Manual Checking Accessibility
Why you need both
- Automated tools are great for catching the "low-hanging fruit" but can't judge content quality or complex features.
- Manual checks ensure the actual experience for users with disabilities is good, which is crucial for legal compliance (like ADA) and ethical design.
When to use it
Use manual checks when built-in and automated tools can't evaluate context, clarity or user experience — especially for documents, websites and multimedia intended for public use or high-impact communication.
Automatic captions for recorded videos are a helpful starting point, but they are often inaccurate. After uploading a video, review the autogenerated captions and edit them as needed. Correct any errors in words, names or phrases to provide accurate captions and full accessibility for all viewers.
How to use it
Review content visually and interactively.
Ask:
- Does the document make sense when read aloud?
- Can you navigate it easily using only a keyboard?
- Are instructions, visuals and links clear and meaningful?
Built-in Checker vs. Manual Review
| Features | MS Office Built-In Checker | Adobe PDF Built-In Checker | Manual Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative Text | Detects if alt text exists | Detects missing alt text; flags decorative images without proper tags | Ensure alt text is accurate, descriptive, and meaningful |
| Color | Flags insufficient contrast | No check | Ensure color contrast and avoid using color alone to convey meaning |
| Headings | Checks for headings tags | Checks for proper tag structure (H1, H2, etc.) in the tag tree | Verify logical hierarchy and clarity of headings |
| Tables | Identifies missing header rows or merged cells | Verifies table tags, header cells, and structure in the tag tree | Ensure table layout is understandable and readable linearly |
| Hyperlinks | No check | Flags links without tags or missing alt text | Confirm link text is descriptive and meaningful in context |
| Title and Document Language | No check | Checks for document title and language setting in metadata | Verify document is titled and correct language tags |
| Magnification | No check | No check | Check text remains readable without horizontal scrolling when zoomed at 200% |
| Extra or Empty Spaces | No check | No check | Detect extra or empty spaces Tip: use the Show Formatting Marks paragraph tool to toggle visibility of non-printing characters. |
| Multimedia | Limited to checking for alt text and placement of images in text | Flags missing captions or alt text for embedded media | Ensure captions are accurate and audio descriptions exist |
| Overall Readability | No check | No check | Review reading order, clarity, plain language, and consistent formatting |
| Standards | Aligns with WCAG 2.x principles | Adheres to formal standards and validates against WCAG 2.x (A & AA), Section 508, and PDF/UA (ISO 14289) | n/a |
Tip for Checking Accessibility
- Try navigating with only a keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space Bar) to ensure logical flow.
- Read content aloud to check for clarity, tone and structure.
- Use Read Out Loud modes to test screen reader compatibility.
- Microsoft Word (View > Immersive Reader)
- Outlook (Message > Read Aloud)
- Adobe Acrobat (Menu > View > Read Out Loud)
Training: