Advice on which issues can be solved automatically is available in online Help. To fix issues automatically: click Fix. Online help also provides more guidance for manually resolving issues.

• 1-1: Is the accessibility permission flag set?

  An author can specify in the Security rab that a PDF cannot be copied, printed, commented or edited. Content extraction can also be prohibited. This condition could interfere with a screen reader’s ability to read the document out loud. This test checks that the option Accessibility access has been set to Allowed. This means the prohibition for extraction does not apply to screen readers.

  Solution: Go to Security > Security > Manage Security > Modify. In the Security Method list, select Password Security and click Settings. In the Permissions area select the Allow accessibility check box.

• 1-2: Does the document contain a text layer?

  Image-only PDF files cannot be accessed by screen readers because they have no text layer. Some PDF files may be partly accessible, but could have image-only pages or parts. A PDF with a text layer might still be inaccessible if it uses non-standard character encoding or does not have embedded fonts and no usable font can be found in the computer system.

  Solution: Go to Home > Convert > Make PDF Searchable. See Make PDF Searchable for instructions.

• 1-3: Has all content been tagged?

  Successful access to a PDF may depend on suitable document tagging. Tagging defines a correct reading order for elements and also identifies content types, such as body text blocks, headings, images, tables, annotations and multimedia objects.

  Solution: Open the Tag panel and click the Tag PDF tool.

• 1-4: Does the document have a suitable reading order?

  Verify this rule check manually. Make sure that the reading order displayed in the Tag panel coincides with the logical reading order of the document.

• 1-5: Is the primary language for the document correctly set?

  Screen readers need to know which language they are reading. A primary language should be set for the PDF.

• 1-6: Does the document name appear in the title bar? The Document file name or title should appear in the Application title bar.

  Solution: Go to File > Info > Description and Properties and then select Advanced Properties from the drop-down list. In the Initial View tab you can set whether the file name or document title should appear in the application title bar. All PDF files must have a file name, but often a title is missing. At the same location open the Description tab and enter a title.

• 1-7: Does the document have bookmarks?

  This check is applied to files with 21 or more pages; such documents must have a logical bookmark structure that summarizes the document structure.

  Solution: See Bookmarks panel.

• 1-8: Are the headings descriptive enough?

  Descriptive headings work together with titles to provide an overview of the content and its organization to the readers, helping orientation related to other sections and the whole document. Using meaningful text conveying the most important information at the beginning of headings helps readers to look over the document and find content quickly. Descriptive headings are even more useful when using a screen reader like Jaws.

  This check fails if there are no heading tags (H, and H1-H6) in the document.

  Solution: Add heading tags to the document. Use the Tag panel, find the appropriate <P> element, and change its Type to Heading (H). Repeat that with other heading tags (Heading Element 1-6). See Tag panel for details.

• 1-9: Does the document have suitable color contrast?

  People who are color-blind need their documents to have contrasting colors. To solve this issue, make sure that the document’s content adheres to the guidelines outlined in WCAG section 1.4.3. Or, include a recommendation that the PDF viewer use high-contrast colors.