PDFs and documents

The use of PDFs as well as documents such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel should be avoided as much as possible. This is because linking to those documents takes the user away from a webpage which screen readers and other assistive technology may struggle with. Content within these documents tend to have numerus accessibility failings which exclude users who rely on assistive technology not being able to access that information.

Where possible place the content that sits inside a PDF or a document such a Word on a page instead. 

There are some cases in which a PDF or document needs to be uploaded to a website. For example, the document is a template or needs to be in a document format for legal reasons. Any PDF or document that is uploaded to a website must be accessible. To ensure they are accessible you can use tools such as Microsoft's Accessibility Checker and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Microsoft Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel all have accessibility tools built-in. This allows you to make the content inside the raw document accessible before either uploading it to a website or exporting it as a PDF.

• Learn more about the Accessibility Checker tool by Microsoft
• Learn how to make your content accessible using the Accessibility Checker within Microsoft products

Adobe Acrobat Pro is a paid-for software that enables you to view, edit and convert PDF documents. Adobe Acrobat also has accessibility tools which can be used to check the PDF's accessibility as well as being able to convert it to PDF/A format. PDF/A format ensures the document will continue to work for a long time after it’s published, even if things like fonts you used to create it are no longer supported.

• Learn how to use the accessibility tools inside Adobe Acrobat Pro

If you do not have this software, contact the Webteam via email and request the PDF be converted to Microsoft Word format. This will then allow you to run the Microsoft's Accessibility Checker and fix any issues. You'll be able to export it back into PDF format once the issues have been fixed using Microsoft Word.

Prior to sharing any document online please ensure you have set a title and language on the document. This helps users with assistive technology. 

• Learn how to set the title using Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Learn how to set the language of a document using Microsoft Office
• Learn how to set the language of a document using Adobe Acrobat Pro