A practical PDF accessibility checklist

Accessibility can feel abstract until you turn it into a checklist. Run through these and most documents will serve every reader well.

The checklist

1. Document has a title and declared language.
2. Headings are tagged as headings, in order.
3. Reading order is logical.
4. Images have alt text; decorative ones are artifacts.
5. Tables have real header cells.
6. Links have descriptive text.
7. Colour is not the only way meaning is conveyed.

Verify, do not assume

Use an accessibility checker and a screen reader to confirm, rather than trusting that export "did it right".