Accessible Documents: How they work in practice

Reading is not linear - for anyone

Before we talk about the technical side, it's important to dispel a common myth: even sighted people don't read a document in a linear fashion, from the first line to the last. When we open a PDF or a digital document, our gaze jumps between headings, lists, images and keywords. This non-linear reading is facilitated by a clear visual structure. 

Now let's imagine someone with total or partial visual impairment. Visual reading is not possible, and the user relies on assistive technologies such as screen readers. The aim of accessible documents is to enable navigation that is as efficient and fluid as that of any other user. To do this, it is essential to build the document in such a way that its structure makes sense... even without being seen.

What is an accessible document?

An accessible document is a digital file (PDF) created with technical and semantic elements that allow it to be understood by assistive technologies. This is done by introducing tags (labels) into the content - in other words, metadata that is invisible to the average user, but essential for those using a screen reader.

These tags indicate:

• Where are the headings (and at what level are they: main heading, subheading, section...)
• Where there are lists, tables or blocks of running text
• When there is an image and its alternative text (description)
• When there is a graphic or icon and what its function or message is
• The logical reading order, which doesn't always correspond to the visual order

Clear Structure = Real Accessibility

To ensure accessibility, the structure of the document must be clear, consistent and predictable. This implies:

• Correct use of hierarchical headings (H1, H2, H3...) to allow navigation through sections
• Proper grouping of elements such as lists and tables
• Avoid layout breaks that confuse the reading order
• Semantic separation of content: for example, headings should not just be bold text, but elements marked as such

Practical example: a screen reader allows the user to "jump" directly to the next H1 heading, just as a sighted person does with their eyes. If the document doesn't have these tags, the screen reader won't be able to distinguish a heading from a normal sentence.

Visual information must be translated into text

A common mistake in digital documents is to rely exclusively on visual elements to convey information. To ensure accessibility, all visual elements must be accompanied by a meaningful textual description.

• Illustrative images should contain alternative text (alt-text) that describes what is being shown.
• Graphs or diagrams require a more detailed description that explains the data and conclusions.
• Functional icons (for example, an envelope icon to indicate "contact") should have clear text labels.

Example: if a graph shows the evolution of sales over a quarter, the alternative text should indicate this evolution ("The graph shows a gradual increase in sales from January to March").

Without these descriptions, the visually impaired user does not have access to the same information - and this compromises inclusion and fair access to content.

Accessibility reports

Validating that a document is effectively accessible is done through accessibility reports, many of which are available through free tools. These reports assess compliance with the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards, which apply to both web pages and digital documents, such as PDFs and analyzes, for example:

• The presence and structure of titles
• The logical reading order
• The existence (or absence) of alternative descriptions in images and graphics
• Consistency of semantic tags and metadata
• The contrast and language of the content, where applicable

By ensuring that anyone, regardless of their visual ability, can navigate, understand and interact with a document, we are making the content truly universal. In practice, this is done with attention to structure, rigor in semantic markup and respect for the user.

With the experience we have developed in this area, our clients have the guarantee that their documents are prepared in a professional, accessible and technically validated manner - complying not only with the law, but also with digital ethics.