Even if the SmartArt was made accessible within the original format, that accessibility generally does not transfer when exporting SmartArt to PDF.
When a PowerPoint or Word document that uses SmartArt in any way is exported into PDF, every element (arrow, line, highlight, star, colored block, outline, background, shadow, etc, INCLUDING the image as a whole) will require alternate text, creating a ' Figures Alternate Text' and ' Nested Alternate Text' error for EACH element.SmartArt is severely discouraged if you will be exporting the document to PDF for the following reasons:
