Making a community organisation's PDF guide accessible: how to brief a specialist
How a community organisation can commission an accessible PDF guide, preserve correct content and test real use.
A polished PDF is not necessarily an accessible PDF
A guide may look perfectly orderly on screen while being difficult to use with a screen reader, magnification software or keyboard navigation. Typical problems include scanned pages that contain no selectable text, headings that are only visually bold, tables with a confusing reading order and links labelled simply 'click here'. Before commissioning a redesign, define the real objective: people should be able to find and understand the same instructions in different ways without changes to the underlying information.
Provide the source material, not just a scan
Whenever possible, share the editable document, original illustrations and a clear statement of which version is authoritative. If the only surviving document is a scan, text recognition may be part of the project, followed by careful manual correction. Recognition software can misread dates, names, numbers and small print. That is particularly risky when the document describes eligibility, application steps or other consequential information. Specify which phrases the contractor may improve for clarity and which require approval from the organisation before being changed.
Describe the accessibility work precisely
Ask for logical heading levels, an appropriate reading order, properly structured lists and tables, meaningful link text and alternative descriptions of informative images. Decorative graphics should not distract someone using assistive technology, while a diagram containing essential information may need an explanation rather than a short generic label. Interactive forms require separate attention: labels, instructions, field sequence and error messages need checking. Discuss these deliverables explicitly instead of asking for an undefined 'accessible-looking' layout.
Test what the contractor delivers
Request both the updated editable source and the final PDF. Try extracting the text, navigating the headings, following links, zooming the page and completing relevant actions without relying on a mouse. Automated accessibility checkers can reveal technical issues but do not prove that real users can follow the guidance. Where practical, include testing with people who use assistive technologies and report which devices and workflows were actually tested. Keep a list of remaining limitations; deleting them from the report does not make the document more accessible.
Illustrative case: a charity in Bristol
A small voluntary organisation has a sign-up guide assembled from photographs of printed pages. Its contact details are embedded in an image and cannot be read reliably by assistive technology. The organisation supplies an editable master text; a document specialist rebuilds the headings and links and creates a new PDF. Before distributing it, the charity checks the addresses, application order and contact instructions against its own records. A technically navigable PDF is still harmful if the instructions are wrong.
Plan for the next revision
Community information changes: a meeting venue moves, contact details are replaced or the sequence of steps is simplified. If the contractor hands over only a finished PDF, the next editor may recreate the same structural errors. Agree to receive a clean editable master, descriptions of complex figures and instructions for maintaining the structure. Record the tests conducted by software and those performed manually. Do not present one quick review as a permanent guarantee of conformity to every accessibility requirement.
Scope, limits and finding help on Match2Go
A claim of compliance with a particular standard should be supported by an assessment against the relevant edition and criteria; avoid inventing certifications or legal obligations. Remove or protect personal information that may be visible in examples and scans. On Match2Go, an organisation can describe its document type, length, available source files and desired outcome when seeking an accessible-document specialist or proofreader. Match2Go is a people-built, people-first geosocial service. It does not purchase paid advertising and grows through recommendations. Please share it with friends and colleagues. *AI-assisted draft. Native-language human review has not yet been performed.*
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