What to Do When a Screen Reader Does Not Read a Remediated Document Correctly

Product

Simplified Editor (Web-based CL PDF)

Advanced Editor (Web-based CL PDF)

CommonLook PDF Desktop Version

CommonLook Edu

CommonLook Office

Feature

Screen Reader Accuracy

Issue

A document has been fully remediated and is standards compliant, but when tested with a screen reader, it does not sound right, or it reads differently than expected.

Symptom 

You test a remediated document with a screen reader, and something feels off. Content may be announced in an unexpected way, labeled differently than you expected, or read differently depending on which screen reader you use. In some cases, the same document read by two different screen readers, or even two users on the same screen reader with different settings, produces noticeably different results.

You may also notice that a PDF opened directly in a web browser is difficult or impossible to navigate using only a keyboard, or that a properly tagged PDF is not being read correctly at all when viewed in a browser.

Causes

There are a few different reasons this can happen, and often it has nothing to do with how the document was remediated.

Screen readers do not all interpret tags the same way. Even though accessibility standards exist, individual screen readers are built by different developers who make their own decisions about how certain tags should be handled. This means the exact same compliant PDF can sound different depending on which screen reader is used, and those behaviors can even change over time as each screen reader is updated.

Testers may also be unfamiliar with normal screen reader behavior. For example, many screen readers announce "Link" when they reach a Reference tag, even when there is no actual link present. Someone unfamiliar with this behavior might mistake it for a tagging error.

Browsers add another layer of difficulty. Most popular browsers do not fully honor PDF tags when displaying a document inline, which means even a properly tagged, standards-compliant PDF may not read correctly inside a browser window. Keyboard navigation through a PDF in a browser is often limited or unreliable as well.

Affected Users

Screen reader users are the primary group affected, since this issue is specifically about how content is announced audibly. Keyboard only users are also affected when the issue involves navigating a PDF inside a browser window.

Resolution Steps

Step 1: Confirm the document meets the standard

Before assuming something is wrong with the remediation, verify that the document is fully compliant with the required accessibility standard. This is the most reliable measure of whether a document has been remediated correctly, regardless of how any one screen reader chooses to read it.

Step 2: Remediate to the standard, not to a specific screen reader

If the document is confirmed compliant, resist the urge to adjust tagging just to match the behavior of one particular screen reader. Doing so can create new problems for users on other screen readers, and screen reader behavior can change in future updates anyway, which could undo that work.

Step 3: Rule out browser-related issues

If the document is being read inside a web browser, try opening it instead in a dedicated PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader. Many browsers do not honor PDF tags correctly, which can cause reading issues that have nothing to do with the document itself.

If you are sharing a PDF on a website, consider offering a direct download link instead of relying on the browser's built-in viewer. You can also link to a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader for users who do not already have it installed.

Step 4: Report unexpected screen reader behavior

If the document is confirmed compliant, and the issue still shows up consistently, or you get different results across different screen readers, the behavior may be a bug in the screen reader itself. In that case, consider filing a bug report directly with the screen reader's developer.

Verification

You will know the issue is resolved once you have confirmed the document is fully standards compliant using an accessibility checker or manual review. If the document passes and the reading experience still feels wrong on a particular screen reader, that points to a screen reader behavior issue rather than a remediation issue, and the steps above will help you confirm and report it appropriately.