Keywords: digital accessibility, disabilities inclusion
Meta Description: Explore the significance of PDF accessibility in line with the EU’s EAA. Learn strategies for optimising PDFs for inclusivity and the importance of digital accessibility.
Digital accessibility is at the forefront of European legislation. In 2022, the EU adopted the European Accessibility Act (EAA), a milestone in disability inclusion, aimed at ensuring the full and equal participation of people with disabilities and the elderly.
Due to accessibility issues during the pandemic, the legislation explicitly targets the online world. Companies should therefore ensure that their web content is accessible according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WACG).
However, one mistake that many companies make when complying with the digital accessibility guidelines is to forget that the internet is more than just web pages.
Consider PDFs or Portable Document Formats.
PDFs are the third most popular file format online – beating JPEG, PNG, and GIF filers. They’re a common way to distribute information online, either embedded in a page or linked for download. The problem is that if these PDFs aren’t optimised for accessibility, they can be inaccessible to a significant proportion of the intended audience.
Not only does this go against the spirit of inclusivity, but it may also constitute a violation of the EAA. Below we explore how to make your PDFs more accessible and why it’s so important.
Why is PDF Digital Accessibility important?
First and foremost, not everyone accesses the internet on a powerful desktop computer. The millions of users who rely on screen readers and other assistive technologies to interact with digital content can face significant issues if a PDF isn’t optimised for digital accessibility.
Since PDFs often contain more detailed, nuanced information than a typical webpage, everyone needs to be able to access it. For example, a PDF could contain the terms and conditions of a product.
Second, it’s about compliance. Ignoring guidelines and legislation not only leads to penalties but it also erodes your brand image and customer trust.
Finally, beyond the legal and practical aspects, it’s a moral duty. Adopting disabilities inclusion into your website means ensuring that everyone, regardless of physical or cognitive ability, can access and benefit from your content.
How to Make Your PDFs Accessible
PDFs are notorious for being inaccessible. They’re often little more than a collection of scanned text. No searchability. No readable text. In fact, without text, screen readers are unable to read these documents.
No wonder, that WebAIM’s 2019 screen reader user survey found that three-quarters of respondents were either “very” or “somewhat” likely to have digital accessibility issues with a PDF.
Follow these tips to improve the accessibility of your PDFs:
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- Logical Structure: Organise your content in a well-defined order, using the “tags” feature in tools such as Adobe Acrobat.
- Alt Text for Visual Content: Each image, graph, or illustration should be accompanied by descriptive alt text to make it understandable to screen readers.
- Readable Text is Key: Choose easy-to-read fonts and make sure there ist a strong contrast between the text and its background. Remember that colour shouldn’t be the only means of conveying information.
- Table Headers: Tables can be difficult for screen readers. Clear headers and the table editor tool can make this content more navigable.
- Link Descriptions: Instead of vague phrases like “click here”, use detailed descriptions to clarify the purpose of the link. This is not just good for accessibility but also improves the user experience.
- Accessible Forms: Forms should be straightforward to fill out, with clearly labelled fields. This ensures that they are keyboard-friendly and user-friendly.
- Testing is Key: Don’t forget to test your PDF with tools such as the “Accessibility Checker” in Adobe Acrobat and actual screen reading software.
Ensuring digital accessibility is not just about ticking boxes; it’s about fostering an inclusive digital environment where everyone, regardless of ability, can access vital information. By making digital content, especially PDF, more accessible, organisations are complying with legislation and working towards a more inclusive and diverse digital world.