With 20 years of experience in the graphic design industry, I’ve learned that the best designs are those that are both visually compelling and user-friendly, really boosting communication and engagement. In the last few years, there has been a need to design accessible PDFs from scratch, primarily for recruitment materials, ensuring inclusivity for all and highlighting how graphic design is not just about aesthetics.
What are accessible PDFs?
An accessible PDF is designed to be easily readable by all users, including low vision or non-sighted readers, who may navigate through a document using a screen reader. The resulting accessible PDF often doesn’t look any different to a standard PDF, however during the design process a designer will add tags, use structural elements & styles and organise the content to make sure it is compliant whilst creating a design that is on brand and looks great.
Who needs accessible PDFs?
In 2025 there has been a significant push to make PDFs accessible, driven by increasing awareness and evolving legal requirements. One of those requirements is to comply with The European Accessibility Act (EAA) which comes into force in June 2025. It mandates that various digital products and services, including electronic documents like PDFs, be accessible to people with disabilities. This becomes law in all EU member states and applies to any organisation that provides products and services to consumers in the EU, including businesses and public bodies in the UK.
There’s also a strong emphasis on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These standards provide technical requirements for creating accessible PDFs.
There seems to be a growing understanding that digital accessibility is not just a legal obligation but also a matter of social responsibility. A survey by Samsung revealed that a benefit for taking accessibility seriously is that 76% of consumers said they would stay loyal to companies who offer a wide range of accessible options.
Therefore, to make sure I can help more businesses in the future, I went on a PDF Accessibility course to understand how to test and remediate PDFs. It’s one thing designing them from scratch, but being able to show someone why their PDF isn’t accessible and being able to fix it for them is a skill that businesses will require to enable them to be compliant and inclusive.
Testing and remediating PDFs
Many people probably take PDFs for granted – after all they’re a universal format, easy to share and your document maintains consistency in appearance. However, for those with disabilities, a “standard” PDF can be a frustrating to use.
During the course we explored the importance of the following 10 checks and how to remediate them;
- Document title: This should be the correct title of the document not just the file name.
- Logical reading order: Ensuring content flows correctly for screen readers.
- Proper tagging: Adding semantic structure to the document, defining headings, paragraphs and lists.
- Alt text for images: Providing descriptive text for non-text content.
- Table structure: Creating accessible data tables with clear headers and relationships.
- Document language: Specifying the document’s language for screen readers.
- Form field accessibility: Making interactive forms usable for everyone.
- Colour contrast: Ensuring sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Links: Making sure hyperlinks are labelled correctly and describe what the link is for.
- Artifacts: Any items that shouldn’t be read on every page like headers and footers are labelled correctly.
We delved into the intricacies of Adobe Acrobat Pro’s accessibility tools, learning how to use the accessibility checker, touch-up reading order tool, and tag panel effectively. We also looked at alternative tools and workflows for creating accessible PDFs.
Some of the main things learnt were;
- Attention to detail is crucial: I believe I am very precise when it comes to graphic design and accessibility requires meticulous attention to detail. Every tag, every alt text and every reading order element must be carefully considered.
- Accessibility is not an afterthought: It needs to be considered from the very beginning of the document creation process. It’s much easier to design an accessible PDF from scratch than it is to remediate it.
- Accessibility benefits everyone: While it’s essential for people with disabilities, accessible PDFs often improve usability for everyone. Clear structure, logical reading order, and well-written alt text make documents easier to navigate and understand.
- Testing is essential: Having the ability to regularly test PDFs with screen readers and other assistive technology is crucial for ensuring accessibility.
The course wasn’t just about technical skills; it was about understanding the human impact of inaccessible documents. We discussed the challenges faced by individuals with visual impairments, cognitive disabilities, and motor impairments. It was a powerful reminder that accessibility is not just a compliance issue; it’s a matter of inclusion and equal access to information.
If you need help making your digital documents accessible or would like to find out whether your current PDFs are compliant please get in touch – rosanne@silverstonedesignsolutions.com