In addition to accessible HTML content, PDF document accessibility plays a vital role in the overall accessibility of your website. In order to provide an equal experience for all users, regardless of disability, you must develop all of your digital content with accessibility in mind. PDF remediation is the process of addressing accessibility errors within PDF files that hinder or prevent people with disabilities from reading, navigating, and interacting with the content effectively.

Whether you are an insurance company, financial institution, school, corner bakery, or any other business required to provide an accessible website, you need to be mindful of the documents you attach your website. Accessible documents allow all users to view the important information you provide on your website.

How to 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.

We address all the factors that make your PDF documents ADA compliant. If these requirements are not met, your organization could potentially face accessibility lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Some common accessibility issues include: 

• Missing or incomplete Metadata
• Image-only PDFs 
• Missing bookmarks
• Missing correct language settings

Can you automate PDF remediation?

Similar to testing a website for accessibility, document accessibility always requires manual labor. Manual confirmation of an accurate tag structure is the only way to guarantee your documents are fully accessible. 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 in document accessibility:

• Color contrast
  Automated testing for color contrast is highly beneficial. However, it cannot catch everything. For example, an automated test will tell you if the text has enough 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, it cannot replace human judgment for proper reading order. For example, 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 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 to our viewers. Manually reviewing the reading order in PowerPoint documents ensures everyone has the same experience.
• Alternative text
  We use alternative (alt) text to describe images. An automated scan for accessibility will account for the presence of alt text. Automated scans will not account for the accuracy of alt text. Don’t let the image of your new storefront be presented as “building with a trash can and people.” We will ensure all of your images include an accurate description.

As we remediate your documents, we use both automated and manual testing to confirm accessibility. If we come across anything that will visually alter the look of your document, we will request your approval before performing the needed edits.

“I contacted Be Accessible about a year ago when I was looking for a company to remediate numerous documents that I knew we’d be needing remediated for a year-long project. We went with Be Accessible after finding Lee to be extremely responsive and a wonderful communicator.  When things got busy, Lee followed back up with me to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks. 

“I really enjoyed working with Lee and would highly recommend Be Accessible for anyone looking for a company that is truly a partner.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.”

~Nelia Nunes, California Disability Services Association

What document formats can you make accessible?

We can work with most document formats. The most common formats we receive are PDF documents and Microsoft Office documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher. Providing documents in their original format offer the fastest and most accurate document remediation. However, if PDF is the only format available, we can work with this as well.

If your documents are scanned, they are viewed as an image and are not accessible. We can often use object recognition tools to recognize the text of the document and add a tagging structure. This process will often incur additional fees so we recommend submitting originals if possible. Occasionally, a scanned document will need to be recreated. If this is the case, we can provide additional pricing.

How much is PDF remediation?

We price PDF remediation per page. In order to provide accurate pricing, we review each document for size and complexity. The size of the document is the number of pages. The complexity of the document is determined by the various elements such as tables, graphics, and lists. Each page is classified as either simple or complex. After each page is accounted for, we will provide you will an individual quote.

Document accessibility training

If you have the resources available to create your own accessible documents, Be Accessible offers personalized document accessibility training. Many businesses take advantage of this accessibility training after their current documents are remediated. 

Our document accessibility training is a great resource for ensuring that your documents remain accessible moving forward. Visit our PDF Accessibility Training page for more information and to schedule your training session today.

Let’s get started!

Whether you are ready to begin remediation or just need an idea of what PDF accessibility services will cost you, use the form below to contact us for more information. We are always available to answer your questions regarding accessibility & its testing and resolve your concerns.