A document or form should be easy to read before it is converted to a PDF file. This is a difficult task for many organizations and companies. A PDF file is very valuable. Adobe came up with this and created a standard for storing documents, namely PDF/A. Later there was another standard, PDF/UA, which ensures that a PDF document is accessible. It is required by law to keep documents and ensure that they are accessible. But I understand that you don’t have time to do this yourself. You have to spend a lot of time on it, take courses and train employees. This takes too much time for you as an entrepreneur.

Shouldn’t you do it? No, hand it over. I’ve had years of experience with PDF documents since Adobe started using them. I have been making documents accessible ‘from the beginning’ for years.

An accessible document starts with styles according to the semantic structure

With a heading structure you can make your text clear. The headings are numbered in a certain order. H1 is the title of the chapter and occurs only once per chapter. H2 is a subheading and can occur multiple times. H3 is a title in the side of the page. H4 is a heading in a particular section of text. H5 is a subheading of H4. For example, H6 is used for small headings at the bottom of the page. You should always use html5 and semantic html to make your text good. You can check yourself in Word, PowerPoint or Excel and save the document as Adobe PDF. You can learn from a specialist who knows a lot about accessible documents and forms. With the basic course you can make a Word, PowerPoint or Excel document accessible yourself.

*) Acrobat Pro license is required.

ALWAYS use html5 and semantic html if:

Header (including the skip link) so that someone who only uses the keyboard can always go back to the beginning

Banner

Main (main content)

Aside (sidebar or certain parts of a website that are variable)

Section(s) with a clear title attribute according to the aria model

Footer

Who needs accessibility?

It is important that everyone can use a website, even if they have a disability. This may be that they can, for example, see poorly, move, hear or talk. Even if someone has trouble thinking or talking, a website must be easy to use. This can be done, for example, by using the keyboard or by using a special program (screen reader).

Criteria for accessible documents?

Documents must also be accessible. This does not apply to older documents; documents from before 23 September 2018. For older documents – from before 23 September 2018 – the requirements only apply to documents ‘necessary […] for active administrative processes related to the tasks performed by the public authority concerned’. Consider, for example, a document with a form to apply for a passport or permit. These older documents must therefore be made accessible.

It gets even more complicated: From 23 September 2019 , new documents – created on or after 23 September 2018 – must be accessible.

For intranets and extranets, including the documents published on them, there is a limit on 23 September 2019:

If an intranet or extranet has been significantly renewed or is new after September 23, 2018, the content must comply by September 23, 2019. For an older intranet or extranet: Content from September 23, 2019 or later must be compliant by September 23, 2020.

Criteria for inaccessible documents prior to September 2018

The following 5 points go beyond the accessibility requirements, but it is good to set some quality requirements if a non-accessible version is offered:

Clickable link to the accessible document in the non-accessible versionAlways put a clickable link to the accessible version in the non-accessible document if this is possible in an accessible way. If a document is shared outside the website (e.g. emailing), the visitor can always consult the accessible version.

This link is a written out, durable url at the top of the inaccessible version
Put the link to the accessible version at the top of the inaccessible document. Make sure this is a durable url (the link will continue to work) and write out the url to the accessible version completely. If the URL has been written out, you can still see where the accessible version is for a printed document. For example, “Are you unable to read or use this document properly? Then view the accessible HTML version of this document on www.voorbeeldsite.nl/map/naamwebpagina’.

Descriptive titleProvide a descriptive title that describes the subject of the document. For example: ‘OrganisationX Annual Report 2014′.

Language of the documentMake sure that it is indicated in which language the document is (Dutch, German, English, etc.)

Document title is displayedFor PDF: Under ‘View when opening’, make sure that the document title is displayed in the top bar of the PDF reader instead of the file name.

Source: Requirements for inaccessible documents guidelines

Source: Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services:

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A good accessible PDF saves you a lot of annoyance.