{"id":13224,"date":"2026-04-08T17:46:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/?p=13224"},"modified":"2026-04-08T17:59:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:59:42","slug":"building-accessible-courses-make-your-pdfs-accessible-with-adobe-acrobat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/2026\/04\/08\/building-accessible-courses-make-your-pdfs-accessible-with-adobe-acrobat\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Accessible Courses: Make Your PDFs Accessible with Adobe Acrobat"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_13228\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13228\" style=\"width: 975px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13228\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Start-with-Blackboard-Ally-5.png?resize=975%2C325&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Colorful graphic illustrating someone using a laptop that reads \u201cBuilding Accessible Courses: Make Your Ps Accessible with Adobe Acrobat&quot;\" width=\"975\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Start-with-Blackboard-Ally-5.png?w=975&amp;ssl=1 975w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Start-with-Blackboard-Ally-5.png?resize=300%2C100&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/Start-with-Blackboard-Ally-5.png?resize=768%2C256&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Colorful graphic illustrating someone using a laptop that reads \u201cBuilding Accessible Courses: Make Your Ps Accessible with Adobe Acrobat&#8221;<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PDFs are among the most commonly used file types in courses, and among the most common sources of accessibility issues. Whether you\u2019re sharing syllabi, readings, or handouts, it\u2019s essential that your PDFs are structured so all students can access and navigate them effectively. As Austin Community College (ACC) approaches the <\/span><b>April 24 digital accessibility compliance deadline<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, now is the time to review and remediate your PDF content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this installment, we\u2019re focusing on how to check and improve PDF accessibility <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/helpx.adobe.com\/acrobat\/using\/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html#main-pars_table_0\"><b>using Adobe Acrobat<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Why PDF Accessibility Matters<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An inaccessible PDF can create significant barriers for students who use screen readers or other assistive technologies. Common issues include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Missing document structure (no headings or tags)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Images without alternative text<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Poor reading order<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scanned documents that are not text-readable<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Making PDFs accessible ensures your content is usable, navigable, and compliant with accessibility standards.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Featured Tool: Adobe Acrobat<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helpx.adobe.com\/acrobat\/using\/accessibility-features-pdfs.html\"><b>Adobe Acrobat<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> includes built-in tools to help you check and fix accessibility issues in your PDFs. These tools provide a clear starting point for identifying problems and offer guided steps for remediation. ACC is the first community college in the nation designated an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/adobe\/\"><b>Adobe Creative Campus<\/b><\/a>.<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Adobe Creative Cloud is available to ACC faculty, staff, and students at no cost or minimal cost. This suite of products gives you unlimited access to industry-leading creation tools for graphic design, video editing, and web development, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, XD, Premiere Pro, Express and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How to Check a PDF for Accessibility<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Using Adobe Acrobat, you can run an accessibility check in just a few steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Use the full version of Acrobat (not just a browser preview) to access accessibility tools.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Run the Accessibility Check<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Select \u201c<\/span><b>All tools\u201d<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Choose \u201c<\/span><b>Prepare for accessibility\u201d<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Click \u201c<\/span><b>Check for accessibility\u201d<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><b> Review the Accessibility Report<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Acrobat will generate a report outlining issues such as:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Missing tags<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Images without alt text<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Color contrast concerns<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reading order problems<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><b> Fix Identified Issues<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Use the guided tools in Acrobat to:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Add or edit tags (headings, lists, tables)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Insert alternative text for images<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Adjust reading order<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ensure text is selectable (not just an image)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Tips for Creating Accessible PDFs from the Start<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The best way to improve PDF accessibility is to start before you export:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Use built-in heading styles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Word or Google Docs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Add alt text to images<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> before converting to PDF<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Avoid scanned documents<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when possible<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Export as a tagged PDF<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to preserve structure<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Starting with an accessible source document can significantly reduce the time needed for remediation.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Get Support Today!<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Faculty are encouraged to take advantage of available resources to meet accessibility requirements:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Join the upcoming Remote Recess session on Blackboard Ally: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/austincc.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/MNh4Wst2Tk-YClUSd4VgTQ#\/registration\"><b>Wednesday, April 15, 2-3 p.m.<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>One-on-one consultations with instructional designers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provide personalized guidance on accessibility best practices, including color contrast (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1BHKpYLTx6Sdq6unwSs4yDdSYcSAASjb6J4QxtI8tkBg\/edit?gid=1112062290#gid=1112062290\"><b>check the ID list here<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, or email <\/span><a href=\"mailto:dlstaff@austincc.edu\"><b>dlstaff@austincc.edu<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> if you don\u2019t see one listed)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These services can help you quickly identify and resolve issues ahead of the April 24 deadline.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Act Now to Meet the Deadline<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.gov\/resources\/2024-03-08-web-rule\/\"><b>April 24 digital accessibility compliance deadline<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> approaching, faculty should prioritize reviewing PDFs used in their courses. Start with high-impact materials, such as syllabi and required readings, and use Adobe Acrobat to check and improve accessibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stay tuned for the final installment of our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/category\/building-accessible-courses\/\"><b>Building Accessible Courses blog post series<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where we\u2019ll highlight additional tools and strategies to support accessible forms and course materials.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PDFs are among the most commonly used file types in courses, and among the most common sources of accessibility issues. Whether you\u2019re sharing syllabi, readings, or handouts, it\u2019s essential that your PDFs are structured so all students can access and navigate them effectively. As Austin Community College (ACC) approaches the April 24 digital accessibility compliance [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":13230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[192],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-building-accessible-courses"],"acf":{"carousel_content":false},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/BuildingAccessibleCoursesSocial-4.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13224"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13232,"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13224\/revisions\/13232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/instruction.austincc.edu\/tledupdates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}