By document type
Every document type has its own accessibility traps
An invoice fails differently from a contract. Pick a document type to see where it typically breaks accessibility and the checklist to fix it.
What makes a PDF accessible?
An accessible PDF is tagged: it carries a structure tree that tells assistive technology what is a heading, a paragraph, a table, a list, or a figure, in the correct reading order, with alternative text for images and a real document title and language. The technical bar for this is PDF/UA (ISO 14289), which operationalises the applicable parts of WCAG for PDF. A PDF that merely looks right on screen almost always fails these checks. The accessibility lives in structure a sighted reader never sees.
Why does the document type matter?
The same rules apply to every PDF, but each kind of document breaks them in its own way. Invoices and statements fail on untagged data tables and reading order; contracts on heading structure and defined terms; reports on charts with no text alternative. Pick a type below for its specific failure modes and remediation checklist. Or see which national rules apply by country.
What Normfluss does with your PDF
- Scanned PDFs are read with OCR before they are checked. If the recognised text isn't reliable enough, we tell you instead of guessing.
- 119 criteria on every check: 107 from PDF/UA-1 and 12 from the parts of WCAG 2.2 AA that apply to PDFs. 110 are checked automatically; 9 need a person's judgement — six WCAG criteria that carried over from 2.1 and three the 2.2 revision added.
- A digitally signed PDF isn't rewritten — saving it would break the signature. We say so before anything changes, and nothing is charged. Where a file carries only usage rights rather than an author signature, you can choose to go ahead.
- Some problems can only be fixed in the program that made the PDF; we say which, and how.
- invoicesWhy PDF invoices routinely fail accessibility (untagged line-item tables, missing reading order, images of totals) and the checklist to make them conformant.
- bank statementsBank and financial statements are dense data tables, the hardest PDFs to make accessible. The specific failure modes, and the checklist to fix transaction tables, balances and headers.
- contractsLong-form contracts fail accessibility on structure: no real headings, broken numbered clauses, and untagged signature blocks. The failure modes and the remediation checklist.
- patient lettersAppointment letters, results letters, discharge summaries and leaflets: why patient PDFs fail screen readers, what the NHS standard asks, and how to fix them.
- course materialsHandbooks, reading lists, exported lecture slides, syllabi and exam timetables: why course PDFs fail accessibility, the rules that reach them, and the fixes.
- HR documentsJob adverts, application packs, offer letters, contracts, handbooks and policies: why HR PDFs fail accessibility, the duties behind them, and the fixes.
- formsApplication, claim, registration and consent forms published as PDF: why their fields fail screen readers, which public sector rules reach them, and the fixes.
- public noticesPlanning notices, consultation documents, statutory notices and committee papers published as PDF: where they fail accessibility, the rules that apply, and the fixes.