Ensuring that PDF documents and online forms are accessible to users who rely on assistive technology is the focus of recent guidance shared with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources community.
The advice emphasizes the importance of proper tagging in PDF files. Screen readers, which are essential for people with visual impairments, depend on these tags to interpret document structure. If a PDF is untagged, it may look correct visually but will be unreadable by assistive technology. To address this, users are encouraged to use Adobe Acrobat Pro’s Tags Panel and Reading Order tool to verify that headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables are tagged correctly.
“If Acrobat says ‘This document is not tagged,’ accessibility remediation is required,” the guidance states.
Proper labeling of form fields in both PDFs and online forms is also highlighted as a core requirement for accessibility. Without accurate labels, screen reader users cannot determine what information each field requires. The guidance advises providing clear programmatic labels for every form field in PDFs and grouping related fields logically. For online forms, visible labels should be associated with fields, and instructions should appear before the form rather than inside the fields.
Resources such as Siteimprove Learning Hub’s guides on working in PDFs and designing forms offer further support for improving accessibility practices. The University of Minnesota Office for Disability Access also provides additional information on accessible forms at its website: https://disability.umn.edu/accessible-u/forms-accessibility.
These recommendations are intended to help ensure that all users—including those who use assistive technologies—can interact fully with digital documents and forms produced by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.