For and against PDFs

PDFs and accessibility in the SEND Local Offer

In the past we've used PDFs for strategy documents, forms, and all sorts. But when it comes to web accessibility, PDFs often fall short. Let's look at why PDFs struggle with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) conformance, and when they may still be the right choice.

The POUR principles and PDFs

WCAG is based on four principles, known as POUR.

PDFs often have trouble with these principles.

Perceivable

PDFs may not work well with screen readers.

• They may lack proper headings or structure
• Images often don't have alternative text
• Decorative images might be given alternative text, which isn't useful

Operable

• Navigating PDFs with a keyboard can be tricky
• Interactive elements like forms may not be usable without a mouse

Understandable

• PDFs can be hard to read on small screens or when zoomed in
• They might not follow a logical reading order

Robust

• PDFs may not adapt well to different devices or assistive technologies

When PDFs might be useful

Despite these issues, PDFs can sometimes be useful for printable documents, and there's a case for some legal documents and offline access.

Sharing printable documents

• Flyers for events to be displayed on a notice board
• Worksheets for an in person event
• Printable documents for communication needs, like easy read versions or graphics that explain concepts

Sometimes content can be explained better to some people when graphics and images come together. For example, the EHC assessment process might be illustrated as a journey, with milestones along the way.

You don't need to worry about accessibility with these kinds of documents. They're for printing, and the same information should also be available online.

Duplicate content

Some Local Offer teams have been told they can't have a PDF and the same information on a web page, because it's duplicate content. Duplicate content may affect SEO (search engine optimisation), but if we label the PDFs as "poster to download" or "easy read version", search engines should take that into account. It's not duplicating if it's designed for an offline experience.

Legal and official documents

One of the principles of the SEND Local Offer is up to date.

HTML pages can be updated very easily in a content management system, but PDFs are more difficult to alter.

But for date specific documents that people may need to consult in the future, a PDF might be useful. For example, tax advisors like PDFs so they know the date the content was written. If they have to support a client with a query from a couple of years ago, but the only available rules are the current HTML pages, what are they supposed to do?

Read GOV.UK's take on why content should be published in HTML and not PDF (opens in a new tab) to see how people think about this issue.

This isn't a strong argument for the SEND Local Offer to provide something like transport policies as a PDF, though.

Collaboration in the co-production of content for SEND is part of the Code of Practice 2015, but it's not a "once and done" activity. Content should be reviewed annually, with young people, parent carers, and professionals. As council and health policies change, the content needs to change too.

Offline access

People can download and view PDFs later without an internet connection. But trying to read a PDF on a mobile phone can be very hard, with lots of zooming and scrolling.

Digital poverty is real, so we should be working on giving people access to up to date information, for example through libraries and family hubs, or by making sure everyone has access to free, secure internet.

Printing

Web pages should also be coded so the information on the page can be printed without all the menus and extras that distract from the message of the page. Using Ctrl+P (or right click, print) gives you the option to print or save the page as a PDF for offline storage.

Making PDFs more accessible

If you're compelled to use a PDF for normal content, try these tips to improve accessibility.

• Use proper headings and document structure
• Add alternative text to images, if they add meaning to the information
• Keep a proper reading order
• Make form fields keyboard accessible
• Include bookmarks for navigation in longer documents

Conclusion

While PDFs have their place, they're often not the most accessible format for web content. When possible, consider using HTML for better WCAG conformance.

The goal is to make information available to everyone, regardless of how they access it. Usually that means HTML web pages, but sometimes a PDF is fine.