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How Do I Create New Documents That Can Be Converted into Accessible PDFs?

Best Practices and Tools for Creating Accessible Documents

Last updated: August 2025

Creating accessible documents ensures that everyone—including individuals with disabilities—can access, read, and understand your content. It also ensures your files can be scanned for accessibility on your Streamline site.

⚠️ Important Notes

  • Our scanner currently supports PDFs only. Other file types such as Word documents, PowerPoint, ZIP files, or images are not supported.
  • Saving a file as a PDF is only the first step. A PDF must be created with screen reader–friendly features to be considered truly accessible.

Step-by-Step Best Practices

  1. Create the Document in Microsoft Word (or similar tools)
    • Use headings, lists, and proper formatting (not just bold/italic for structure). (Important note: headings are different than the header of the page)
    • Add alt text for images, charts, or graphics.
    • Keep table layouts simple and labeled.
  2. Run Accessibility Checker in Word
    • MS Word includes a built-in Accessibility Checker.
    • Use it to catch and fix common accessibility issues before exporting.
  3. Export to PDF (Don’t Print to PDF)
    • Always use “Save As → PDF”, never “Print to PDF.”
    • Printing strips away accessibility data like tags and alt text.
  4. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat (Not Reader, you will need the paid version)

    • Acrobat provides more advanced accessibility tools for deeper checks.

    • Run Acrobat’s Accessibility Checker

    • Acrobat may flag additional issues Word missed, such as missing tags or metadata.

    • Fix these issues for best screen reader compatibility.

  5. Upload to Streamline (Final & Most Important Step)

    • Upload your PDF to your Streamline site.

    • Streamline’s built-in PDF scanner (powered by VeraPDF) validates documents against WCAG 2.2 standards.

    • This goes beyond what Word or Acrobat checkers provide, ensuring your files meet or exceed the current legal accessibility requirements in the U.S.

    • Because Streamline and DocAccess use the same validation rules, your scan results will always match your remediation results — no surprises, no inconsistencies.

While Word and Adobe have built-in accessibility checkers, they primarily focus on technical compliance rather than full usability for people with disabilities. For instance:

  • Word’s checker may not flag issues like insufficient color contrast or incorrect heading structures.

  • Adobe’s checker ensures tags exist but doesn’t verify that they’re properly structured for screen readers.

  • Neither tool fully evaluates readability, keyboard navigation, or logical reading order—all of which are essential for accessibility.

The accessibility scanner in Streamline is designed to check for the full range of requirements, which may be why it’s flagging issues that weren’t caught in Word or Adobe.


Don't want the Hassle?

DocAccess turns every PDF on your website into an accessible, interactive experience—automatically. Your Same Documents - Transcribed, Searchable, Translated, & Assisted. 
Book a quick 15-minute DocAccess walkthrough at a time that works for you → Schedule here