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PDF File 508 Checklist

Document Information

Asset Name/URL:

 

Tester Name / Signature:

 

Testing Date:

 

Authorization Name / Signature:

 

Authorization Date:

 

Requirements Checklist

The following checklist should be used Department wide by HHS staff to verify that PDF documents meet the requirements established by HHS. The checklist includes compliance with Section 508, in addition to other HHS requirements. For guidance specific to a requirement, refer to the Requirement Guidelines section of this document, to your Web Council representative, or the Web Communications Division.  

Please Note:

PDFs do not need to be 508 compliant if a compliant HTML version of the document exists. In all cases, the items listed in Basic Elements apply to all PDFs.

ID

Basic Elements

Pass

Fail

N/A

1

Has a separate accessible version of the document been provided when there is no other way to make the content accessible?  (Example: An organization chart).

 

 

 

2

Has a visual check been performed on the document to ensure that no hidden data from Word (or other applications used to create the original document) is present in the PDF file?

 

 

 

3

Have all comments, sticky notes, and reviews been removed from the PDF document?

 

 

 

4

Does the document file name not contain spaces or special characters?

 

 

 

5

Is the document file name concise, generally be limited to 20-30 characters or less, and does it make the content of the file clear in the context in which it is presented?

 

 

 

6

Does the document use recommended fonts: e.g., Verdana, Arial, Tahoma,  Helvetica or Times New Roman?

 

 

 

7

Have PDF Document properties for Title, Author, Subject (AKA Description), Keywords,  Language, and Copyright Status been applied per HHS guidance?

 

 

 

8

Have bookmarks been included in all PDFs that are more than 9 pages long?

 

 

 

9

Do all URL’s contain the correct hyperlink and display the fully qualified URL (i.e., http://www.hhs.gov and not www.hhs.gov)?

 

 

 

10

Are all URL’s linked to the correct Web destinations?

 

 

 

 

ID

1.0 Document Layout and Formatting Requirements

Pass

Fail

N/A

11

Have Acrobat Accessibility Tags been added to the document?

 

 

 

12

Does the document have a logical reading order; i.e., is the tab order correct?

 

 

 

13

Has a full Accessibility Report been completed on the document in Adobe Acrobat Professional 8 or higher, showing no errors are present? (Has the document passed the 508 checker in NetCentric's CommonLook Plug-in?)

 

 

 

14

Have documents with multi-column text, tables, or call-out boxes been checked for correct reading order using the Acrobat Pro ‘Read Aloud’ function?

 

 

 

 

ID

2.0 Document Image Requirements

Pass

Fail

N/A

15

Do all images, grouped images, and non-text elements that convey information have alternative text descriptions?

 

 

 

16

Is the document free of scanned images of text?

 

 

 

17

Do complex images provide a reference to the descriptive text of the image?

 

 

 

 

ID

2.0 Document Image Best Practices

Pass

Fail

N/A

18

Are multiple associated images on the same page (e.g., boxes in an organization chart) grouped as one object?

 

 

 

19

Have all multi-layered objects been flattened into one image and has one Alternative Text (Alt Tag) been provided for this image?

 

 

 

 

ID

3.0 Document Table Requirements

Pass

Fail

N/A

20

Do all data tables in the document have Row and Column headers?

 

 

 

21

Are tables being used to create a tabular structure (not tabs or spaces)?

 

 

 

22

Do all data tables in the document have a logical reading order from left to right, top to bottom?

 

 

 

23

Are data cells in the tables logically associated with the Row/Column Header elements?

 

 

 

24

If the table is a simple table, does it have scoping applied to the appropriate Row/Column Headers?

 

 

 

25

If the table is a complex table, does it have id and header attributes to associate the data cells with the column/row headers?

 

 

 

26

Are all table cells, with the exception of those associated with the Header Row, designated as data cells?

 

 

 

 

Non-Compliant Element Tracking

The following table should be used to document any elements of the asset that failed or were identified as being non-compliant.  Identify each failed/non-compliant element of the asset by ID Number and include a description of the reason why the element failed or is non-compliant.

ID

Description of Failure/Non-Compliance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional References

Making Accessible PDFs - Step-by-step instructions for making fully compliant PDF files, from creating initial Word document to running an accessibility report.

Editing PDF Table Tags - Step-by-step instructions for editing table tags in a PDF document.

Adding and Moving PDF Bookmarks - Step-by-step instructions for adding and moving bookmarks in a PDF document.

Editing PDF Image Tags - Step-by-step instructions for editing image tags in a PDF document.