How to Make a PDF Form Accessible | Demo

Today’s post is a real-world troubleshooting session in Adobe Acrobat. It highlights best practices for reviewing, editing, and remediating PDF form structures to ensure they are usable by all, including screen reader users.

Video Guide

Initial Assessment: Tags Panel Review

Begin the remediation process by opening the Tags Panel in Adobe Acrobat.

In this case, the tag tree started with a <Figure> tag, followed by an <H3> tag and numerous unstructured form fields. The document lacked a <Document> tag at the root level, which is essential for proper structure recognition.

Insert the missing <Document> tag and organize all other tags under it to establish a coherent reading structure.

Correct Heading and Paragraph Tags

Adjust the heading tags to reflect a logical order.

In this case, change the existing <H3> to <H1> and review <P> tags to ensure they represent meaningful paragraph content. Remove redundant or misapplied tags to simplify and correct the structure.

Headings should follow a logical sequence, such as H1 to H2, to aid navigation with screen readers.

Avoid Improper Table Usage

Identify and remove tables used for layout rather than for true tabular data. Extract content from these tables and place it into individual tags and form fields.

Use tables only when presenting structured data with proper headers.

Prepare Form Fields

Open the Prepare Form tool in Acrobat to inspect and adjust form elements. Move misplaced items to their correct locations and delete unnecessary fields. Consolidate related fields for clarity and accessibility.

Acrobat might misinterpret layouts and add incorrect form fields, so review each field carefully.

Use Auto-Tagging and Manual Corrections

Run the Auto-Tag Document feature from Acrobat’s Accessibility tools, but expect to make manual edits. In this case, the auto-tagging failed to apply the necessary structure, so manual changes were required, including reinserting the <Document> tag and revising heading levels and table elements.

Always verify the results of auto-tagging and make adjustments as needed.

Use Dummy Containers

Use a dummy container tag to temporarily organize untagged annotations. Create a placeholder tag, then use the Find tool to locate unmarked annotations and add them to the dummy container.

This method helps isolate and manage content that needs tagging before integrating it into the final structure.

Reorganize Form Fields

Identify and relocate misplaced tagged form fields.

Ensure each form field is associated with a meaningful tag and placed appropriately in the document structure.

Tag New Form Fields

When Acrobat misses form fields, create new tags manually. Assign content to these new tags and configure field properties, including field names and tooltips.

Properly named fields and descriptive tooltips improve usability for screen reader users.

Add Tooltips and Naming Fields

Open the Prepare Form tool, right-click each field, and select Properties to rename fields and add tooltips. Use intuitive names and clear descriptions to guide users through the form.

Final Considerations and Learning Resources

This remediation demo demonstrated the level of detail and manual effort required to ensure full accessibility. Creating accessible documents involves more than automation. It requires thoughtful tagging, logical structure, and attention to detail in form field configuration.

Let me be your champion for inclusion. I offer tailored solutions (and self-paced courses!) to ensure your documents meet and exceed compliance expectations. For more detailed insights, tutorials, and in-depth discussions on accessibility and related topics, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel: The Accessibility Guy on YouTube. Subscribe for regular updates!