5 Common Reasons Why PDFs Are Not Accessible
Making a document a PDF doesn’t make it accessible. In fact, many PDFs that look fine visually are completely unusable for people with disabilities. If your file can’t be read by assistive technologies like screen readers or doesn’t meet standards like Section 508, AODA, or PDF/UA, it could be excluding users — and putting your organization at legal risk.
Here are the five most common reasons why PDFs fail accessibility checks, and what you can do about them.
1. Missing or Incorrect Tag Structure
PDFs must be properly tagged to identify headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables. Without tags, screen readers cannot interpret the content correctly, resulting in a flat, unreadable experience for visually impaired users.
Tip: Use a tag inspector (like PAC 2021) to verify the document has a logical and complete tag structure.
2. No Document Language Declared
If the PDF doesn’t include metadata declaring the primary language (e.g., English or Spanish), screen readers may mispronounce or misinterpret the text — especially in multilingual documents.
Tip: Set the document’s language in Adobe Acrobat Pro or via remediation tools.
3. Incorrect Reading Order
Even if your PDF looks well-organized, the reading order might be completely off behind the scenes. For screen readers, this can make the content confusing or impossible to follow.
Tip: Manually check the reading order pane in Acrobat Pro, or test it with a screen reader emulator.
4. Images Without Alternative Text
If a PDF contains images, charts, or icons, each one must include alt text that describes the visual content to users who cannot see it. Decorative images can be marked as artifacts, but informative ones must be described.
Tip: Add concise, meaningful alt text to all non-decorative graphics.
5. Poor Contrast or Font Choices
Low contrast between text and background, overly decorative fonts, or very small font sizes can make documents unreadable for people with low vision or cognitive impairments.
Tip: Follow WCAG 2.1 Level AA contrast guidelines and use simple, legible fonts (like Arial or Calibri, size 12+).
Bonus: Other Issues That Hurt Accessibility
- Tables without headers or logical structure
- Hyperlinks labeled only as “Click here”
- Forms without fillable fields or instructions
- Scanned PDFs that are just images with no real text
- No document title set in metadata
Is Your PDF Accessible?
If your PDF has one or more of the issues listed above, it likely fails accessibility requirements. Whether you’re working with legal documents, e-learning content, or translation deliverables, accessibility isn’t optional — it’s essential.
We Can Help
At AccessiblePDF.ar, we specialize in remediating documents to comply with Section 508, AODA, PDF/UA, and WCAG standards. From multilingual reports to complex forms, we help you create content that’s accessible to everyone.
📩 Contact us for a free document review or quote: accessiblepdf@wlasrl.com