Accessibility Checker
Validate your document’s accessibility and fix issues automatically.
Running the Checker
Open the Accessibility Checker
Click Tools → Accessibility → Check Accessibility
Select Check Options
Choose what to check:
- Document structure
- Alternative text
- Tables
- Reading order
- Headings
- All checks
Run the Check
Click Start Checking
Review Results
Issues are grouped by severity and type
Understanding Results
Issue Severity
| Level | Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Error | Red circle | Must fix for accessibility compliance |
| Warning | Yellow triangle | Should fix for better accessibility |
| Info | Blue info | Suggestion for improvement |
Issue Categories
The checker validates:
- Document: Title, language, bookmarks
- Page Content: Tagged content, artifacts
- Alternative Text: Images, figures, formulas
- Tables: Headers, structure, scope
- Headings: Hierarchy, skipped levels
- Reading Order: Logical sequence
- Links: Alternate text for links
- Forms: Field labels, tab order
Common Issues
Document Issues
| Issue | Description | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No title | Document title not set | Set in Document Properties |
| No language | Primary language not specified | Set document language |
| No bookmarks | Long document without navigation | Add bookmarks |
Content Issues
| Issue | Description | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Untagged content | Content not in tag structure | Tag all content |
| Empty tags | Tags with no content | Remove or populate |
| Suspect artifact | Content marked as artifact but may be meaningful | Review and retag |
Image Issues
| Issue | Description | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Missing alt text | Figure without description | Add alternative text |
| Empty alt text | Alt text is blank | Add description or mark decorative |
| Alt text same as filename | Non-descriptive alt text | Write meaningful description |
Table Issues
| Issue | Description | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No headers | Table without header cells | Define header row/column |
| Missing scope | Headers without scope attribute | Set column or row scope |
| Irregular structure | Inconsistent rows/columns | Restructure table |
Heading Issues
| Issue | Description | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Skipped level | H1 followed by H3 | Use sequential levels |
| No H1 | Document lacks main heading | Add H1 tag |
| Empty heading | Heading tag with no text | Remove or add content |
Fixing Issues
Manual Fix
- Click an issue in the results
- The document scrolls to the problem
- Fix the issue manually
- Click Recheck to verify
Auto-Fix
For issues with automatic fixes:
- Click the issue
- Click Fix or Auto-Fix
- Penvio applies the correction
- Review the change
Auto-fix is available for many common issues. Always review automated changes to ensure accuracy.
Fix All
To fix multiple issues at once:
- Click Fix All in a category
- Review the proposed fixes
- Click Apply All
- Check the results
Auto-Fix Capabilities
The checker can automatically fix:
| Issue | Auto-Fix Action |
|---|---|
| Missing title | Prompts you to enter title |
| No language | Detects and sets language |
| Untagged content | Runs auto-tagger |
| Missing alt text | Opens alt text editor |
| No table headers | Converts first row to headers |
| Empty tags | Removes empty tags |
Generating Reports
Full Report
- Run the accessibility check
- Click Generate Report
- Choose format:
- PDF report
- HTML report
- CSV export
- Save the report
Report Contents
- Summary statistics
- Issues by category
- Issue details with page numbers
- Compliance status
- Recommendations
Compliance Checking
PDF/UA Compliance
Check against PDF/UA standard:
- Select PDF/UA profile in check options
- Run the check
- Review PDF/UA-specific issues
WCAG Compliance
Check against WCAG guidelines:
- Select WCAG 2.1 AA profile
- Run the check
- Issues map to WCAG success criteria
Section 508
For U.S. federal accessibility compliance:
- Select Section 508 profile
- Run the check
- Review compliance status
Accessibility Check Criteria
Document Criteria
| Check | Criteria | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Document title | Title is set and meaningful | PDF/UA, WCAG |
| Document language | Primary language specified | PDF/UA, WCAG |
| Bookmarks | Navigation for 21+ pages | PDF/UA |
Content Criteria
| Check | Criteria | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Tagged PDF | All content is tagged | PDF/UA |
| Tab order | Follows document structure | PDF/UA |
| Character encoding | Unicode mapping exists | PDF/UA |
Image Criteria
| Check | Criteria | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Alt text present | All images have alt text | WCAG 1.1.1 |
| Alt text quality | Description is meaningful | WCAG 1.1.1 |
| Decorative images | Properly marked as artifacts | WCAG 1.1.1 |
Table Criteria
| Check | Criteria | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Header cells | Tables have TH elements | WCAG 1.3.1 |
| Header scope | Scope attribute is set | WCAG 1.3.1 |
| Regular structure | Consistent rows/columns | PDF/UA |
Heading Criteria
| Check | Criteria | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Heading structure | Logical hierarchy | WCAG 1.3.1 |
| Sequential levels | No skipped levels | WCAG 1.3.1 |
| H1 present | Document has main heading | Best practice |
Tips
- Run the checker before publishing
- Fix errors before warnings
- Use auto-fix for common issues, but review results
- Generate a report for compliance documentation
- Recheck after making fixes
- Test with actual screen readers for final validation
Next Steps
- Document Tagging - Fix tagging issues found by the checker
- Alternative Text - Add missing alt text for images
- Reading Order - Correct reading order problems
- PDF Standards - Validate against PDF/UA accessibility standard
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