Worked example
An annual report, before and after.
A 30-page, born-digital annual report exported from a page-layout tool. This is a representative example built from real remediation work, not a customer file.
Before · untagged PDF
Community Outcomes 2025
Our programs served 1,204 residents this year, an increase of…
image (no description)
Program · Participants · Completion · Literacy 1,204 88% Job training 640 76%
- Heading read as plain text; no way to jump between sections
- Chart image announced as “graphic” with no meaning
- Table read cell by cell without headers
- No language, so names are mispronounced
After · reviewed repair
H1Community Outcomes 2025
POur programs served 1,204 residents this year, an increase of…
Figurealt: “Bar chart: participants grew from 800 in 2021 to 1,204 in 2025”
TableTHProgram · Participants · Completion — each value read with its header
- Headings H1–H3 in a consistent hierarchy, bookmarks added
- Chart described in a sentence; decorative rules marked as artifacts
- Table header cells with scope; reading order verified with NVDA
- Language en-US, title displayed, PDF/UA identifier and validation run
1. Free check findings
- Confirmed: not tagged; no document language; title set but not displayed; no bookmarks in a 30-page document.
- Needs review: 14 images that need descriptions or artifact marking; 6 pages with dense vector graphics (charts); reading order; color contrast.
- Eligibility: eligible, 30 pages. Offer shown: 30 eligible pages · $209 total · specialist review and a delivery report included · delivery in 2 business days.
2. What the remediator changed
- Created the structure tree: 1 H1, 9 H2, 14 H3, 88 paragraphs, 6 lists, 4 tables with header rows and scope, 14 figures.
- Wrote alternative text for 9 charts and photos; marked 5 decorative rules and backgrounds as artifacts.
- Fixed the reading order on the two-column pages and moved pull-quotes after the paragraph they interrupt.
- Set language en-US, enabled DisplayDocTitle, added 10 bookmarks, embedded the missing font subset, added the PDF/UA identifier.
- No visual changes were needed; one caption at 3.9:1 contrast was flagged to the customer and left unchanged at their request.
3. Specialist review
- Read start to finish with NVDA 2025.1 and Adobe Acrobat Reader; spot-checked with VoiceOver on macOS.
- Verified every table by navigating cells with header announcements.
- Ran PAC 2024 and Acrobat’s accessibility checker: no errors; 3 warnings recorded as “manual check passed”.
4. Delivery report (excerpt)
Document: annual-report-2025.pdf (30 pages) Standard: WCAG 2.1 AA, PDF/UA-1 structure Checks performed: structure tree, reading order (NVDA), headings, lists, tables (header scope), figures/alt text, artifacts, language, title, bookmarks, fonts, automated validation (PAC 2024, Acrobat) Review date: 2026-09-11 Unresolved limitations: caption on p.17 measures 3.9:1 contrast (customer chose to keep brand color); scatter chart on p.22 described in summary form, underlying data not available. Correction round: available until 2026-10-11 for defects within this scope.