We’re always raving about PDF’s universal appeal - it remains consistent on different viewers and is easy to distribute to others. People who have disabilities, however, may not always be able to access PDFs in the way they need to. That’s where PDF/UA comes in to save the day.

What is PDF/UA?

PDF/UA, or Portable Document Format/Universal Accessibility is a PDF file type with a set of standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to ensure that PDF files are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The original intent of PDF/UA was for those who rely on screen readers - the visually impaired - and is inspired heavily by the work of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the WCAG standards.

The main goal of PDF/UA today is to define a set of accessibility features and requirements for PDF documents that makes them more inclusive and usable for people with a variety of disabilities, including those who use assistive technologies. These disabilities may include visual impairments, cognitive disabilities, and mobility impairments.

Key Features and Considerations of PDF/UA

• Structural PDF Elements: PDF/UA emphasizes the importance of proper document structure, including headings, lists, tables, and other structural elements, which helps assistive technologies understand the content in a PDF and present it in a way that makes the most sense. See more on this below, when we discuss tagged PDFs
• Alternative Text: Images and other elements not consisting of text should have alternative text descriptions to convey their meaning to individuals who cannot see them.
• Color Contrast: PDF/UA guidelines address color contrast to ensure that text and other elements are distinguishable by users with visual impairments.
• Navigation and Reading Order: PDF documents should have a logical reading order and navigational features that assistive technologies can interpret correctly.
• Interactive Forms: If a PDF document includes forms, they should be designed to be accessible, allowing users with disabilities to interact with and complete them using assistive technologies.
• Document Language: PDF/UA supports the specification of the document language, which aids in accurate text-to-speech conversion and other language-related accessibility features.
• Metadata: Accessibility-related metadata can be included in the document to provide additional information about the document's structure and content.

Tagged PDF/UA Files

PDF/UA files are Tagged PDF files and contain semantic and structural information about the visual content in the files. A number of requirements on content tagging are laid out to ensure that images have alternate text representations; that tables and lists are tagged as these (rather than as unstructured sequences of text); that information is not conveyed solely through pure visual means (example: text signifying a warning in red color); and otherwise, so that a screen reader can present as close to a complete and useful representation of a PDF file as possible when compared to the visual appearance of the PDF.

PDF/UA files are expected to be made at creation time by authoring tools; converting PDF files to PDF/UA files is expensive and labor-intensive. It is not expected that conversion processes will make PDF files into PDF/UA files automatically. 

Nonetheless, interest in PDF/UA is on the rise due to government mandates for equitable information access for online documents and due to resulting lawsuits and judgments against various companies and entities. In the US, updates to section 508 are expected to require that information posted in PDF format on government websites will be in PDF/UA format.

Compliance with PDF/UA standards is essential for organizations and individuals who want to create accessible PDF documents. It ensures that the documents can be effectively used by a diverse audience, promoting inclusivity and adherence to accessibility standards.

It's worth noting that while PDF/UA focuses on accessibility, it is just one aspect of creating accessible content. Content creators should also consider other accessibility standards and guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to ensure a comprehensive approach to accessibility.

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