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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:

Extensive guide:
Learn more by accessing our open information resources
(free of charge) on how to create accessible PDF documents:

• "Everything you need to know to successfully create
  Accessible PDF according to the ISO Standard PDF/UA!"

Interesting?

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

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

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

Publishing on mobile devices:

• Twixl Publisher and Canvasflow





2D/3D Packaging Design & Prototyping:

• iC3D och TreeDiM Picador





PDF-standarder:






Still not sure what PDF Standard
to use and benefit from?

• Take our training in PDF Standards

Interesting?

• We are here to help you - Contact NewFormat