PDF Accessibility Transformation
Client: Public Sector Organization
The Challenge
Accessible documents are no longer a “nice-to-have”: With the Accessibility Act (BaFG), a clear legal obligation is emerging – creating massive demand for making existing document repositories accessible quickly and reliably.
At the same time, the current situation is sobering: Only a very small share of PDFs today are truly accessible. In Austria alone, 1.3M+ people benefit directly from accessible digital content – and many more indirectly through improved usability for everyone.
The challenge:
- Manual remediation is expensive, complex, and not scalable
- PDF/UA requires many precise steps – errors quickly result in non-compliant documents
- Large document inventories and continuous updates turn manual processes into a bottleneck
Our Solution
PAT (PDF Accessibility Transformation) is an AI-powered framework for the fully automated conversion of existing PDFs into accessible PDF/UA formats – featuring a modular pipeline, optional human-in-the-loop, and comprehensive validation.
The approach in detail:
- End-to-end PDF/UA pipeline: Automates all relevant steps of PDF/UA transformation (including structure tree, tagging, reading order, alternative text, metadata, tables/lists, and heading hierarchy)
- LLM + NLP + rule-based logic: Semantic precision through a combination of language models, classical NLP, and deterministic rules
- Human-in-the-loop: Optional review loops for edge cases, sensitive content, and quality approvals
- Scalable batch processing: Consistent, high-quality transformation of large PDF collections
- Comprehensive PDF/UA validation: Including quality reports, audit logs, and traceable findings
What makes PAT stand out: It is not merely an “accessibility assistant”, but a complete PDF/UA transformation offered as a standard, production-ready solution – modular, verifiable, and scalable.
The Results
Automated transformation of large PDF collections into PDF/UA – scalable instead of manual
Human-in-the-loop for edge cases and sensitive content – control remains with domain experts
Comprehensive PDF/UA validation including quality reports – full traceability
Greater inclusion: digital access for people with disabilities and improved usability for everyone
Sustainability and efficiency: reduced manual effort, lower rework, and scalable cost structure
Why now: Legal obligation and demand driven by BaFG
With the Accessibility Act (BaFG), expectations around digital accessibility are rising significantly. Organizations are required not only to create new documents accessibly, but above all to transform existing document repositories within reasonable timeframes and with reliable quality.
Innovation highlights
PAT addresses the core challenge of PDF/UA implementation: combining technical correctness with semantic precision.
- Automation of all PDF/UA steps: A unified pipeline instead of isolated tools
- Systematic semantics: LLM + NLP + rule-based logic for robust structures, labels, and reading order
- Verifiability by design: Validation and reporting as integral components – not added afterwards
Impact & value
- Inclusion: Accessible documents enable digital access for all – directly benefiting 1.3M+ people in Austria
- Efficiency: Automation drastically reduces manual effort and enables true scalability
- Sustainability: Less manual remediation, less rework, and reduced resource consumption
