Why Accessible PDFs Matter: Compliance and Inclusion Under the European Accessibility Act
From June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will come into force across the EU. This legislation is designed to make sure that digital content and services are usable by everyone — including people with disabilities who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnifiers, or voice recognition software.
One of the biggest areas of focus is PDFs.
Many organisations still publish important documents as PDFs — annual reports, brochures, medical information sheets, financial statements, application forms, or legal notices. If these files are not created and tagged correctly, they can become inaccessible and even invisible to people who use assistive tools.
That’s not just a barrier to inclusion — it’s a compliance risk.
What makes a PDF inaccessible?
A PDF might look fine visually, but behind the scenes it could be missing key accessibility elements. For example:
No alt text on images, graphics, or charts.
No logical reading order for screen readers.
Missing tags for headings, lists, and tables.
Poor colour contrast between text and background.
Scanned PDFs saved as images without selectable text.
For someone using a screen reader, this means the content is confusing, fragmented, or even completely unreadable.
The benefits of accessible PDFs
Ensuring your documents are accessible is more than just ticking a legal box. It creates multiple benefits:
✅ Compliance with EU law — meeting the European Accessibility Act requirements from June 2025.
✅ Better user experience — people with disabilities can read and interact with your content.
✅ Brand reputation — showing that your organisation values inclusion and accessibility.
✅ Wider reach — more people can use, share, and understand your content.
How I can help
I specialise in PDF accessibility remediation — taking your existing PDFs and editing them so they meet accessibility standards such as WCAG 2.1 and PDF/UA.
That involves:
- Adding correct tags for headings, lists, and tables.
- Structuring the reading order.
- Writing and embedding alt text for images.
- Checking colour contrast and text legibility.
- Ensuring forms and interactive elements are usable with assistive technologies.
- Whether you publish a single annual report or hundreds of forms each year, I can help you bring them into compliance quickly and efficiently.
Act now
The new European Accessibility Act is not far away. Organisations that prepare early will avoid last-minute stress, potential legal risks, and the reputational damage of publishing inaccessible content.
Now is the time to review your PDFs, identify accessibility issues, and put a plan in place.
Let’s make your PDFs accessible
If your organisation relies on PDFs — reports, brochures, application forms, patient information sheets, or financial statements — I can help ensure they are compliant, professional, and accessible to everyone.
Get in touch today to arrange a PDF accessibility audit or remediation service.
Together, we can make your documents inclusive, compliant, and ready for the future.
