PDF document remediation
Making all your digital documents accessible
Digital documents everyone can use
Even the most carefully designed documents can create barriers for some users. PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files may have confusing structures, inaccessible interactive elements, or content that assistive technologies can’t interpret.
Our document remediation services identify and fix these issues, ensuring your content meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and PDF/UA standards.
We go beyond compliance - making content clear, usable, and inclusive. By working closely with your team, we deliver practical improvements that help disabled and older users navigate your documents with ease, while building confidence in creating accessible content in the future.
Documents we can remediate
Make PDFs accessible for all users, with headings, structure, and interactive elements that work with assistive technology.
We remediate PDFs and their source documents, fixing headings, semantic structure, reading order, tables, forms, links, and interactive elements. Images, charts, and graphics receive descriptive alt text, and all files are tested with assistive technologies such as screen readers to ensure real-world accessibility.
By working closely with your team, we help you create documents that are easier to navigate, reducing frustration for users and building confidence in creating accessible PDFs in the future.
Ensure Word documents are structured, tagged, and easy to navigate for screen readers and assistive technologies.
We correct heading hierarchies and styles, add alt text for images, fix tables and lists for proper screen reader navigation, and ensure documents are tagged correctly for accessibility.
This helps your team produce Word content that everyone can read and use effectively, while embedding accessibility knowledge for future documents.
Create slides that are clear, readable, and fully accessible, including images, charts, and media.
We optimise slide reading order, add alt text to images and graphics, make charts and tables screen reader-friendly, check layouts for clarity, and ensure embedded media includes captions or transcripts.
This approach ensures your presentations communicate effectively to all users, helping your team deliver engaging, inclusive content every time.
Make spreadsheets usable for everyone, with accessible tables, formulas, and interactive elements.
We structure sheets with clear headers, named ranges, and accessible formulas; tag tables for screen readers; add descriptive sheet names and cell labels; and verify that forms and drop-downs are fully usable with assistive technologies.
The result is spreadsheets that are easier to navigate and use for all users, reducing errors and improving efficiency, while teaching your team best practices for accessible Excel content.
PDF documents
Make PDFs accessible for all users, with headings, structure, and interactive elements that work with assistive technology.
We remediate PDFs and their source documents, fixing headings, semantic structure, reading order, tables, forms, links, and interactive elements. Images, charts, and graphics receive descriptive alt text, and all files are tested with assistive technologies such as screen readers to ensure real-world accessibility.
By working closely with your team, we help you create documents that are easier to navigate, reducing frustration for users and building confidence in creating accessible PDFs in the future.
Word documents
Ensure Word documents are structured, tagged, and easy to navigate for screen readers and assistive technologies.
We correct heading hierarchies and styles, add alt text for images, fix tables and lists for proper screen reader navigation, and ensure documents are tagged correctly for accessibility.
This helps your team produce Word content that everyone can read and use effectively, while embedding accessibility knowledge for future documents.
PowerPoint slides
Create slides that are clear, readable, and fully accessible, including images, charts, and media.
We optimise slide reading order, add alt text to images and graphics, make charts and tables screen reader-friendly, check layouts for clarity, and ensure embedded media includes captions or transcripts.
This approach ensures your presentations communicate effectively to all users, helping your team deliver engaging, inclusive content every time.
Excel files
Make spreadsheets usable for everyone, with accessible tables, formulas, and interactive elements.
We structure sheets with clear headers, named ranges, and accessible formulas; tag tables for screen readers; add descriptive sheet names and cell labels; and verify that forms and drop-downs are fully usable with assistive technologies.
The result is spreadsheets that are easier to navigate and use for all users, reducing errors and improving efficiency, while teaching your team best practices for accessible Excel content.
How we remediate documents
We start by auditing your documents to identify accessibility issues, including testing them with assistive technologies.
Our approach combines technical expertise with practical usability, so your documents aren’t just fixed - they’re usable, clear, and effective for all users. We also provide a summary report highlighting common issues resolved, offering insights that help your team create accessible content more confidently in the future.
Making your source documents accessible
Many Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files are eventually converted to PDFs, especially in the public sector. We ensure these source documents are accessible from the start, so that exported PDFs retain compliance.
We also offer accessibility training and guidance for internal teams, helping you create accessible content consistently, reducing future remediation, and embedding accessibility into everyday workflows.
Why remediate PDF documents?
Making your documents accessible doesn’t just tick the compliance boxes - it ensures they’re usable for all users, while giving your team:
- Confidence - content that works for everyone, including people using assistive technologies.
- Practical insights - a clear summary report highlighting common issues fixed and guidance for creating accessible content in the future.
- Efficiency - fewer future fixes and accessible content naturally built into your workflow.
- Better experiences for your users - documents that are easy to navigate, inclusive, and engaging for all audiences.
Interested in our document remediation services? Get in touch.
Cultivating accessibility: helping to make RBGE’s digital spaces as inclusive as their gardens
We’ve been working with the team at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) to ensure their digital platforms are as inclusive as the physical gardens.
Remediating digital documents: our clients and work
We help clients make their documents and digital content more accessible and compliant through expert PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel remediation, combined with hands-on support.
We work across the private, public, and third sectors, bringing a deep understanding of each client’s industry-specific challenges, needs, and accessibility requirements - helping teams create content that works for everyone.
From script to screen: digital accessibility at the British Film Institute
Cultivating accessibility: helping to make RBGE’s digital spaces as inclusive as their gardens
Accessibility testing for the best public sector project at the national technology awards
Our accessibility team, partners and network
Our in-house accessibility team specialises in PDF remediation, making documents clear, usable, and inclusive for all users.
We’re also a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), reflecting our commitment to staying connected with evolving accessibility best practices and standards - ensuring your PDFs aren’t just compliant, but genuinely accessible. To learn more about our accessibility team and partners, explore our digital accessibility services.
'The Zoonou team is easy to work with, providing a friendly, reliable, and professional service, with excellent communication and very good quality work throughout. We see them as a trusted partner and the perfect extension of our development and content teams.'
- Thomas Davies, Digital Communications Manager at Brighton & Hove City Council
Want to make your digital content more accessible?
Let’s work together to make your digital documents accessible for everyone.
Your questions answered
Will remediation affect the look of my documents?
No. Document remediation focuses on fixing the underlying structure of a file - things like headings, reading order, table markup, and alt text - so assistive technologies can interpret the content correctly.
The visual design, layout, and branding of your document remain the same, while the file becomes accessible and easier for everyone to navigate and use.
How do I know if my document needs remediation?
If your PDFs have missing headings, unreadable tables, images without alt text, forms that can’t be filled in with assistive technology, or a confusing reading order, they may need remediation. We can audit your documents to pinpoint exactly what’s stopping all users from accessing your content and show you how to fix it.
Which documents should I prioritise for remediation?
Start with documents that are publicly available or widely shared - such as downloadable PDFs on your website, reports, policies, forms, and guidance documents.
These are often the files people rely on most, so making them accessible first has the biggest impact. It’s also worth prioritising source documents (like Word or PowerPoint files) that are regularly converted into PDFs, so future versions remain accessible from the start.
What is PDF accessibility remediation?
PDF remediation is the process of making PDF documents accessible to people using assistive technologies. It involves identifying and fixing issues that prevent tools like screen readers, magnifiers, and voice control software from correctly reading, navigating, and interacting with the content.
Why is PDF accessibility important for maintaining compliance?
There are a number of regulations that require digital content - including PDFs - to be accessible. In the UK, public sector organisations must comply with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (PSBAR), which requires digital documents to meet WCAG standards.
Accessibility is also supported more broadly under the Equality Act 2010. Similar legislation exists internationally, including the European Accessibility Act (EAA) across the EU and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States.
What assistive technologies do you use to test PDFs with?
We test PDFs and other digital documents with a wide range of assistive technologies, such as:
- Screen readers like JAWS and NVDA
- Screen magnifiers like ZoomText
- Speech recognition software like Dragon Naturally Speaking
Testing with these tools helps ensure your documents are not just technically compliant, but genuinely usable in real-world scenarios.