Why Accessible Documents Start with the Source File

For many people with disability, inaccessible documents can create unnecessary barriers to accessing information, completing forms or participating fully in education, employment and community life. As organisations continue to digitise their services and communications, creating accessible documents is becoming an essential skill for anyone who authors or publishes content.

Every accessible document starts the same way, with an accessible source file. Whether your audience reads a Word document, a PDF or another published format, the quality and accessibility of that final document is largely determined long before it's shared.

Accessibility begins at the source

Regardless of the final format, whether it's a PDF, EPUB or Word document, the accessibility of the finished file begins with the source document. Creating an accessible source file is the foundation for producing accessible outputs.

Whether you're using Microsoft Word, InDesign or another authoring tool, the decisions you make during the creating and setting up of this source file document determine how accessible the final document will be.

Elements such as headings, lists, alternative text for images, table structure, meaningful link text and logical reading order all originate in the source document. These structural elements make Word documents more accessible in their own right and, where documents are exported, provide the foundation for accessible PDFs.

If these fundamentals are missing, the source document itself becomes less accessible. Any exported PDF is also likely to inherit those same accessibility issues, making remediation significantly more complex, time-consuming and costly.

By building accessibility into your source documents from the outset, you're creating documents that are more inclusive, easier to maintain and better prepared for whatever format they may ultimately be published in.

Why document accessibility matters

Accessible documents help ensure everyone can access and understand your content, including people who:

• Use screen readers because they are blind or have low vision.
• Navigate using only a keyboard.
• Need to enlarge text or customise colours and display settings.
• Benefit from clear structure and consistent formatting due to cognitive or learning disabilities.

Accessible documents also improve the experience for everyone. Documents with clear structure and consistent formatting are easier to navigate, easier to read and easier to maintain throughout their lifecycle.

A challenge many organisations still face

Despite growing awareness of digital accessibility, inaccessible documents remain common across many sectors. Recent research examining more than 20,000 scholarly PDFs found that fewer than 3.2% met a basic set of accessibility requirements, while almost 75% failed every accessibility criterion assessed. Although this research focused on academic publications, it reinforces a broader challenge across digital publishing: accessibility is often overlooked during document creation.

For organisations, this can result in additional remediation work, increased costs and, most importantly, unnecessary barriers for people trying to access important information.

Investing in accessible authoring practices from the beginning not only improves the quality of your documents but also reduces the effort required to maintain and remediate them later.

Build practical document accessibility skills

Whether you're just beginning your accessibility journey or looking to strengthen your PDF accessibility skills, our practical training courses will help you build confidence and develop techniques you can apply immediately in your workplace.

Creating Accessible Documents Fundamentals (Word)

Starts 3 August

Learn the core principles behind accessible document design and put them into practice in Microsoft Word. This course covers document structure, styles, reading order, images, tables and common accessibility requirements, giving you a strong foundation for creating accessible documents from the very beginning.

Register for Creating Accessible Documents Fundamentals.

Creating Accessible Documents Advanced (PDF and Forms)

Starts 17 August

Build on those foundations by learning how to create and remediate accessible PDFs and forms. This advanced course explores tagging, reading order, form field accessibility and PDF/UA requirements through practical, hands-on exercises designed to help you confidently produce inclusive and compliant PDF documents.

Register for Creating Accessible Documents (Advanced).

Build accessibility into every document

Creating accessible documents isn't simply about meeting compliance requirements. It's about ensuring that everyone can access the information you create, regardless of the format it's published in.

By building accessibility into your source documents from the outset, you'll create better experiences for your audience, reduce remediation effort and establish a strong foundation for accessible documents throughout their entire lifecycle.

If you're ready to develop practical document accessibility skills, join one of our upcoming courses and learn how to create documents that work for everyone.