Document Conversion for Accessibility Compliance

Accessible documents ensure everyone, including people with disabilities, can consume your content. Understanding accessibility in document conversion helps create inclusive, legally compliant materials.

Why Accessibility Matters

• Over 1 billion people worldwide have disabilities
• Legal requirements in many countries (ADA, Section 508, EU directives)
• Improves usability for everyone
• Better SEO through structured content

Accessibility Features in Documents

Structure and Navigation

• Headings - Proper hierarchy (H1, H2, H3) for screen reader navigation
• Table of contents - Jump to sections easily
• Page numbers - Reference specific locations
• Bookmarks - Quick navigation in PDFs

Visual Content

• Alt text - Descriptions for images
• Color contrast - Text readable against backgrounds
• Don't rely on color alone - Use patterns or labels too

Text Content

• Real text - Not images of text
• Logical reading order - Content flows sensibly
• Language identification - Helps screen readers pronounce correctly

Creating Accessible PDFs

From Microsoft Word

1. Use built-in heading styles
2. Add alt text to all images
3. Run Accessibility Checker before export
4. Export using "Create Tagged PDF" option

PDF Tags

Tagged PDFs include structural information that enables:

• Screen reader navigation
• Content reflow on mobile devices
• Better text extraction

Accessibility in Conversion

PDF to Word

Conversion generally preserves structure if the PDF was tagged. Untagged PDFs may lose heading structure.

Image to PDF

Scanned documents are just images - no accessible text. Use OCR to create searchable, readable text.

Web to PDF

Well-structured HTML usually converts to accessible PDF. Check that headings and alt text are preserved.

Testing Accessibility

• Adobe Acrobat's Accessibility Check - Built-in PDF testing
• Microsoft Accessibility Checker - In Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• WAVE - Web accessibility evaluation tool
• Screen reader testing - NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver

Common Issues and Fixes

• Missing alt text - Add descriptions to all meaningful images
• No heading structure - Apply proper heading levels
• Low contrast - Use contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1
• Unlabeled form fields - Add labels to all inputs