Making an Accessible PDF from Word

Issue/Question

How do I make an accessible PDF from Microsoft Word

Environment

• Word
• Adobe PDG
• Accessibility

Cause

If you distribute PDF documents to students or post PDFs online, they must be made accessible before being posted so they work effectively with screen readers such as VoiceOver or Windows Narrator. 

Resolution

Note: if you see error Unable to run the Accessibility checker re-save the file as Word Document .docx

1. Open word document
2. Run accessibility checker
3. Click Review
4. Click Check Accessibility
5. in the Right Column you will see Accessibility Check
   1. it will display errors and warnings
   2. Follow the steps to fix each error and warning displayed
6. Set a Title
   1. Click Home
   2. Highlight words you would like to use as the Title
   3. In the Style Ribbon click Title
      Note: you can change the color and bold the title if you would like
7. Set Deck Document Properties
   1. Click File
   2. Below Properties
   3. Click Add a title
   4. Type Title
   5. Click 
8. Save File as PDF
   1. Click File 
   2. Save As
   3. Click  below title and select PDF
   4. Click More Options
      1. Verify Optimized for  standard (publishing online and printing)
      2. Title is displayed
   5. Browse to where you would like the file saved
   6. Click Save

How to Make an Accessible PDF from MS Word (3min video)