Document Remediation Checklist

Before You Start: Does The Content Need to Be a Document?

If your content is current, regularly updated and actively used, it should be a web page, not a document.

Web pages are more accessible, easier to maintain and do not require the remediation steps below. Before you spend time fixing a PDF, ask yourself whether that content belongs on your website as a page instead. In many cases, it does.

Before remediating, ask yourself:

1. Could this be a web page? If the content is living, regularly updated and actively maintained, it should be a web page. Documents are best used as records or snapshots of a specific point in time (meeting minutes, annual reports, archived policies). How to decide when a PDF is appropriate (Percipio video)
2. Could this be a digital form? If the document is a fillable form, a digital form platform is more accessible and easier to manage. Select the right digital form platform 
3. Does this document still need to exist? Fewer documents means less long-term maintenance. If no one needs it, delete it.

If you are not sure what to do with a specific document, visit the Document Decision Tree.

Prioritize What Matters Most

If you have many documents to remediate, start with the ones that matter most:

• Documents actively used by public audiences (forms, official reports, operational resources)
• Documents linked from high-traffic pages
• Documents required for compliance or legal purposes

You do not have to fix everything at once. A clear plan with priorities is what the university needs to demonstrate by the deadline.

What "Accessible" Means

An accessible document is one that can be:

1. Read in the correct order by a screen reader
2. Navigated using headings and links
3. Understood without relying on color, layout or images alone

Think of it this way: if someone cannot see your document, can they still get all the information from it? 

Step by Step Document Remediation Checklist

Use this checklist each time you remediate a document for web accessibility. Work through each section in order and check off each item as you complete it. This is resource for your records and is designed to help you thoroughly address all document concerns.

1: Start With the Right File

1. I am working from the original source file (Word, Google Doc), not the PDF [  ]
2. If I only have a PDF, I am using Adobe Acrobat Pro to edit it directly [  ]
3. This is not a scanned PDF (if it is, it must be recreated from scratch) [  ]

2: Use Proper Headings

1. All headings use built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.) [  ]
2. No headings are created using bold, font size or color alone [  ]
3. Headings follow a logical order with no skipped levels [  ]

3: Make Text Easy to Read

1. Language is clear and simple [  ]
2. Text is left-aligned (no full justification) [  ]
3. Color contrast is sufficient (test with WebAIM Contrast Checker if unsure) [  ]
4. No information is conveyed by color alone [  ]

4: Add Alternative Text to Images

1. All meaningful images have brief, informative alt text [  ]
2. Decorative images are marked as decorative [  ]
3. Charts and graphs have alt text that describes the data, not just the chart type [  ]

5: Write Descriptive Links

1. Every link makes sense on its own, without surrounding text [  ]
2. No links use "click here," "read more" or "link" as link text [  ]

6: Format Tables Correctly

1. Tables are used only for data, not for layout [  ]
2. Header rows and/or columns are identified [  ]
3. No merged or split cells (or the content has been restructured to avoid them) [  ]

7: Use Real Lists

1. All lists use built-in bulleted or numbered list formatting [  ]
2. No fake lists created with manual dashes, asterisks or numbers [  ]
3. Reading order flows logically from top to bottom [  ]
4. No text boxes or floating elements that could disrupt reading order [  ]

8: Set the Document Language

1. Document language is set to English (United States) [  ]
2. Any passages in other languages are tagged with the correct language [  ]

9: Run the Accessibility Checker (Word Docs)

1. Ran the built-in accessibility checker (Word: Review > Check Accessibility) [  ]
2. All errors are resolved [  ]
3. Warnings have been reviewed and addressed where applicable [  ]

10: Export as a Tagged PDF (if needed)

1. "Document structure tags for accessibility" is checked in export options [  ]
2. Tags are present in the exported PDF [  ]
3. Reading order is correct in the PDF [  ]
4. Headings and lists carried over from the source document [  ]

11: Replace the Old File

1. Accessible version is uploaded to the website [  ]
2. All links pointing to the old file are updated [  ]
3. Old, non-accessible version is deleted from the site [  ]

For help, visit Accessibility Training and Resources.