PDF Accessibility: Creating Inclusive Documents

However, accessibility for PDFs is often overlooked, which can limit the reading experience for people with visual or cognitive disabilities.

Although PDF Accessibility has many features in common with Web Accessibility, in this article, we will explore those significant differences that will also be absolutely necessary to turn your PDFs into accessible documents and ensure that all readers can enjoy and understand the content without obstacles.

What guidelines are fundamental in accessibility for PDFs?

1. Use legible and appropriately sized fonts. In accessibility for PDFs it is vitally important to choose fonts that are easy to read and ensure that the font size is also large enough.

   Unlike web portals, in text documents we can say that the main communicative element is the text, so special care must be taken in this criterion since, for example, a font size that is too small will make reading difficult for many people, especially for those with visual or cognitive disabilities.

2. Use text instead of images of text. When possible, avoid inserting text in the form of images. Instead, it uses the actual text directly in the PDF document. Screen readers cannot interpret text in images, which in these cases makes access difficult for people with visual disabilities.
3. Provide alternatives to visual media. As with web portals, if your PDF includes images, graphs or diagrams, include alternative text descriptions. These descriptions allow people with visual impairments to understand visual content through screen readers or other assistive devices.
4. Use appropriate structure and format. In the case of PDF documents, the structure must be defined more consciously during the creation of the document since unlike web portals, in PDF documents its design and structure cannot be adapted once the document is finalized (websites have a more “dynamic” capacity).

   However, the bases are the same, but these must be executed from the earliest age of the document. Using hierarchical headings, such as level 1 headings (H1) and level 2 headings (H2), will be the fundamental pillars and will help establish a hierarchy in the content and divide it into logical sections.

5. Use adequate color contrast. Another characteristic in common with web portals lies in adequate color contrast. High enough contrast ratios should be maintained between text and background to facilitate reading.

   This will benefit the visually impaired and also those who may have difficulty reading in certain lighting conditions.

Your Accessible Website reveals some tricks…

1. Use accessible creation tools. When creating a PDF from an application such as Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign, we recommend using the accessibility tools available in those programs, which often go unnoticed and few developers know its great potential

   These features are varied and quite intuitive, so we recommend using them as they will help you generate more accessible documents from the beginning.

2. Offer an alternative version. If after all your efforts, the PDF is still not fully accessible, it would be ideal to offer an alternative version in a more accessibility-friendly format, such as HTML. This will ensure that everyone can access the content without any barrier.

In conclusion, like web accessibility and accessibility in mobile applications, making your PDFs also accessible is essential to guarantee that anyone who requires it can access and understand the information you are sharing. By following these guidelines, you will be contributing to a more inclusive and friendly online environment for everyone.