What are PDFs and why are they important?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. They are a very common file format created by Adobe. PDF documents are extremely versatile. They can be generated from any form of document 
(Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and allow viewing on any software, hardware, or operating system with a wide variety of PDF readers. This is important because non-PDF files often lose their formatting information when you open them on different computers or devices. This makes PDFs a powerful option for digital content and online teaching.
Adobe PDFs are more than just pictures of pages. They retain all formatting, style and image information from the original source file including text, graphics, spreadsheets, audio, video, links, and more and they always display no matter which device you view them on.
While versatile, PDFs are not always accessible
A PDF is not accessible if:
- It is created from a scanned document
- It is untagged
- The original document is not accessible. For example, if it does not address core accessibility concepts (heading levels tagged, reading order correct, alt text) or use embedded styles and themes
Scanned PDFs are simply a collection of images. Text cannot be selected, copied, edited, or searched. They are not accessible to screen readers and are often illegible to all.
Example of poorly scanned, inaccessible, unreadable PDF
What are PDF tags?
In this article, we will focus on the accessibility of PDF documents related to tags. Tags are hidden 
coding embedded in a PDF document that identify the type and attributes of content. Tags cannot be seen unless you have a tool like Adobe Acrobat Pro. Tags are important because they identify headings, images, text, lists, tables, links and more. They add hierarchy and order to a document. These tags will be automatically added when documents are correctly saved as PDFs.
Issues caused by untagged PDFs
- Untagged PDFs cannot communicate with screen readers and cannot be accurately read by text-to-voice tools; tags are essential for information to be read in an understandable order.
- Untagged PDFs may not support responsive web design which is important for viewing content on different types of devices.
Responsive design on mobile devices
Identifying untagged PDFs with Yuja Panorama Accessibility Checker
St. Thomas has several resources to help with PDF accessibility. This section focuses on using the YuJa Panorama accessibility checker that is in both Canvas courses and as a stand alone portal called YuJa Panorama DocHub. Learn more at YuJa Panorama: Your New Digital Accessibility Assistant.
The steps below will help you make your PDF documents more accessible by first identifying issues, in this case, lack of tagging.
When you look at your content in Canvas, it will be coded with an accessibility icon as shown in the key below. Note that these icons will appear for the overall page and next to any embedded content within the page. Also in files, assignments, and quizzes.
Panorama Accessibility Icons
Accessibility Report for an untagged PDF
If you have uploaded an untagged PDF to Canvas or in the DocHub tool, you will see the following:
- A red pentagon icon next to the document name.
- Click on this icon which will bring up the Accessibility Report dial, which in this example shows 0% with the number 1 (indicating one issue).
- Click on the dial to to access the full Accessibility Report.
- This report will not exhibit all issues until tagging is addressed and the document is reuploaded and scanned.
Illustration of the the low accessibility icon which used to be the red frownie face but now is the red pentagon; accessibility report dial, and full accessibility report
- Once you have tagged your document, you can re-upload and follow the same steps outlined above to generate a more complete accessibility report.
Post-tagging accessibility report
*NOTE: Large files such as those generated from PowerPoints may not be able to generate an accessibility report. If your file is too large, you will find the error message below when you click on the question mark. Send a ticket to the Digital Accessibility Service Team if you need additional help with accessible PDFs.
Fixing an untagged PDF
The first step is to identify any untagged PDFs. There are several options for correcting those you find.
Best options
- If you start with an accessible original document and save using the steps recommended below, tags will be automatically added.
Inaccessible saving option
- When saving a document, do NOT Save as Adobe PDF from the side menu as tags will not be added with this method.
Other options In Addition to YuJa Panorama
- Contact the library about using Resource Lists in Canvas to obtain and share the document.
- Add tags using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
- This is a licensed product and can be complex for new users. If you do not have your own license, you can use the Adobobe Acrobat Pro on the PC in the Digital Accessibility Learning Lab (OSF Library LL20B).
- If you have access to OCR software, use this to remediate any scanned documents (these are always untagged).
- If you already use another PDF product that works for making accessible files, and it works well for you, then continue. Feel free to also let the Digital Accessibility Service Team about your success so we can learn from you!
Summary
PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a versatile file format developed by Adobe that allows documents to be shared and viewed consistently across various platforms and devices without losing their original formatting. However, accessibility issues arise when PDFs are not properly tagged. Untagged PDFs can hinder users who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers, as these tools depend on tags to interpret and present content correctly. Proper tagging organizes the document's structure, ensuring that all users, including those with disabilities, can navigate and understand the information effectively.
This article focuses on the importance of ensuring that PDF documents are properly tagged and describes the University of St. Thomas digital accessibility assistant (Yuja Panorama) can be used to identify untagged PDFs so that they can be remediated. Options are provided for remediating untagged PDFs.