A PDF Accessibility Specialist is responsible for remediating and transforming standard digital documents into fully compliant, accessible files for users with disabilities. They ensure files meet strict guidelines by manually adding tags, setting reading orders, and verifying compliance with accessibility standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Document Remediation: Manually tag structural elements (headings, lists, and tables) to establish a logical reading order in PDFs.
- Compliance Validation: Ensure documents align with global guidelines like WCAG 2.1/2.2 (Level AA), Section 508, PDF/UA, and ADA mandates.
- Alternative Text Creation: Write concise, descriptive alt text for complex images, charts, and infographics.
- Interactive Form Accessibility: Ensure PDF form fields are correctly labeled, logically tab-ordered, and keyboard-navigable.
- Quality Assurance & Testing: Evaluate PDFs using screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) and automated checkers (like PAC) to verify functionality.
- OCR Conversion: Convert scanned documents or images into text-sarchable, accessible PDFs while preserving visual integrity.
Essential Technical Skills
- Software Mastery: Advanced proficiency in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (specifically the tags tree, order panel, and accessibility checker) and MS Office (Word/PowerPoint).
- Accessibility Checkers: Familiarity with remediation and validation software like CommonLook or Equidox.
- Assistive Technologies: Hands-on experience navigating files using screen reading tools to replicate a user's experience.
- Standards Knowledge: A deep understanding of ISO 14289 (PDF/UA) and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
- Coding Basics: Basic understanding of HTML and CSS.
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India 
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United Arab Emirates 
United Kingdom 
United States