Adobe has built in Accessibility tools. If using for the first time, select the Tools tab at the top of the screen. Either enter "accessibility" in the search field, as seen in the screenshot below, or scroll down to the Protect and Standardize section and click on the Accessibility icon. Select "add." The Accessibility Tool will now appear in the menu on the right side of the document.
Once the document is ready for review, click the Accessibility icon in the toolbar, opening the Accessibility menu. From there, select "Full Check."
The Accessibility Checker Options will pop-up, ensure all checking options are marked like in the example below, and then select “Start Checking.”
The results from the Accessibility Checker will appear in a panel on the left side of the page.
Logical Reading Order and Color Contrast will always need a manual check. To verify reading order, select “Reading Order” from the menu on the right side of the screen. This will open the Reading Order window. From there, select “Show Order Panel” as seen in the image below.
This will open the Order Panel on the left side of the screen. Boxes will appear around content in the document that correspond with the information in the order panel. If something is out of order, drag and drop the content until it is correct.
Once the reading order has been determined accurate, right-click and select “Pass” from the dropdown on the full accessibility report.
It is best practice to ensure any color used meets the minimum requirements - to do this use WebAIMs Color Contrast Checker. If the only text used is black on white, it is not necessary to verify.
If the contrast is compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA standards, right-click “Color contrast - needs manual check,” and select “Pass” from the dropdown. This will no longer be flagged on the accessibility report.
Adobe provides explanations for all issues on the accessibility report. Select “Explain” when unsure how to proceed. For complex issues, please contact CIRT at cirtlab@unf.edu or (904) 620-3927.
For more information: Adobe: Create and verify PDF accessibility