Quick Reference Guide for Fixing Reading Order

This is the most critical part of remediation because it determines the sequence in which a screen reader speaks the content.

The Golden Rule: Tags vs. Order

There are two "orders" in Acrobat Pro. You must check both, but Tags are the priority.

  • 1. The Tags Panel: Controls what screen readers actually say. (Priority #1)

  • 2. The Order Panel: Controls how text reflows on mobile and how the keyboard "tabs" through the document. (Priority #2)

Method 1: The "Z-Order" Check (Visual Fix)

Use this to fix how the content flows when a user selects text or views in "Reflow" mode.

  1. Open the Order Panel:

    • Go to View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Order.

  2. Visual Check:

    • Look at the numbers appearing on the page content. They should follow the natural reading path (Left $\rightarrow$ Right, Top $\rightarrow$ Bottom).

  3. The Fix:

    • Drag & Drop: Click the number in the list corresponding to the out-of-order element and drag it to the correct position.

    • Reading Order Tool: Open the Accessibility toolset $\rightarrow$ Reading Order. Draw a box around the content and number it manually (use sparingly, as this can create messy tags).

Method 2: The Logical Structure Fix (The "Real" Fix)

Use this to fix what the screen reader announces. This is the compliance standard.

  1. Open the Tags Panel:

    • Go to View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags.

  2. Find Your Place:

    • Highlight the text or image in the document window.

    • In the Tags panel, click the Options menu (the hamburger icon) $\rightarrow$ Find Tag from Selection. This jumps you to the specific tag in the tree.

  3. The Fix:

    • Move the Tag: Click and drag the tag to the correct location in the tree.

    • Keyboard Shortcut: Select the tag and use Ctrl + X (Cut) and Ctrl + V (Paste) to move it as a child, or right-click to "Paste Before/After".

Common "Reading Order" Scenarios & Solutions

Pro Tips

  • Always check the "Content" Panel last: If you move items in the Order panel, it sometimes scrambles the stacking order in the "Content" panel (z-index), causing images to hide text. Check this if text suddenly disappears visually.

  • Use "Walk the Tree": Click the first tag in the Tags panel and use your Down Arrow key. Watch the highlight move through the document. This is the exact experience a blind user will have.