PDFs are widely used across government, education and business, but many are not accessible for people with disability. This blog outlines five common mistakes in accessible PDF creation that we see regularly in the remediation work we do and explains how to fix them — helping organisations stay compliant and inclusive.
PDFs are a common part of everyday communication. From government forms to annual reports and school newsletters, they’re used everywhere. But when these documents are not accessible, they can exclude people who rely on assistive technology to read and interact with content.
Accessibility in PDFs means more than just readable text. It involves the correct use of tags, structure, alternate text and navigation. Unfortunately, many organisations unintentionally overlook these details, which can lead to frustration for users and non-compliance with accessibility laws.
At Meet Aandi, we specialise in accessible document remediation. We work with government departments, schools, NDIS providers and other organisations across Australia to ensure their PDFs meet accessibility standards like WCAG and PDF/UA.
Here are five common mistakes in accessible PDF creation and how to avoid them.
PDFs that are not tagged properly will be unreadable by screen readers. Tags provide the behind-the-scenes structure that assistive technologies rely on. Without them, users may hear “blank” or be unable to navigate the document at all.
Always tag your PDFs during creation. If the document is created in Word, make sure headings, lists and tables use built-in styles before converting to PDF. Then, use Adobe Acrobat Pro or a professional service to check and repair the tag structure.
Even when a PDF is tagged, the reading order might be wrong. This means users could hear the content out of sequence, making it difficult or impossible to understand.
Use a reading order panel to check how content flows. Drag and drop elements into the correct sequence or use accessibility tools to adjust the order as needed.
Images without descriptive alternative text leave blind and low vision users out of the experience. Even when alt text is included, it may be vague or irrelevant.
Add concise, meaningful descriptions to all images that convey important information. Leave decorative images marked as “artifacts” so screen readers can skip them.
Tables that are not tagged correctly can cause major issues. Screen readers need clearly defined headers and logical layout to interpret data properly.
Only use tables for data (not layout), and clearly mark header rows. Avoid merged cells unless necessary, and test the table’s functionality using assistive technology.
While this is often overlooked in PDFs, low contrast text and decorative fonts can make content difficult to read especially for users with low vision or cognitive differences.
Use high contrast colours, readable font sizes and simple typefaces. Make sure content is clear even when printed in black and white or viewed on a mobile device.
Creating accessible PDFs isn’t just a technical task, it’s about providing equal access for all users. At Meet Aandi, we offer expert PDF tagging and document remediation services tailored to Australian accessibility standards. Whether you’re updating internal documents or preparing public-facing content, we’ll help ensure your files are WCAG-compliant and genuinely usable.
Our team understands the needs of diverse users most especially people with low vision, screen reader users, neurodivergent individuals, those that speak other languages other than English and older adults. We combine technical knowledge with a people-first approach to make your content inclusive from the start.