PDF & Document Accessibility Checklist (PDF/UA ISO 14289)

1. Structural Tag Tree & Reading Order

In an accessible PDF, visual layout does not dictate reading order; the underlying logical Tag Tree does.

• Document must contain a single Document root tag.
• Headings must follow a logical numerical hierarchy (H1 -> H2 -> H3) with no skipped levels.
• Paragraph text must be tagged with P tags, not split into arbitrary fragment tags.
• Lists must contain L tags enclosing LI tags, with Lbl (label/bullet) and LBody (content).

2. Data Tables & Spans

Data tables must use TH tags for column/row headers and TD tags for data cells. Explicit Scope attributes (Column or Row) must be assigned. Avoid nested tables or merged cells where possible.

3. Images & Decorative Artifacts

All informative graphics, charts, and diagrams must be tagged as Figure with concise, descriptive alternative text in the tag properties. Decorative shapes, page borders, and repeating running footers must be marked as Artifacts so screen readers ignore them.

4. Metadata, Language & Bookmarks

The PDF must specify the natural document language (e.g., en-US) in document properties. A descriptive Document Title must be set and configured to display in the window title bar rather than the filename. Documents longer than 20 pages must include navigational Bookmarks.