PDF Accessibility Toolkit For Graphic Designers

A free set of practical resources for creating accessible PDFs with Adobe InDesign.

These resources are focused specifically on accessibility for PDFs being published online, with relevant WCAG criteria included where applicable. They're designed to help translate accessibility standards into practical steps you can use during your design process.

It's still a growing project, and currently includes the following resources:

PDF Accessibility Project Checklist

An editable project checklist for creating accessible PDFs in InDesign.

Work through accessibility requirements as you create a document, keep track of what's been completed, and flag anything that needs attention.

Includes:

  • Practical checks and InDesign-specific instructions for PDF accessibility
  • Relevant WCAG 2.1 success criteria mapped to each applicable check
  • Status tracking using dropdowns, and a column for your notes
  • Links to additional guidance and resources
Google Sheet Make a copy

PDF Accessibility Quick Reference

A condensed checklist of accessibility checks.

Includes:

  • Printable version designed to sit beside your monitor to reference while you work
  • Editable Google Doc for a quick digital checklist, flexible for copying into your existing documents
Printable PDF Download PDF
Google Doc Make a copy

Alt Text Tracker

An editable tracker for drafting alt text for images in your document.

Includes:

  • Best practices overview for writing good alt text
  • Editable table to catalog the images in your document, identify their purpose, and draft appropriate alt text
  • Status tracking using dropdowns
Google Doc Make a copy

Note: The Google Sheets and Docs versions will ask you to make your own copy of the file. This means you will have a copy that belongs to you and can be edited freely without changing the original version.

Why I made this

I originally made these for my own workflow because I couldn't find comprehensive, practical PDF accessibility guidance in one place, and I love a good spreadsheet/checklist for keeping track of what I'm doing! So I'm sharing these here in case they're useful to other designers too :)

Feedback

I'm a designer with a passion for accessibility, but by no means an expert in the field! I welcome all feedback and suggestions for improvements, corrections, or ideas for future resources. Feel free to email me with your thoughts or just to let me know if you used these resources!

Support the project

I believe in keeping resources like this free for anyone to use, and encourage you to share with others who might appreciate it! Please just make sure you , rather than your copy of the file, so people can always access the latest version.

And if you found this useful, consider leaving a tip on Ko-fi to help me keep making things like this :)