Most course PDFs are built for sighted, able-bodied users. They ignore people who use screen readers, those with low vision, color blindness, or motor impairments. If your course materials aren’t accessible, you’re not just excluding learners-you’re breaking the law in many countries, including the UK under the Equality Act 2010. The good news? Making your PDFs and documents accessible isn’t rocket science. It’s about small, intentional choices that make a huge difference.
Why Accessibility Matters More Than You Think
One in five adults in the UK lives with a disability. That’s not a small group-it’s your student body. A learner with dyslexia might struggle with dense, unstructured text. Someone with low vision might need to zoom in 300% without losing readability. A person using a screen reader can’t navigate a PDF that’s just a scanned image of a page. These aren’t edge cases. They’re real students trying to learn.
Accessible documents aren’t just ethical-they’re practical. Clear structure helps everyone. Headings make it easier to skim. Alt text helps when images don’t load. Consistent fonts reduce cognitive load. When you design for accessibility, you design for clarity. And clarity benefits every learner, not just those with disabilities.
Start with the Right Tool
Not all PDF creators are equal. Microsoft Word and Google Docs are your best starting points. They let you build structure from the ground up. Avoid using Adobe Photoshop, Canva, or scanned images as your base. A scanned PDF is just a picture. Screen readers can’t read it. No amount of tagging will fix that.
Use Word or Docs to write your content. Apply real headings (Heading 1, Heading 2), not just bold or larger text. Use the built-in styles. These aren’t just formatting-they’re semantic structure. When you export to PDF from these tools, the accessibility layer comes with it.
Always export as PDF/A or use the ‘Create Accessible PDF’ option in Word’s Save As dialog. In Google Docs, go to File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf). Then open it in Adobe Acrobat Pro to check and fix any remaining issues.
Structure Is Everything
Think of your document like a book. A book has chapters, sections, subsections. Your PDF should too. Use heading levels properly: H1 for the title, H2 for major sections, H3 for subsections. Don’t skip levels. H1 to H3 to H5? That confuses screen readers. They rely on hierarchy to navigate.
Use lists-bulleted or numbered-when you have items. Don’t use dashes or arrows to fake a list. Screen readers announce “list item” and count them. That tells users how much content they’re about to hear. A real list also lets users jump between items quickly.
Tables should only be used for actual tabular data. Never use tables to arrange text visually. If you need to lay out two columns, use Word’s column feature, not a table. Screen readers read tables row by row. If your table is just for layout, it becomes noise.
Text That Works for Everyone
Font choice matters. Stick to sans-serif fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica. They’re easier to read on screens and for people with dyslexia. Avoid Times New Roman-it’s harder to distinguish letters like ‘a’ and ‘o’ when zoomed in.
Font size? Minimum 12pt. 14pt is better. Don’t rely on users zooming in to fix small text. Make it readable at the source. Line spacing should be at least 1.5. Single spacing feels cramped. Double spacing is fine if it doesn’t make the document too long.
Text color? Never use color alone to convey meaning. If you say “click the red button,” someone who’s colorblind won’t know which one to pick. Always add text labels: “click the red button (labeled ‘Submit’)”. Use contrast checkers. Text should have at least a 4.5:1 contrast ratio against its background. White text on light gray? That fails. Black on white? That passes.
Images, Charts, and Graphics
Every image needs alt text. Not just “image of a graph.” That’s useless. Say what the image says. For a bar chart showing student pass rates: “Bar chart showing 87% pass rate in 2024, up from 72% in 2023.”
Complex visuals like diagrams, flowcharts, or infographics need longer descriptions. Don’t put them in the alt text-it’s too short. Instead, add a caption below the image: “See full description below.” Then, on the next page or in a separate section, write a detailed paragraph explaining the visual. Link to it if possible. Or, if you’re using Word, use the “Alt Text” pane to add a long description field.
For charts, always provide the raw data in a table below. That way, someone using a screen reader can access the numbers even if they can’t see the chart.
Links and Interactive Elements
Don’t use “click here” or “read more.” Those phrases mean nothing to someone using a screen reader. They hear a list of 20 “click here” links. What’s the difference? You don’t know.
Instead, use descriptive link text: “Download the 2024 course syllabus (PDF, 2.4 MB)” or “View the lab safety guidelines on the university portal.” Include file type and size. That helps users decide whether to download or open.
If your PDF has form fields-like checkboxes or text boxes-make sure they’re properly tagged as form fields in Acrobat. Test them with a screen reader. Can you tab through them? Can you fill them out? If not, go back and fix the tagging.
Test Your Document Like a User
Don’t assume your PDF is accessible. Test it. Use free tools:
- Adobe Acrobat Pro > Tools > Accessibility > Full Check. It finds missing alt text, poor contrast, missing headings.
- Microsoft Word > Review > Check Accessibility. It gives you a list of issues before you export.
- Screen Reader > Use NVDA (free for Windows) or VoiceOver (built into Mac). Turn it on and listen to your PDF. Can you navigate it? Can you understand it?
Ask someone with a disability to test it. Not as a token gesture-because they’re the experts. If you work in education, reach out to your disability support office. They’ll help you test and improve.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Scanning paper documents and calling them PDFs-this creates inaccessible images.
- Using text boxes or text wrapped around images-screen readers read them out of order.
- Putting important text in footers or headers-screen readers often skip them.
- Using PDFs as the only format-offer Word or HTML versions too. Not everyone can open or edit PDFs.
- Forgetting to set the document language. In Acrobat, go to Document Properties > Advanced > Language. Set it to English (UK) if that’s your audience.
What Accessible Looks Like in Practice
Here’s what a real accessible course PDF looks like:
- Title: “Introduction to Psychology - Module 1” (H1)
- Section: “Key Theories” (H2)
- Subsection: “Freud’s Model of the Mind” (H3)
- Image: “Diagram of Freud’s id, ego, superego” with alt text: “Diagram showing three layers: id (bottom, primal urges), ego (middle, reality-based), superego (top, moral standards)”
- Table: “Comparison of Freud, Piaget, and Vygotsky” with clear headers and data
- Link: “Download full reading list (Word document, 1.2 MB)”
- Page language: English (United Kingdom)
That’s it. No fancy animations. No hidden layers. Just clear, structured, labeled content.
Next Steps: Make It a Habit
Accessibility isn’t a one-time task. It’s a mindset. Start by making every new document you create accessible. Then go back and fix the old ones-start with the most used ones.
Train your team. Share a one-page checklist. Make accessibility part of your course design workflow. If you’re using a learning management system like Moodle or Canvas, check if it has built-in accessibility tools. Most do.
When you make documents accessible, you’re not just helping students with disabilities. You’re helping the student who’s studying on their phone on the bus. The one with dyslexia. The one whose eyes are tired after a long shift. The one learning English as a second language. Everyone wins.
Are PDFs inherently inaccessible?
No, PDFs aren’t inherently inaccessible. A poorly made PDF is inaccessible. But a well-structured PDF created in Word or Google Docs and properly tagged in Adobe Acrobat can be fully accessible. The issue isn’t the format-it’s how it’s built.
Do I need Adobe Acrobat Pro to make accessible PDFs?
You don’t need it to create them, but you do need it to fix them. Word and Google Docs can generate accessible PDFs if you use proper headings and styles. But if you’re given a scanned PDF or one with errors, Adobe Acrobat Pro is the only tool that lets you add alt text, fix reading order, and tag elements properly. Free tools like PDFtk or online converters won’t help with tagging.
Can I use Canva or PowerPoint for course documents?
It’s risky. Canva and PowerPoint make it easy to create beautiful layouts-but they often break accessibility. Text can be placed in untagged boxes, headings aren’t properly marked, and exported PDFs lose structure. If you must use them, always export to PDF and then open it in Acrobat to fix the tagging. Better yet, write the content in Word first, then copy it over.
What if my institution doesn’t require accessible documents?
Even if it’s not required, it’s still the right thing to do. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires public institutions to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. Course materials are part of that. If you’re not providing accessible documents, you could be discriminating by omission. Start small. One accessible document at a time. It adds up.
How do I know if my PDF is WCAG compliant?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard most institutions follow. Use Adobe Acrobat’s Accessibility Checker-it flags issues against WCAG. You should also test with a screen reader. If you can navigate the document, understand headings, hear alt text, and read all links clearly, you’re likely compliant. For full compliance, aim for no errors in the checker and zero barriers during manual testing.
