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Strict requirements for accessible digital documents

The Swedish Act on Access to Digital Public Services requires
all digital documents published on the authorities' web pages
must be accessible for everyone.

A digital or electronic media is accessible for everyone when it is
easily opened, read, understood and can be navigated by everyone,
with or without disabilities.

The aim of a barrier-free PDF document is to ensure that all users,
regardless of their personal restrictions,
have equal access to the content without the help of others.

Barrier-free access and accessible PDF content is all about
universal design; i.e. accessibility through design.

Files based on PDF technology must comply with PDF/UA,
the ISO Standard 14289-1 for
"universally accessible PDF documents and PDF forms".

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the recognized
international guidelines for accessible websites.

Digital documents provided for download from
government websites are also covered by
the WCAG recommendations.

However, WCAG's recommendations alone are not sufficient
to create a universally accessible PDF document.

Accessible PDF documents also require,
in addition to complying with WCAG recommendations,
compliance with the ISO Standard PDF/UA.

WCAG and PDF/UA complement each other.
PDF/UA is a required complement, not an alternative, to WCAG:

• WCAG only recommends that all information
  on a website must be accessible for everyone.


• PDF/UA specifies HOW to technically create an accessible PDF;  
  how semantic content such as text content, images,
  form fields, comments, bookmarks and metadata,
  may be used in PDF/UA compliant documents.

It is both syntactic and semantic requirements that
must be met by an accessable PDF.

Only then can assistive technologies, such as screen readers,
read the content of PDF documents correctly.

Thus, it is not assistive technologies, nor popular software tools such as
MS Office, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat, Google Docs, Apple iWork,...
or screen readers like JAWS, NVDA, MS Narrator, Apple VoiceOver,...
that define what is an accessible PDF.

A PDF document is defined as "accessible PDF" only when it
meets the ISO Standard PDF/UA-1 with guidelines and
applicable parts of WCAG 2.1 AA recommendations.

A fully PDF/UA compliant PDF can be just as
accessible as a WCAG compliant website.

In case you prefer to create accessible PDF according to
the ISO Standard PDF/UA on your own (DIY) or rather
prefer to engage an external service provider for
faster and easier delivery and deployment:

• Here is everything you need to know to successfully create
  Accessible PDF according to the ISO Standard PDF/UA!

We are happy to help you create accessible PDF on your own.

Should you instead prefer,
we can deliver accessible PDF as a service to your business;
from single documents to many thousands of accessible PDFs,
from simple documents to comprehensive and complex
annual reports/publications/magazines.

We also provide PDF accessibility solutions for B2B/B2C
environments where high-volumes of accessible PDF documents
(like invoices, bills, statements, insurance letters, bookings,...)
have to be generated by internal business systems.

Interesting?

NewFormat is happy to help you with accessible PDF according to PDF/UA.

We provide:

• software tools you need to create accessible PDFs yourself


• audit mapping of document resources on your websites/domains


• accessible PDF as a service on your assignment

• Contact NewFormat for Accessible PDF

Recommended applications:

• Industry leading solutions for your needs...

• Take our training in PDF Standards

Application areas:

• Accessible PDF (PDF/UA)




• Accessible Web (W3C/WCAG)




• Document Management,
  including conversion to Open Standards




• Commercial Print
  Preflight, correction and repurposing of
  PDF files for prepress and print production




• Large Format Print
  Preflight, correction and repurposing of
  PDF files for prepress and print production




• Long-Term Document Preservation and
  Archiving/e-Archiving.
  Preflight, correction and repurposing of PDF files




• 2D/3D Packaging Design and Structural Design




• Publishing of Digital Content for
  Rich User Experiences on mobile devices,
  tablets, modern browsers and smartphones

  
  

• Eye Tracking Services




• Workflow Automation

• Training in the use of software tools
  for mobile app publishing




• Training in the use of software tools for
  2D/3D Packaging Design & Prototyping

Interesting?

• We are here to help you - Contact NewFormat