PDF Access

Method

How review works.

Automated tools cannot establish complete conformance. Here is exactly what a person does on every job, which tools are used, and what we write down.

The six steps of every job

Every paid job follows the same published sequence. Nothing is outsourced to an unnamed processor and nothing is “auto-fixed” without a person checking it.

  1. Assess the file

    The free check confirms the file is born-digital, English and within the supported page range. Anything else goes to manual scoping.

  2. Confirm scope and date

    You see one recommended offer with the page count, total price and delivery date before paying. Tell us the required standard and acceptance criteria.

  3. Pay once

    Card payment through Stripe with an invoice.

  4. Repair

    A remediator tags the document: structure, reading order, headings, lists, tables, figures, links, language and metadata, preserving your design.

  5. Specialist review

    A second person reads the file with a screen reader, checks tables and reading order, then runs automated validation.

  6. Deliver with a report

    You get a private link to the repaired PDF and a file-specific report listing the checks, review date and any unresolved limitations.

Automated checks

Before and after remediation we run structure checks (tags, marked-content, roles), metadata checks (language, title, DisplayDocTitle, PDF/UA identifier), font embedding, and a validator such as PAC or Acrobat’s checker. Automated results are attached to the report as a pass/fail list.

Specialist review

  • Content review: headings match the visual hierarchy; lists are real lists; alternative text is accurate and concise; decorative content is an artifact.
  • Reading order: the document is read start to finish with a screen reader (NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS). Columns, sidebars, captions, footnotes and running headers are checked.
  • Tables: every table is navigated cell by cell to confirm header announcements. Merged cells get IDs and headers attributes.
  • Links and navigation: link text is meaningful; bookmarks reflect the structure.

Tools

Automated checks
pdf.js and pdf-lib on our own serverless functions; PAC 2024 and the Acrobat accessibility checker after repair.
Screen readers
NVDA on Windows and VoiceOver on macOS, reading the document start to finish.
Remediation
Adobe Acrobat Pro for tagging, reading order, alternative text, table headers, language, title and bookmarks.
Standard
WCAG 2.1 AA with PDF/UA-1 structure, which also satisfies Section 508.

The delivery report

Each job ships with a report specific to the file: the standard used, the checks performed, the review date, the tools and versions, and any unresolved limitations with the reason (for example, contrast the customer chose to keep, or a chart described in summary form). This is the record you can show an auditor. See a complete sample report, including the before and after files it describes.

Correction round

If you find a defect within the agreed scope after delivery, request a correction from your delivery page. One round is included. Content changes to the source are new work and are quoted.

What we do not claim

We do not issue certificates of ADA, Section 508 or WCAG compliance. We do not test every page with every assistive technology. The report states what was checked, and only that. See Section508.gov’s overview of testing methods for the wider context.