In alignment with our commitment to inclusivity and compliance with legal standards, we have developed comprehensive guidance on creating accessible digital documents.
This resource is designed for anyone involved in producing digital materials for the University, whether they be an external agency or a UL staff member.
Our legal obligation
Adhering to these guidelines is not optional—it is a legal obligation to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, can access and engage with our online materials.
All digital content must meet accessibility requirements as mandated by the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and align with the Equality Act 2010.
Under the EU Web Accessibility Directive, University of Limerick must:
- Ensure our website and mobile apps are procured, developed and maintained to comply with all relevant parts of the harmonised standard EN 301 549 v 3.2.1 “Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services”.
This is broadly equivalent to reaching conformance-rating AA with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1.
This guidance provides the essential standards and best practices needed to make sure that all digital documents—whether they are PDFs, Word files, presentations, or other formats—are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
Fairness and inclusion
Creating accessible PDFs isn’t just a legal requirement; it’s a matter of fairness and inclusion.
By ensuring our digital documents are accessible, we acknowledge the diverse needs of our community and uphold the principle that everyone deserves equal access to information.
Accessibility is a fundamental aspect of respect and dignity, ensuring that people of all abilities can engage fully with our content.
When we create accessible documents, we are not just meeting standards—we are fostering an environment of inclusivity, where no one is excluded from participating in education, work, or daily life.
Where this guidance comes from
This guide has been developed and compiled by the UL Web Team, drawing on information and best practices from trusted organisations and experts specialising in digital accessibility, including Silktide and Deque.
Here’s Deque’s full, comprehensive list of PDF rules. The National Disability Authority (NDA), Ireland’s National Monitoring Body for web/digital accessibility, use Deque’s Axe Monitor tool to monitor Ireland’s public sector websites.
Axe Monitor is a server-based accessibility analysis and management tool which automatically scans web content and identifies violations of accessibility compliance against WCAG’s Success Criteria using the Axe-Core engine.
Our guidance outlines the most common accessibility issues found in PDFs on the UL website by Deque’s Axe Monitor and Silktide, another content monitoring tool used by the Web Team.