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Exporting directly from Google Docs to PDF is not your most accessible option.

The most accessible option is to export the document into Microsoft Word first, and then follow those steps to make your PDF accessible. However, you can make your Google Doc more accessible by using Grackle. Grackle is a plugin that acts as an accessibility checker.

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nameCommon Grackle error
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Common Grackle Error

Chrome can get confused when there is more than one user logged in to a browser, and it causes add-ons to hang. Visit Grackle not responding for possible solutions.

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Microsoft Office 365 Word, Online version

  1. Click the Review menu.

  2. Run Accessibility Checker.

  3. Fix any issues found.

  4. Click the File menu.

  5. Choose the Save As option.

  6. Choose Download as PDF.

  7. Click Download.

  8. Choose a location on your computer to save the PDF version.

  9. Click Save.

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Pages

  1. Click the Print menu.

  2. Choose Save as Adobe PDF.

  3. Choose a location on your computer to save the PDF version.

  4. Click Save.

You will need to do a number of things once a Pages file is moved to PDF, including:

  • In Adobe Acrobat, you will need to run the Accessibility Check and use the results to fix the tagged PDF issue.

  • In Adobe Acrobat, you will need to run the Accessibility Check and use the results to fix the primary language check issue. Language set in Pages does not carry over to Adobe PDF. See Changing the global language of an Adobe PDF | Swarthmore ITS Solutions.

  • In Pages, you should be able to set the title. However, you will still need to “fix” it in the Accessibility Check. In Adobe Acrobat, you will need to run the Accessibility Check and use the results to fix the title check issue.

  • In Adobe Acrobat, you will need to run the Accessibility Check and use the results to fix the figures alternate text issue. Alternative text set in Pages does not carry over to Adobe PDF.

Exporting directly from Pages to PDF is not your most accessible option.

The most accessible option is actually to export the document into Microsoft Word first, and then follow those steps to make your PDF accessible.

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LibreOffice

  1. Click the Tools menu.

  2. Click Check Accessibility.

  3. Resolve any issues that come up.

  4. Click the File menu.

  5. Choose Export As…

  6. Export As PDF.

  7. A PDF Options window will open. Make sure one of the two options is selected:

    1. Tagged PDF (add document structure) and Export bookmarks are checked.

    2. Universal Accessibility (PDF/UA).

  8. Click Export.

  9. Choose a location on your computer to save the PDF version.

  10. Click Save.

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Important Note: Avoid creating forms in using the tools noted below. Creating accessible PDF forms are very very difficult to make accessiblecan be extremely challenging. If you need to create an accessible form, please contact ITS Support for help.

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  1. choose 2-3 different pages or areas of the PDF, 

  2. copy each page or area,

  3. and paste that content into a text editor like Notepad or Word.  

  4. Evaluate: How accurate is the paste? If there is fewer than one error per paragraph, you have a good scan.

Making PDFs Accessible Accessible

Add additional attributes to the PDF

The next step is to add additional attributes to the PDF to help increase the level of accessibility. UTo do this use Use Adobe Acrobat’s Make Accessible, which is found under Guided Actions.:

  •  You can find Use guided actions  Use Guided Actions under All tools. 

  • If you do not see Use guided actions Guided Actions under All toolsit theretools, use the search tool to find Manage Actions then choose Make Accessible.

Making PDFs Accessible: 

  1. Use the 'Action Wizard' toand to select 'Make Accessible' to automate many of the tagging processes. 

  2. For scanned PDFs, use 'Scan & OCR' to convert the document into a text-based PDF.

  3. Use the 'Accessibility Check' tool to identify and fix any remaining issues. For scanned PDFs, use 'Scan & OCR' to convert the document into a text-based PDF.

  4. Adding Tags and Alternative Text: Use 'Tags ' to create an accessible reading order. 

  5. Add alternative text for images by right-clicking the image and selecting 'Edit Alt Text'.

  6. Check and fix Reading Order. Reading order is particularly important and seems to often be illogical in our experience. For example, you might think that the first paragraph you see is what is read first, but this is not always the case. The only way to determine if the reading order is correct is to check it.

SensusAccess for Document Conversion

Converting to Accessible Formats: Use SensusAccess to convert documents to accessible formats like tagged PDFs, audio, Braille, or e-text. This service is useful when dealing with non-text-based PDFs.

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  • Prepare source content: Prepare the original document, regardless of the tool you use (e.g. Word, Sheets, scanned document), for optimal accessibility.

  • Avoid PDF Forms: Creating accessible PDF forms can be extremely challenging. Consider web forms or seek assistance from your IT support team to discuss accessible optionsIf you need to create an accessible form, please contact ITS Support for help.

  • Use HTML for Web Content: HTML is inherently more accessible than PDFs. If possible, provide content in an HTML format or offer a web version of your document.

  • Principles of Accessible Design: Follow best practices for web accessibility to ensure all users can interact with your content.

  • Webpage Creation: Ensure that your web content adheres to accessibility standards. For additional information on web pages see: 

  • Best Practices: Webpage Creation

    • Guidance for creating content on Swarthmore’s main websites

Signing PDFs

You can easily add your signature to a PDF document or form. To view directions that include downloadable practice files, please visit Adobe's official documentation on how to fill and sign PDF forms. The directions for adding a signature are the same, even if the document you are signing is not a fillable form.

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