How to Test PDFs for WCAG and EAA Compliance
PDF documents must meet accessibility standards just like HTML web pages. Here is a guide on how to test your PDFs.
1. Check for Text Searchability
If a PDF is essentially just an image of text (such as a scanned document), screen readers cannot parse it. You must ensure the PDF contains actual text that can be highlighted and searched.
2. Verify Document Structure (Tags)
Accessible PDFs use a hidden, structured tagging system (similar to HTML tags) to define headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables. You can use Adobe Acrobat's Accessibility tool to check if the document is tagged.
3. Check Alternative Text for Images
All meaningful images must have descriptive alternative text. Decorative images should be tagged as background artifacts so they are ignored by screen readers.
4. Use Automated Testing Tools
Automated tools like the wcagc PDF Accessibility Checker can quickly identify missing tags, contrast issues, and other common violations of PDF/UA and WCAG standards.