PDF remediation and accessible documentation: Preparing for the European Accessibility Act

This June will see a significant milestone in the EU’s commitment to digital inclusion finally come into effect: the European Accessibility Act (EAA). Originally adopted in April 2019 before coming into effect this year, the EAA mandates that all consumer-facing digital documents (ranging from PDFs to brochures and other downloadable content) must be rendered accessible to people with disabilities.

By harmonizing accessibility standards across the EU’s member states, the legislation is designed to ensure that any individuals reliant on assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnifiers, or alternative input devices, can access and comprehend digital content with ease.

This marks a fundamental shift for organizations operating in or serving the European market, as accessibility has traditionally been seen as an afterthought in document creation processes. As of June 2025, non-compliance will put businesses at risk of legal penalties and significant reputational damage.

Of course, that isn’t to say that there isn’t opportunity to be found here. Improving accessibility standards means businesses will be able to engage a global audience of over 1.3 billion people living with disabilities much more easily than ever before.

The technical foundations of EAA compliance for PDF remediation

The humble PDF has played a significant role in the business landscape for years now, mainly due to their reliability, portability, and consistent appearance across devices and platforms. While editable formats such as Word documents can be unpredictable as they move from computer to computer, PDFs preserve fonts, layouts, graphics and interactive elements exactly as intended. This makes them an ideal format for official forms, contracts, manuals, and reports.

Yet their significant benefits can also mean unique challenges for accessibility. Unlike HTML web pages, PDFs are often static and visually oriented, requiring deliberate remediation to be accessible. The new EAA regulations require businesses to produce PDFs compliant with internationally recognized standards:

• WCAG 2.1 AA: These guidelines provide detailed criteria for making web content accessible, covering text alternatives, keyboard navigation, readability, and more.

• PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility) Standard: This ISO standard specifically addresses PDF accessibility, focusing on document structure, tagging, and metadata to support assistive technologies.

Achieving compliance involves several key technical steps, which together form a process called PDF remediation:

Document tagging and semantic structure

Without a well-structured tagging system, there is no accessible PDF. Tags are required to define the logical structure of a document, accurately identifying elements such as headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, figures, forms, and links (reminiscent of HTML tags on a web page). Without effective tagging, accessibility technologies such as screen readers will struggle to interpret the document’s content hierarchy and present it to users in a meaningful way.

Establishing logical reading order

Visual layouts can vary wildly from document to document, and do not always align perfectly with the order in which content should be read aloud. Let’s take multi-column layouts or complex tables as an example, in which reading order can be wildly inaccurate if not purposefully defined. Effective PDF remediation processes require verifying and adjusting the reading order so that assistive technologies narrate the content in a logical, coherent sequence.

Alt text for non-text elements

Images, charts, diagrams, and other graphical elements must include descriptive alt text. This is likely something that web design teams will have been familiar with for years, yet often gets overlooked in the context of offline documents. This text conveys the purpose or content of visuals to users who cannot see them. Effective alt text is concise yet informative, avoiding redundancy while ensuring essential information is accessible.

Colour contrast and redundant cues

Accessibility also demands that colour is not the sole means of conveying information. Adequate contrast ratios between text and background improve readability for users with low vision, while redundant cues such as patterns, labels, or shapes help users who cannot distinguish colours to understand the content fully.

Beyond technical compliance: strategic and operational considerations

Meeting the EAA’s requirements is not simply a technical exercise; it requires a strategic, organization-wide approach.

Conducting a comprehensive document audit

Most organizations will have accumulated extensive PDF inventories over the years. In preparing to meet the EAA regulations, the first step is to audit these documents to identify which are in use, which are critical for consumer interactions, and which require remediation. This audit should consider:

• Frequency of document use

• Consumer impact and legal significance

• Language and regional variations

• Document complexity and format

Prioritizing high-impact documents ensures that resources are focused where they matter most.

Developing a PDF remediation workflow

Accessibility remediation is a multi-step process involving tagging, reading order correction, alt text creation, colour adjustments, and thorough testing. Establishing a clear workflow helps streamline efforts and maintain quality. Key components include:

• Assigning roles and responsibilities (e.g., content creators, accessibility specialists, testers)

• Setting timelines and project phases

• Integrating accessibility checks into document creation and publishing processes to prevent future issues.

• Create remediated templates upon which future files can be based to see significant long-term time savings.

Testing and quality assurance

Automated tools can identify many accessibility issues, but human testing is indispensable. Testing should include:

• Screen reader compatibility checks (e.g., NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver)

• Keyboard-only navigation testing

• User testing with people with disabilities to gather real-world feedback

• Multilingual testing is conducted if documents are offered in multiple languages

This holistic testing approach ensures documents are not only compliant on paper but genuinely usable.

What Alpha CRC offers: comprehensive accessibility solutions

Alpha CRC is more than a compliance partner. We see ourselves as your ally in making digital content truly accessible, effective, and inclusive. This is nothing new for us: accessibility is, after all, just another form of localization.

Our approach goes far beyond basic checklists or automated tools, combining deep technical expertise with real-world user experience validation. Here’s how we help you meet and exceed EAA requirements:

Document audits: insightful, actionable assessments

Our process begins with a thorough audit of your existing PDF and digital document inventory. This is a customizable process, but we typically recommend going beyond automated scans to ensure you’re truly ready for an accessible future:

• Review document structure and usage: We identify which documents are most critical for your business, most frequently accessed by customers, and highest in legal or reputational risk.

• Assess technical accessibility: Our experts manually inspect tagging, reading order, alt text, and colour contrast, flagging issues that automated tools often miss.

• Prioritize PDF remediation: We help you develop a clear, risk-based action plan so your resources are focused where they matter most.

Accessibility remediation: expert, human-led transformation

PDF remediation at Alpha CRC is a meticulous, hands-on process. Our accessibility specialists leverage a range of technologies alongside their own expertise:

• Apply precise tagging and structure: We ensure every heading, list, table, and link is correctly tagged for assistive technology compatibility.

• Establish logical reading order: We provide manual verification options and correct the flow of content, so it makes sense to screen reader users.

• Craft meaningful alternative text: Our experts write concise, context-aware descriptions for all non-text elements, from images to complex diagrams.

• Optimize colour and visual cues: We adjust contrast and add redundant cues, ensuring key information is never lost to users with vision differences.

• Document enhancements: We provide you with a clear record of changes and accessibility improvements for your compliance documentation.

Multilingual support & real-world quality assurance

It’s an unfortunate reality that many accessibility support teams are more ready to handle English documents than other languages. Fortunately, Alpha CRC’s localization experience means we are fully prepared to handle accessibility remediation and quality assurance in a wide range of languages. Our multilingual teams:

• Remediate documents in all your required languages: Native speakers ensure that accessibility features (like alt text and navigation cues) are culturally and linguistically appropriate.

• Conduct hands-on QA with assistive technologies: We go beyond automated validation by actually testing your documents with leading screen readers (e.g., NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), magnifiers, and keyboard-only navigation.

• Continuous improvement: We offer ongoing support to keep your content accessible as regulations, languages, and user needs evolve.

Beyond checklists: genuine PDF remediation for real users

While accessibility is ultimately an endeavour on preparing content for a distinctly human audience, many providers stop at “checkbox” compliance: running automated scans and generating reports. Alpha CRC’s philosophy is different:

• Holistic accessibility: We focus on how real users experience your documents, not just on passing technical tests.

• Proactive communication: We work closely with your teams to explain findings, recommend improvements, and build accessibility into your workflows.

• Future-proofing: Our solutions adapt to new regulations, technologies, and languages, ensuring ongoing compliance and usability.

With Alpha CRC, you gain a partner committed to making your digital documents accessible, inclusive, and impactful for everyone, no matter their language, ability, or technology.

The broader benefits of accessibility compliance

While businesses may initially see the new EAA obligations as a headache, the reality is that accessibility improvements can offer significant benefits. Some of the most notable business advantages from a proactive approach to accessibility include:

• Expanded market reach: Accessible documents open your content to a wider audience, including people with disabilities, older adults, and users in diverse environments.

• Improved user experience: Clear, well-structured documents benefit all users, regardless of their individual needs, enhancing comprehension and engagement.

• Brand reputation and corporate responsibility: By demonstrating commitment to inclusion, businesses can improve their brand and provide clear progress updates through marketing channels, aligning with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals.

• Future-proofing: Accessibility standards are increasingly adopted worldwide. Compliance at this stage positions your organization for success in global markets.

Final recommendations for EAA readiness

1. It’s not too late: The deadline is right around the corner, but it’s not too late to begin improving your documentation accessibility. Begin auditing and remediating documents now.

2. Invest in training: Equip your content creators and document managers with accessibility knowledge to produce compliant documents from the outset.

3. Leverage expertise: Partner with specialists like Alpha CRC to ensure technical accuracy and high-quality PDF remediation.

4. Embed accessibility in existing processes: Make accessibility a standard part of your document lifecycle, from creation to publication.

5. Communicate commitment: Share your accessibility efforts with customers and stakeholders to build trust and transparency.

Preparing for the EAA’s accessibility requirements is a complex but essential journey. By understanding the technical demands, adopting a strategic approach, and engaging expert partners, your organization can transform its digital documents into inclusive, accessible resources that meet legal obligations and serve all users effectively.

Alpha CRC stands ready to guide you through every step of this process, ensuring your PDFs and other digital content are not only compliant but genuinely accessible, inclusive, and ready to engage a broader, global audience.

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