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    Accessibility resources toolkit Chapter 9

    Accessible documents and pdfs

    What you will learn in this chapter

    • Accessible approaches to documents
    • Resources on creating screen reader accessible pdfs
    • Guidance on how to check existing pdf accessibility

    Introduction

    Try to use a document format that will be accessible to most users. This is usually an HTML webpage.

    You could also try tools like Microsoft Sway. This is an HTML format that you can design to create more engaging documents, like reports. Similar to how you might create a pdf.

    Screenshot of a Sway with Scope's training products. The design is like a webpage layout with imagery embeded. There is a contents button in bottom right.

    If you’re offering a downloadable document, choose a flexible format, like Word. Or provide multiple formats so the user can choose the one most accessible to them.

    If you want to use a pdf, remember it’s not a flexible document format. If your user needs to change text size, font, background colours and so on, they will not be able to do this in a pdf.

    They can also be difficult to use with a magnifier. Or if you have motor difficulties, particularly on phone and tablet. Documents need to be accessible on whichever device you’re using.

    These are access barriers regardless of whether you’ve created an accessible pdf. If you’re creating a pdf, you should always offer an accessible version alongside it. For example:

    • an HTML webpage
    • Excel spreadsheet
    • PowerPoint or Word document

    Creating an accessible pdf

    If you need to provide a pdf, always:

    • follow accessibility best practices in the original document, like alt-text
    • check tagging after conversion
    • if possible, test with a screen reader

    If you’re using PowerPoint or Word before converting to pdf, use the Microsoft accessibility checker to help you. Particularly for PowerPoint, you must check that:

    • the reading order is correct
    • decorative shapes are marked up as decorative
    • meaningful images have alt-text
    • there are slide titles for each slide

    Here are some resources on how to make your pdfs as accessible as possible:

    Checking the accessibility of existing pdfs

    If you need to check and edit the accessibility of existing pdfs, there are some tools that can help:

    Partner with us

    We believe partnerships can help us build a more inclusive and accessible society. One where disabled people experience equality and fairness.

    To do this, we partner with organisations to work on larger strategic goals together. For wider social change. For their customers. For their clients. For their employees.

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