Document Remediation Services
At Accessibility Partners, we streamline the accessibility remediation process for MS Word documents. Our comprehensive methodology ensures that all elements within word documents are identified, labeled, and optimized for accessibility compliance, adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and PDF/Universal Accessibility (PDF/UA) standards. By conducting detailed assessments and configuring word document properties accurately, we maintain the structural integrity and readability of the content. Our tagging system and enhancements, such as adjusted reading order, structured bookmarks, ensure documents are fully accessible.
We handle a wide range of document types, including Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, and forms, covering design, development, testing, and remediation. We also specialize in accessible multimedia, including audio and video, and accessible graphic design using tools like Adobe InDesign and CorelDRAW.
As qualified service providers, we serve the City of Toronto, Brantford, the Town of Aurora, all ministries and broader public sectors under Ontario Public Services, and up to the federal level with Canada Post. Our commitment to continuous improvement and strict quality assurance protocols ensures that every document we process meets the highest standards of accessibility. Choose us for expert, scalable, and efficient accessibility solutions.
What is Document Remediation
Document accessibility remediation is crucial for ensuring that everyone, including individuals with disabilities, can access and interact with your digital content. This process goes beyond simply making your documents viewable; it ensures that the content within them is fully navigable, readable, and understandable by those using assistive technologies. Here’s a deeper look at what document remediation involves:
- Alternative Text for Images: Adding meaningful descriptions (alt text) to images, charts, and graphics allows users with visual impairments to understand the content through screen readers. This helps convey the information that is otherwise only presented visually.
- Proper Heading Structure: Clear, logical heading structures are essential for users navigating documents with screen readers. Proper headings not only improve accessibility but also enhance usability for everyone by organizing content in a readable format.
- Accessible Tables and Forms: Tables and forms in documents must be formatted properly to be accessible. This includes using tags that ensure users can navigate between table cells or form fields using assistive technologies. For forms, it is crucial to label fields correctly and ensure they are keyboard-friendly.
- Reading Order and Navigation: Ensuring the document’s reading order is correct is key for accessibility. For example, screen readers should read the content in the intended sequence, not in the order that elements appear visually on the page. Remediating the reading order allows for smooth navigation of the document.
- Interactive Elements: For documents containing interactive elements like links, buttons, or embedded media, accessibility remediation makes sure these elements can be used by people with disabilities. Links must be descriptive, and multimedia content such as videos should include captions or transcripts.
- Color Contrast and Font: High-contrast text and proper font size are essential for people with visual impairments. Document remediation involves ensuring that color contrast meets accessibility standards and that text is easily readable by adjusting font size or style if necessary.
- Tagging and Metadata: Proper tagging ensures that a document is structured correctly for assistive technology. Tags define the roles of text elements (such as headings, paragraphs, and lists) and improve navigation and functionality. Additionally, metadata can be added to provide more context about the document’s content and structure.
Why Document Remediation is Important
Making documents accessible isn’t just about meeting legal obligations or complying with standards like WCAG or PDF/UA. It’s about inclusivity. When your documents are accessible, you’re ensuring that everyone can benefit from the information you provide, regardless of their abilities. It also broadens your audience, enhances user experience, and can improve your organization’s reputation for being inclusive and socially responsible.
At Accessibility Partners Canada, we specialize in transforming your digital documents to meet accessibility standards, making sure they are accessible to everyone, while maintaining the quality and integrity of the original content. We ensure compliance and usability so you can confidently meet both your legal obligations and your commitment to inclusivity.
Our Document Accessibility Remediation Process
Adding alternative text
Accessibility and Remediation involves providing a text description for images, graphs, charts, or other visual elements within the document. This allows individuals using screen readers to understand the visual content.
Correcting reading order
Documents sometimes have an incorrect reading order that can confuse individuals using screen readers. Accessibility remediation involves ensuring that the reading order follows a logical flow, making it easier for screen readers to interpret the content.
Using properly structured and formatted headings
Proper heading structure and format is important for individuals with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities. Accessibility remediation involves reorganizing an improper heading structure to ensure the proper hierarchy and applying heading styles with the appropriate formatting.
Adding accessible hyperlinks
Hyperlinks within documents should have descriptive text and be properly tagged to indicate that they are interactive elements. This helps individuals using assistive technology to navigate within the document.
Making forms and interactive elements work with assistive technology
Documents often contain forms or interactive elements such as checkboxes or radio buttons. Accessibility remediation involves ensuring that these elements are properly labeled and function with assistive technology.
Providing sufficient color contrast
Color contrast is essential for individuals with low vision. Accessibility remediation includes checking and adjusting color combinations to ensure they meet the minimum contrast requirements.
Optimizing text content
Accessibility remediation may involve adjusting font styles, sizes, and spacing to ensure readability. This is particularly important for individuals with visual or cognitive impairments.
Why Get a Document Accessibility Remediation Service from Accessibility Partners?
At Accessibility Partners Canada, we provide top-tier document accessibility remediation services, ensuring your documents are fully accessible and compliant with all legal standards. Here’s why choosing us is the best decision for your document remediation needs:
Trusted and Recognized by Government Entities:
We have successfully gone through rigorous government vendor qualification processes and are recognized as a trusted vendor for document accessibility services at all three levels of government—federal, provincial, and municipal. As a result, we are part of the Vendor of Record (VOR) for numerous government bodies, ensuring you receive services that meet strict standards for quality, security, and reliability.
Security and Confidentiality:
All of our staff have the necessary security clearances to handle confidential public and internal documents. Whether you’re working with government forms, corporate documents, or sensitive internal files, we guarantee that your data remains secure throughout the remediation process.
Document Retention Compliance:
We adhere to a seven-year document retention policy, ensuring your documents are securely stored and accessible for future reference or audits. This ensures compliance with data retention regulations and provides peace of mind that your documents are managed properly.
Experienced Professionals:
Our team consists of highly skilled accessibility experts who bring years of experience in document remediation. We have handled a wide range of documents, from government forms to corporate reports, and ensure they meet the highest accessibility standards like WCAG and PDF/UA.
Compliance with Accessibility Standards:
We specialize in ensuring your documents are fully compliant with accessibility standards such as WCAG, PDF/UA, and AODA. This not only helps you meet legal obligations but also creates a more inclusive environment for all users, including those with disabilities.
Tailored Solutions for Your Needs:
Whether you need accessibility for internal documents, public-facing forms, or complex reports, we provide customized remediation solutions that suit your specific requirements. Our approach ensures that your documents remain functional, accessible, and maintain their original quality.
By choosing Accessibility Partners Canada, you’ll benefit from our extensive experience, secure processes, and trusted reputation across multiple sectors, ensuring your documents are both accessible and professionally managed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We can remediate a wide range of documents, including PDFs, Microsoft Word files, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, and other formats. Whether your document contains text, images, forms, or tables, we can ensure it meets accessibility standards.
Our team of experts follows globally recognized accessibility standards such as WCAG, PDF/UA, and AODA. We use both automated tools and manual checks to ensure that all documents meet the required guidelines. Additionally, our professionals are trained in the latest accessibility techniques to ensure thorough compliance.
The time it takes to remediate a document depends on its complexity and size. Simple documents can be remediated within 12 – 24hrs, while larger or more complex documents may take longer. After reviewing your documents, we will provide an estimated timeline.
Although there is no official certification body for document remediation, we ensure that all remediated documents meet the required accessibility standards, such as WCAG and PDF/UA. To verify compliance, we provide a **PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) report**, which is a detailed analysis showing that your document adheres to accessibility guidelines. The PAC report highlights areas like reading order, alt text for images, and proper tagging structure, ensuring that your document is fully accessible. Additionally, we can provide a statement of compliance or an accessibility report to confirm that your documents meet the necessary standards.
Getting started is easy! Simply fill out the contact form below or call 416 915 4288, and one of our experts will reach out to discuss your needs, provide a consultation, and walk you through the next steps for document remediation.
Yes, our services are fully customizable to meet your specific requirements. Whether you need remediation for internal documents, public-facing content, or specialized reports, we tailor our approach to suit your needs.
While an audit is not always required, we recommend it as a best practice to identify any accessibility issues upfront. An audit provides a clear starting point, ensuring that all barriers are identified and addressed during the remediation process. If you already know what needs to be remediated, we can proceed directly with the service.