# Towards More Accessible Scientific PDFs for People with Visual Impairments: Step-by-Step PDF Remediation to Improve Tag Accuracy

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.22216 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.22216/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 28 Mar 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Position: Assistive Agents Need Accessibility Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.13579/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

PDF inaccessibility is an ongoing challenge that hinders individuals with visual impairments from reading and navigating PDFs using screen readers. This paper presents a step-by-step process for both novice and experienced users to create accessible PDF documents, including an approach for creating alternative text for mathematical formulas without expert knowledge. In a study involving nineteen participants, we evaluated our prototype PAVE 2.0 by comparing it against Adobe Acrobat Pro, the existing standard for remediating PDFs. Our study shows that experienced users improved their tagging scores from 42.0% to 80.1%, and novice users from 39.2% to 75.2% with PAVE 2.0. Overall, fifteen participants stated that they would prefer to use PAVE 2.0 in the future, and all participants would recommend it for novice users. Our work demonstrates PAVE 2.0's potential for increasing PDF accessibility for people with visual impairments and highlights remaining challenges.