Every month, your organization creates thousands of PDF documents. These documents may include internal reports, research papers, and forms — but there’s a problem. Many of these PDFs are inaccessible to people with visual impairments or reading disabilities.
For people with vision and reading disabilities, this creates several challenges like difficulty completing work or coursework, limited access to essential information for daily life, and frequent roadblocks to achieving independence.
And if your team is struggling with the sheer volume of inaccessible documents, you are not alone. According to Google for Education data, there are more than 360 billion PDFs globally that cannot be read by screen readers.
The solution to this growing issue is not more remediation, but adopting a shift-left design approach about how your organization creates documents. In this post, we’ll introduce you to the Accessible Document Flywheel — a systematic, self-sustaining approach that tackles the PDF accessibility problem from the ground up.
Want to dive deeper? Download our free eBook on creating accessible PDFs today.
The growing PDF backlog: Why remediation isn’t enough
In large organizations like public universities, government agencies, and businesses, accessibility is often an afterthought.
The impact is significant. 72% of blind and low-vision assistive technology users report that inaccessible PDFs hinder their ability to work or study, while 60% say it affects their ability to manage daily life. Alarmingly, 14% of these individuals encounter barriers from inaccessible PDFs more than 20 times a month.
People who create documents are not always trained in accessibility, and it is left to a small remediation team to fix issues after the documents are already created.
The problem? This method is reactive. With new PDFs being created daily, it is impossible for the remediation team to keep up. Even if your team is remediating existing documents, they cannot address the influx of new ones fast enough.
This leaves organizations stuck in an endless cycle of fixing accessibility issues after you create new documents. And it is no surprise: relying on remediation alone to solve the PDF accessibility problem is like trying to bail out a sinking boat with a teaspoon.
A better way: Start with the end in mind
The answer to fix inaccessible documents is not to make your remediation faster, but changing how you create documents in the first place. This is where the Accessible Document Flywheel comes in.
But what is an Accessible Document Flywheel?
The flywheel, in the business world, refers to a self-reinforcing system that builds momentum over time.
You might have heard of Amazon’s flywheel which helps the eCommerce giant drive more traffic and attracts more buyers by continuously improving customer experience. Over time, the momentum helps the company keep its prices low, reduce its spending, and improve its customer experience further.
HubSpot employs a similar flywheel, where happy customers generate word-of-mouth marketing, attracting new users without heavy reliance on traditional advertising.
The Accessible Document Flywheel is a system, similar to Amazon’s or HubSpot’s, that encourages PDF creators to make accessible documents from the start. It helps them create momentum over time and ease the load on remediation teams.
Imagine the PDF Accessibility Flywheel like a small snowball you set in motion. At first, it’s modest, just rolling forward — but as it picks up speed, it gathers more snow, gaining size and momentum.
When businesses commit to PDF accessibility, the initial impact may seem minor. But over time, its value compounds. Each effort adds up, building a stronger, faster-growing advantage that fuels long-term success.
The flywheel makes accessibility an integral, non-negotiable part of document creation. When you train and empower the document creators to use the right tools and skills, accessibility is baked into the document creation process. This means fewer accessibility issues, lesser burden on the remediation team, and more accessible content across the board.
The Accessible Document Flywheel: A self-sustaining solution
As more creators internalize the accessible document practices, it takes off the load on remediation teams. Here’s how the Accessible Document Flywheel works:
- The more you use, the better it gets: As more people create accessible documents, your organization builds a healthy momentum of inclusivity and efficiency. Over time, the need for PDF remediation declines significantly.
- Accessibility by design: Rather than adding accessibility at the end, the flywheel ensures it is part of the creation process. This way, documents are accessible from the start.
- Less dependency on remediation teams: The flywheel distributes the responsibility of adding accessibility to documents evenly across the board, making everyone accountable for it.
- A self-perpetuating system: Once the momentum is at its peak, the flywheel gains momentum. Accessible content becomes the norm, and the need for oversight decreases.
Want to know how the Accessible Document Flywheel works? Grab our free eBook for a step-by-step guide.
Building your Accessible Document Flywheel
Creating an Accessible Document Flywheel is a two-step process:
- Implement the flywheel for new documents: Set up a system where creators automatically use accessible design principles when they create PDFs. This could mean using accessible templates, following accessibility guidelines, and integrating real-time accessibility checkers into the creation process.
- Prioritize remediation for existing documents: For the backlog, focus on the most used documents first. Automate simple fixes and reserve manual remediation for more complex documents.
This hybrid approach ensures that new documents are accessible while managing the existing ones.
Steps to create the Accessible Document Flywheel
Creating accessible documents is a moral and legal necessity that ensures inclusivity, particularly for those with visual or reading disabilities. Here’s how to create the Accessible Document Flywheel for your organization:
Step 1: Update your document creation tech stack
Review your current tools to ensure they include accessibility features. For example, Venngage offers accessibility checkers, while Microsoft Word has tools like alt text and headings.
Step 2: Create accessible templates
Design templates that align with your branding while adhering to accessibility standards. These templates should feature user-friendly layouts, clear typography, and color contrasts.
Step 3: Establish clear processes for new documents
Create processes to enforce accessibility standards, such as checklists, reviews, and remediation. A hybrid model with an “Admin” team supporting document creators works well. The Admin team enforces standards, crafts templates, and provides feedback, while document creators ensure adherence.
Step 4: Use validation tools and guidelines
Use automated checkers to ensure accessibility, such as identifying missing alt texts or incorrect heading structures. Guardrails should be in place to catch errors before documents are finalized.
Step 5: Train your staff on accessibility
Empower your team with the skills needed to create accessible documents through training programs, interactive workshops, and on-demand resources.
Interested to learn more about how to build your Accessible Document Flywheel? Download our free eBook for a detailed guide.
How real-world brands are implementing the flywheel
Many organizations have already adopted the Accessible Document Flywheel (although they might not call it so) and are seeing tangible results.
For example, Chadsan, a financial services firm, uses Venngage’s accessible templates and training tools to enable their team to create compliant documents. This has significantly reduced their reliance on remediation, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks.
Similarly, Colorado State University uses accessible templates that integrate headings, lists, and accessible hyperlinks. The university’s commitment to accessibility includes training their staff, widespread adoption of accessible design tools (they use Venngage too) and facilitating campus-wide compliance with electronic accessibility standards.
Here’s an example of how Venngage provides ready-to-use, accessibility-friendly templates from the start. Additionally, Venngage offers built-in tools that detect accessibility issues as you create a document, providing recommendations to ensure your content is more inclusive.
At the University of Southern California (USC), the focus is on continuous learning. They run workshops and online training to educate staff on document accessibility, fostering a culture of inclusivity and empowering employees with the skills they need to create accessible documents consistently.
Do you want to create an Accessible Document Flywheel that works for your organization? Schedule a demo with Venngage to chat.
Ready to commit to a lasting solution to create accessible PDFs?
The Accessible Document Flywheel is a sustainable solution to the growing problem of inaccessible PDFs. By making document creators a part of the process and ensuring accessibility from day one, you can reduce the burden on your remediation team and create accessible content at scale.
Ready to tackle the PDF accessibility problem head-on? Download our free eBook on the Accessible Document Flywheel and start building a self-sustaining system today.
