Digital accessibility is a top priority these days since so much happens in digital spaces. But lots of people still don’t realize how important it is to make their PDFs documents accessible. This is essential knowledge for companies, government agencies, and individuals who want to follow accessibility standards and provide equal access to their content. In this article, we’ll explain why it’s important to make your PDFs accessible, how to create an accessible PDF, and what best practices to follow when creating PDFs.
What is an accessible PDF?
An accessible PDF is a document intentionally designed so everyone can read it, including people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive limitations. It follows specific standards so assistive technology like screen readers can effectively read and navigate the document. PDF accessibility isn’t just focused on text. It also includes images, forms, tables, and links.
Understanding what an accessible PDF is and why it matters is the first step toward creating content that everyone can access.
Why is it essential to make a PDF accessible?
Inclusion and Equal Access
Creating an accessible PDF means following PDF accessibility standards to provide everyone with equal access to your content, regardless of their capacities or needs. Learning how to make a PDF accessible is key to achieving inclusivity. This is especially important for public sector agencies that must comply with digital accessibility laws. Plus, it’s part of corporate social responsibility initiatives that help organizations in the private sector improve their brand image.
Legal Compliance
Making PDFs accessible is a legal requirement in many countries. Here’s a summary of the main regulations:
- Canada: The Accessible Canada Act, adopted in 2019, requires federal departments, agencies, and crown corporations to make their documents accessible. In addition, certain provinces have implemented specific regulations like the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in Ontario.
- United States: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act require electronic documents, including PDFs, to be accessible to people with disabilities when created by entities that serve the public.
- France: The Référentiel Général d’Amélioration de l’Accessibilité (RGAA, General Accessibility Improvement Reference System) requires public websites and any of their downloadable documents to be accessible.
Ignoring these regulations can lead to legal action and considerable fines, another important reason to make sure your PDF documents follow these accessibility standards.
User Experience
An accessible PDF makes it easier for all users to navigate and read a document. Well-structured documents are easier to read and understand, which is better for everyone, whether or not they use assistive technology.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
In addition to improving the user experience, making your PDF accessible also improves SEO results. Well-designed PDF documents are indexed better by search engines like Google. This means your content will rank higher in search engine results so more people see it.
An accessible PDF:
- Improves indexing: Search engines can crawl and index an accessible PDF’s text content. Indexing is limited if the text is an image or doesn’t have proper tags.
- Includes metadata: Adding metadata like the title, author, subject, and keywords makes the document more relevant for search engines.
- Has image alt text: Adding text descriptions to images allows search engines to understand what’s being shown.
- Includes internal and external links: Adding links to an accessible PDF improves the user experience and a site’s internal linking.
To summarize, an accessible document gets ranked higher by search engines, improving visibility and reach. Clearly, optimizing PDFs for accessibility is a winning strategy for communicating equally with all audiences and improving your online visibility.
How can I make a PDF accessible?
Wondering how to make a PDF document accessible? Here are the main steps:
- Use a logical, hierarchical structure
Titles, subtitles, and paragraph text should be clearly tagged so that screen readers can understand how content is organized. To do this, use predefined styles in word processing programs before converting a file to a PDF.
- Add alt text to images
When inserting an image into your document, be sure to add text descriptions (called alt text) that explain what’s in the image. This enables screen readers to effectively describe the information to readers with visual impairments.
- Use suitable fonts and colors
Use sans serif fonts like Arial or Calibri and make sure there’s enough contrast between the text and background so it’s easy to read. Low contrast makes it hard for many people to read a document, even those who don’t have visual limitations.
- Create accessible tables
Tables should be structured with clear headers so that screen readers can identify the relationship between the different cells. Avoid using complex or nested tables. Create simple, well-defined tables whenever possible.
- Make interactive forms accessible
If your PDF has form fields, make sure they’re tagged correctly. Each field should have a descriptive label that allows users to understand what it’s for. This is essential for online forms or interactive PDFs.
- Complete an accessibility check on your document
Check accessibility with tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro or other specialized software to detect and correct potential issues before publishing your document. We also recommend doing a final manual verification to make sure a document is fully accessible.
Why should I choose ITC Global to create accessible PDFs?
Creating an accessible PDF may seem complicated. Luckily, you’re not on your own! ITC Global’s team of experts uses the latest tools and precise methodologies to guarantee that your documents are fully accessible. Want to convert existing documents? Need help creating new accessible files? We have the tailored solutions you need to comply with all legal requirements and make sure your materials are inclusive.
Contact us today or visit our Accessibility Solutions page for more details or to get help creating accessible documents.
