In addition to accessible HTML content, PDF document accessibility is vital to the overall accessibility of your website. Providing accessible PDF documents shows that your website was developed with accessibility in mind.
Whether you are a government agency, financial institution, school, restaurant, or any other business required to provide an accessible website, you need to be mindful of the documents that you attach your website. Accessible documents allow all users to view the important information you provide on your website.
How do we remediate documents for accessibility?
Our PDF remediation experts work with your documents to remove accessibility issues and make sure all the inaccessible documents are compliant with Section 508 and WCAG AA. During the process of providing document remediation service, our accessibility experts manually review each page of your file, following accessibility requirements & guidelines.
PDF document accessibility checking includes but is not limited to:
Color contrast
Reading order
Heading structure
Table structure
Alternative text
We add a tag structure to your PDFs enabling them to work with assistive technologies, such as screen readers. For example, if your document includes a table, each element of the table must be tagged properly in order for someone using a screen reader to navigate the table in a way that is understandable. This includes having a table header structure and defining the scope of each header cell.
Can you automate PDF remediation?
The only way to guarantee that your documents are fully accessible is to manually confirm an accurate tagging structure. Using a feature such as Adobe’s autotag option in Adobe Acrobat Pro can be a great place to start, but it’s only a start.
Here are a few things that you cannot automate when creating accessible documents:
Color contrast
Automated testing for color contrast is an important step. However, it automated tests cannot catch everything. For example, an automated test may tell you if text has sufficient contrast against the background of the page. It will not account for the color of an image placed behind the text.
Reading order
While technology is very smart, human judgment is required to determine the proper reading order. For example, by default, the content of a PowerPoint presentation will be presented in the order it was added to each slide. In an ideal world, we would add slide content in the exact order that it should be presented. However, in the real world, we add, delete, and move content around in order to provide an easy-to-follow, friendly experience. Manually reviewing the reading order in PowerPoint presentation ensures everyone has the same experience.
Alternative text
Alternative (alt) text describes the content of images. An automated scan for accessibility typically recognizes the presence of alt text. Automated scans will not account for alt text accuracy. Don’t let the image of your new storefront be presented as “building with a dumpster and animals.” We will ensure that all of your images include accurate descriptions.
We use both automated and manual testing to confirm accessibility throughout our document remediation processes. If we come across anything that will visually alter the look of your PDF document, we will request your approval prior to performing the necessary edits.
Can you make all document formats accessible?
Yes. Although the most common document formats that we receive are PDF and Microsoft Office documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher, we can also remediate documents created with other programs such as InDesign. Providing documents in their original format offers the fastest and most accurate document remediation. However, if PDF is the only format available, we can work with this as well.
Scanned documents are often viewed as an image and are not accessible. We will use object recognition tools to recognize the text of the document so that we can add a tagging structure. This process will often incur additional fees so we recommend submitting originals whenever possible. Occasionally, a scanned document will need to be recreated. We will work with your teams to provide the best options for fast and accurate document remediation.
How much does PDF remediation cost?
We price our PDF remediation services per page. In order to provide accurate pricing, we review each document for size and complexity. The size of the document refers to the number of pages. We determine the complexity of the document by the various elements such as images, charts, tables, and lists. We then classify each page as either simple or complex and provide a personalized quote for your document remediation project.
Document accessibility training
If you have the resources available to create accessible documents, Be Accessible offers personalized document accessibility training. In order to ensure ongoing accessibility, many businesses take advantage of document accessibility training after we remediate their current documents.
Our document accessibility training is a great resource for ensuring that your documents remain accessible moving forward. Visit our PDF Accessibility Training page for additional information and to schedule your training session today.
Let's get started on your document remediation project!
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