How to Use Grackle Go PDF Accessibility Checker

Ensuring PDFs meet accessibility standards is crucial for inclusivity, especially for individuals using screen readers and other assistive technologies. Grackle Go, a browser-based PDF accessibility checker, quickly verifies PDF-UA compliance and provides actionable insights for improvement.

Video Guide

Register for Grackle Go

Visit grackledocs.com/go and complete the registration form. After submitting the form, check your email for a verification link and confirm your account. Log in to access the customer portal, where you can store reports and review past scans.

Upload and Scan PDFs

Log in to Grackle Go and navigate to the Go tab. Drag and drop PDFs into the scan files section or click the upload button to select files manually. The scan history section keeps a record of all previously scanned documents, allowing you to review past reports or re-run scans.

Review the Accessibility Report

Once the scan finishes, Grackle Go assigns a grade based on PDF-UA compliance. The report displays the number of passed elements, warnings, and failures, along with file details such as title, language, page count, and software used. Clicking on specific issues provides a breakdown of what needs correction.

Identify Errors

The accessibility report, from our companion video example, highlights common issues, including untagged content, role mapping errors, and artifacts. Clicking “Show Error” pinpoints the exact location of each problem in the document.

• Untagged content requires proper structural tagging.
• Role mapping issues need correct standard structure types.
• Artifacts and text objects may include unnecessary or redundant elements.

By addressing these issues, you improve the document’s accessibility and usability.

Download and Analyze the Report

Grackle Go generates a Validation Report summarizing compliance details. The report lists failures, warnings, and passes, making it easy to identify problem areas. Downloading the report provides an accessible PDF version that screen readers can navigate efficiently.

Make Accessibility Improvements

After reviewing the report, open the PDF in an editing tool such as Adobe Acrobat for manual tagging or Grackle Docs for automated fixes. Resolve untagged content, adjust role mappings, and add missing metadata. Re-upload the corrected file to Grackle Go to confirm that all accessibility issues have been addressed.

Grackle Go simplifies PDF accessibility testing by providing clear, actionable feedback. By incorporating this tool into your workflow, you can enhance PDF accessibility, ensure compliance with PDF-UA and WCAG standards, and create more inclusive digital documents.

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!