PDF Accessibility
Defining PDF Accessibility
Article Contents
PDF Tags
When people talk about "accessible" PDF files, they are usually referring to "tagged" PDF files. Tags are “…a set of standard structure types and attributes that allow page content (text, graphics, and images) to be extracted and reused for other purposes.” (PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.0). One of those purposes is to present information to screen readers. These tags have no impact on the visual layout of a PDF. There is more to an accessible PDF file than tags, but an untagged PDF would not be considered "accessible."
3 Important Parts of a PDF
Think of a PDF as having three important parts that provide different types of information to users.
Visual
The visual layer is what is seen on the screen. A primary benefit of a PDF is that it maintains the layout and appearance of the original document (also known [...]