Accessibility Testing in PDF

Color Contrast

Color blindness affects 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women. Make sure to check the color contrast of the content in the document. The WCAG guidelines require a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1. You can use different tools to check the color contrast between the background and foreground.

WebAIM

WebAIM provides a free color contrast checker tool. Learn how to use the color contrast checkers on the accessible content page.

Accessibility Checker

Adobe offers a built-in accessibility checker. You will still need to do manual testing for reading order, tab order, color contrast, etc. To use the accessibility checker, follow these steps:

1. Click on Accessibility in the tool list. If you do not have it in the tool list, search the tool or click on the More tools option in the tool list.
   
2. The following list will appear. Click on the Accessibility Check.
   
3. A new window will appear that will enable you to edit the settings for the accessibility check. Check the checkbox “Create accessibility report” if you want to generate a report. Update the category to match the document. Once you have selected the settings, click on Start Checking.
   
   
4. On the left side, a panel will appear showing all the accessibility issues related to the document. Click on the arrows to expand the issues.
   
5. Fix any failed issues by right-clicking on them and selecting Fix. A window will appear showing how to fix the issue. Some issues will require manual checks such as tab order, reading order, color contrast, etc. Once you have performed the manual check, we recommend right-clicking on the issue and select Pass.