Accessibility issues with documents and PDFs
Documents published on our site are subject to the same accessibility guidelines as our standard content.
To make sure everyone can access council services and read information on our website you should avoid uploading documents.
We should avoid documents because:
- they don't meet a range of accessibility needs, such as the ability to change colour or font size
- they are difficult to find, use (especially on mobile) and keep up to date
- when they are found using a search engine, they lack context or supporting information
Instead of providing content as a downloadable document, please create the content as a standard web page format.
Our website is designed to make sure new content published on the site is compliant with accessibility guidelines. If you add or update a page, elements such as colours, text size, spacing and the ability to navigate content using only a keyboard are all already set, making it compliant with the accessibility regulations.
We should only publish new documents:
- where there is a legal obligation to provide the information in a PDF or Word format on the website
- that are forms which for legal reasons need to be signed by hand
Problems with PDFs
PDF documents can be difficult to access and understand for people who use assistive software such as screen readers. Some users need to change their browser settings to make content easier to read. This includes changing colours and text size which is difficult to do on PDF documents while maintaining a good user experience.
Even if a PDF is created to meet accessibility guidelines, there is no guarantee that it will meet every users needs. Different devices, software and browsers do not work in the same way so it still may not be accessible for some people.
PDFs are harder to update once it has been created and published compared to web content. Often this means they are less likely to be kept up to date. We want our website to be as up to date as possible to make sure people are getting the correct information about the services we offer.
Creating accessible PDFs
If a PDF document is necessary, it must be accessible. Please review these instructions to create an accessible PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro (opens new window).
Publishing inaccessible PDFs or not providing alternative formats makes accessing information more difficult for people and means we will not meet legal requirements.
Creating accessible Word documents
If you wish to upload a Word document to the site it needs to meet accessibility guidelines otherwise it may be breaking the law. Please follow this guidance on creating accessible Word documents (opens new window).
Creating accessible Excel documents
If you want to upload a Microsoft Excel document it needs to meet accessibility guidelines. Please follow Microsoft's guidance on creating accessible Excel documents (opens new window).