Need accessible documents

Then call, app or email the Documents Guru.

Digital forms and PDFs should be accessible to everyone regardless of their disability. This ensures that everyone can easily use online resources. People with visual, hearing, or cognitive disabilities benefit from accessible documents. Accessible digital documents should be easy to understand and read with assistive technology. PDF documents should be designed with accessibility in mind.

When making a document accessible, there are a number of important things to keep in mind.

What is necessary?

1. The right style of your source document ==> the style determines the readability
2. Adobe pdf engine 1.7. Version 2.0 is still in beta. Read more information about it here
   • Do not use: export as pdf or save document as Microsoft pdf (Save as Adobe pdf is the right solution)
   • Alternatives. Read this information at https://www.200ok.nl/tips/pdf-gen-tools/
   • There are plenty of bad pdf generators. Read my research here.ste pdf generator die de juiste pdf syntax heeft.
3. Functional images with alt texts
4. The right semantic structure
5. Readability tables
6. Meta data
7. Pdf syntax. Read: PDF-Declarations.pdf, chapter 7.2
8. What else should a designer know?
   • ISO 14289-1 (pdf engine 1.7)
   • ISO 14289-2 (pdf engine 2.0)
   • ISO 32000-2-2020 (Extended description of ISO 14289)
   • ISO TS 32001-2022 (Technical description for digital signatures)
   • ISO TS 32003-2023 (Technical description for use of security in pdf documents)
   • ISO TS 32004-2024 (Technical description for use of algorithms)
   • ISO TS 32005-2023 (Technical description for use of namespace conventions)
   • EN 301549 chapter 10 WCAGMatterhorn Protocol 1.1 (error messages in the PAC checker 2024)
   • PDF-Declarations (Description of pdf syntax)
   • Tagged PDF Best Practice Guide

Ooh. How much you might think? Complicated for the designer or the document manager. Going through all that takes a lot of time.

No worries.

With my years of knowledge of Adobe Acrobat Pro I have made it easy for the designers and document managers. I have translated all error messages that the PAC checker 2024 shows us into a matrix where I have explained the error messages in clear language (B1).

Why is this necessary?

A well-structured document is necessary for anyone who wants or needs to read a document. The following criteria are important:

1. Readability
2. Findability (locally or on a website or intranet)
3. Archivability for the future.
4. Downloadability

The PDF structure was developed specifically for this. To make it readable for people with a visual or motor disability, we also have to deal with the WCAG and the quality requirements of a document.

Fairy tail

There are designers who opt not to use PDF documents or even want to abolish them. Just use HTML web pages. But you also need knowledge for this. Because unfortunately, the web is still being messed around with. Just look at the number of accessible websites that exist now. 6% of the number of government websites and I think the same percentage of company websites.

And I haven’t even mentioned archiving. If you want to do this in a website, for example a legal document or a notarial deed, you need a secure environment. A PDF document has that option in the engine.

What needs to be done in near future?

Integration of making a document accessible in the communication and IT process.

Integration as a concept in the curriculum of education, subject area Education and Graphic design.

Solutions for existing pdf documents

OD Solutions has developed the Autotagger tool for this purpose. Based on the matrix and a practical test, I have written recommendations to make the Autotagger even better. Existing documents from before 2018 (5 basic criteria) and existing documents (all criteria from the ISO documents) can be made accessible in this way.

Result: As a company or organization, you will receive a well-formed pdf UA document (1.7) or perhaps even 2.0.

Questions?

Call, app or mail Charles de Laet (OD-Solutions.nl).

Solutions for new pdf-documents

1. A matrix based on clear explanation of the Matterhorn protocol failures
2. Design accessible documents or templates in InDesign or in Word, PowerPoint of Excel.
3. E-learning: https://bitesized.webflow.io/
4. Embedding in the Curriculum of vocational education

Questions? Talk to the specialists

Digital Accessibility will become an important requirement for publishing digital information in 2025. The WCAG law will then become binding for almost all organizations in the Netherlands and that may have consequences for your organization. Let experts and colleagues update you and discuss ambiguities and how this process can be improved.

Expert and advisor Ed Boon of VisionEd will shed light on the problems surrounding the accessibility of documents and solutions that are available. OD-solutions will give a brief explanation of the technologies that are available on the market to make accessibility part of the publication process.

From quick scan to coveted green check mark

How do I get started? 

I test a form or document to see if it meets the International standards. Pdf forms and documents are tested against the WCAG 2.2 and the PDF-UA standard.

Follow-up approach

• You will receive a report of my findings.
• This report consists of two parts: what can YOU do YOURSELF and what do I do better.
• We will discuss the research and the quote.
• If you agree, I will start working on making the documents more accessible so that everyone can use them.
• I would like to receive the source document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, InDesign) so that I can edit the document from there.
• You will receive the PDF documents back with the coveted green check mark.

Test pdf generator

Disclaimer: I am currently testing this generator.

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