PDF & Document Accessibility
PDF/UA (ISO 14289) conformance, structural tag trees, and accessible document authoring.
The Engineering Challenge
Most exported PDFs are 'untagged' or contain chaotic tag orders. To a screen reader, untagged PDFs appear as empty pages or chaotic jumbles of raw characters without headings, tables, or image descriptions.
What This Service Covers
- PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1) validation and WCAG 2.2 AA compliance for electronic documents.
- Logical structural tagging: Document, Part, Sect, H1-H6, P, BlockQuote, Table, L, LI.
- Data table structure: Header cells (TH), Scope attributes, Span, and complex multi-tier tables.
- Alternative text authoring for complex charts, diagrams, infographics, and technical figures.
- Interactive form fields: Tooltips, tab order, required flags, and error indications.
- Source document remediation in Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint.
Key Deliverables
- Remediated PDF files with recorded PDF/UA-1 machine-check evidence.
- veraPDF PDF/UA machine-check logs.
- Accessible Microsoft Office / InDesign Source Templates.
- Document Authoring Style Guide.
Target Stakeholders
Standards Evaluated
Request a Free Public PDF Inventory & Legal Scope Report
For US state and local government entities: requests are reviewed by a person before any crawl begins. Approved work inventories public PDFs, records automated machine-check evidence, and separates potentially in-scope documents from statutory exceptions under 28 CFR § 35.201.
How We Execute: Step-by-Step Methodology
Every project follows an empirical, documented process to ensure zero ambiguity and complete stakeholder alignment.
Document Architecture Audit
Analyze tag tree hierarchy, artifacts, font encoding, reading order, and metadata.
Tag Tree Reconstruction
Build or repair tags in Adobe Acrobat Pro, the veraPDF PDF/UA validator, and specialized remediation tools.
Screen Reader & Assistive QA
Perform read-out tests using JAWS, NVDA, and Adobe Read Out Loud.
Template & Workflow Enablement
Deliver accessible InDesign/Word source templates to prevent untagged document reoccurrence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to evaluate or remediate your digital assets?
Contact our senior accessibility engineers to discuss your product architecture, compliance timeline, and testing scope.