe InDesign »
- Replace existing PDFs »
Have you created an accessible document in Word, Excel or InDesign?
Congratulations - but you are not done yet! Always open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat and perform the Make Accessible feature. This is the final check needed to ensure that your document is in compliance. In most cases, this is where you will add/confirm the title of the document.
To run the Make Accessible feature in Adobe Acrobat:
- Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat
- Select Tools in the upper right hand corner
- Expand the Action Wizard and select Make Accessible
- Select Start and follow the prompts