PDF/UA-1 · CLAUSE 7.5
Table headers are missing a Scope attribute
The table's header relationships cannot be derived automatically, and the TH elements do not declare whether they head a row or a column.
Why it matters
Screen readers announce the wrong header (or none) when a user moves between data cells, which makes numeric tables ambiguous.
How to fix it
- Give every TH a Scope attribute of Row or Column in the tag properties.
- For complex tables with spanning headers, use Headers and IDs attributes instead of Scope.
- In Acrobat Pro use the Table Editor (Reading Order > Table) to set cell types and scopes visually.
WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A)
What the standard says
If the table's structure is not determinable via Headers and IDs, then structure elements of type TH shall have a Scope attribute
Check your own PDF
Validate a file against PDF/UA-1 and see whether this rule fails in your document.
curl -sS -X POST "https://api.ua1.dev/api/validate?format=compact&profile=ua1" \ -F "file=@document.pdf"