- Success Criterion 1.1.1
- Conformance level A
Scanned PDF Images With No OCR Text Underneath
1.1.1 — Non-text Content
Scenario
Setting
A childcare-booking service's scheduling page
What’s wrong
PDF images missing /Alt entries — scanned-image PDFs with no OCR text layer.
Example
<img src="chart.png">Why it matters
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.
How to test
Open the PDF's tags panel (Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker or similar): images should have /Alt entries — run OCR on any scanned pages to confirm real text exists underneath.
How to fix
Add /Alt entries to PDF images and OCR scanned pages so real text exists.
<img src="chart.png" alt="Q3 revenue chart showing 12% growth">The alt attribute gives assistive technology the same information the image conveys visually.
Outcome
On a childcare-booking service's scheduling page, this barrier is gone for blind and low-vision people using screen readers — they reach the same outcome without extra effort.
Who is affected
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Product Photo Added as a CSS Background With No Alt Text
- Chart Alt Text That Never Explains What Each Color Means
- Outdated Alt Text That No Longer Matches the Image
- Alt Text Left as a Filename Instead of a Real Description
- Decorative Image Not Hidden From Screen Reader Users
- Decorative Image Given Alt Text Instead of Being Marked Silent