How to review an accessible PDF: a checklist for government staff
Automated tests can prove a PDF is built correctly. They can't tell you whether an image description makes sense or whether a page reads in the right order. Those are judgment calls, and the person who knows the document best is usually on your staff. This checklist walks through the five that matter, using free tools.
By Wesley Black, founder of PairedUp · Published October 22, 2026
Three free tools.
A screen reader
On Windows, install NVDA, a free screen reader used by many blind residents. On a Mac, VoiceOver is built in (Command+F5 turns it on and off).
A PDF reader
Free Adobe Acrobat Reader works with NVDA. If your office has Acrobat Pro, its accessibility tools make the alt text check faster.
A contrast checker
The free Colour Contrast Analyser from TPGi has an eyedropper that measures any text on screen.
You don't need to review every page. Focus on pages with images, tables, more than one column, or colored text. When PairedUp delivers a document, we list exactly which pages those are.
What a person has to decide.
With NVDA running, open the PDF in Acrobat Reader. NVDA reads the document in browse mode, so the arrow keys move through it line by line.
Image descriptions (alt text)
Arrow down to each image. NVDA says "graphic" and then the description. Ask one question: does it tell a listener what a sighted reader gets from the image? "Organization chart: the County Manager reports to the Board of County Commissioners and oversees six departments" works. "Chart" or "image1.png" doesn't. Purely decorative images, like borders or background photos, should be skipped entirely.
Reading order
Go to a page with columns, sidebars, or callout boxes and press NVDA+Down Arrow to have NVDA read from that point on. (The NVDA key is Insert by default.) Listen for whether it follows the order a person would read: headings before the text under them, one column finished before the next, captions next to what they describe.
Table headers
Move into a table, then use Ctrl+Alt+Arrow keys to step from cell to cell. Moving across a row, NVDA should announce the column header with each number. Moving down a column, it should announce the row label. Check the tables with two levels of headers, such as "Budgeted amounts" over "Original" and "Final", because that is where structure most often goes wrong.
Link text
Press NVDA+F7 to open a list of every link in the document. Read the list on its own. Each link should make sense out of context, like "FY2025 budget book" or a full web address, not "click here" or "more".
Color contrast
Use the contrast checker's eyedropper on any light or colored text: gray footnotes, white text on colored headers, colored chart labels. Normal text needs a ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 against its background. Large text (18 point, or 14 point bold) needs 3 to 1. Also check that no chart or table relies on color alone to carry meaning.
Write it down
Note the document, the date, who reviewed it, and anything that didn't pass. That record is your evidence that a person checked what the automated tests can't. If you're working with PairedUp, send us anything that failed. We fix it, re-run every automated check, and send it back.
Reviewing PDFs, answered.
Why can't automated tools check these things?
A tool can confirm an image has a description, but not whether the description is accurate. It can confirm a table has header cells, but not whether they're the right headers. WCAG 2.1 AA includes both kinds of requirement, so a document needs automated testing and a human look.
Who on our staff should do the review?
Whoever knows the document's content. A budget analyst knows whether a table's headers make sense, and a planner knows what a site map shows. No accessibility training is needed beyond this checklist.
How long does a review take?
A few minutes for most documents, since you only review the pages with images, tables, multiple columns, or colored text. A long report with many charts takes longer, but the steps are the same.
Do we need to buy a screen reader?
No. NVDA is free and widely used by blind residents, and VoiceOver comes with every Mac. Paid screen readers like JAWS work too, with slightly different keystrokes.
We handle the structure. You make the judgment calls.
PairedUp remediates your documents, proves them with automated tests, and tells your reviewer exactly which pages need a look. In 30 minutes we'll size the job for your government.
Book 30 MinutesPick a time. That's it.