Making a 150-Page Report Accessible: A WCAG 2.1 Case Study

A social-services organisation needed a 150-page report that screen-reader users could actually read. Here is what making it accessible involved.

The client, an organisation working in social services, had a finished 150-page report. It looked right on screen and in print, but for a blind or low-vision reader using a screen reader it was close to unusable: the file had no structure a machine could follow.

What we did

• Tagged every element — headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, figures and footnotes — so assistive technology knows what each part of the page is.
• Wrote text descriptions for all 47 charts and graphs, so the data they show is available to people who cannot see them.
• Set the reading order page by page, so a screen reader moves through columns, sidebars and captions in the order a sighted reader would.

The result

The document was confirmed as compliant with WCAG 2.1, the accessibility standard most public bodies and many companies in the EU are expected to meet. With the European Accessibility Act in force since June 2025, more organisations are being asked for accessible documents, not just accessible websites.

Why this belongs in DTP

Accessibility is decided in the layout. Tags, reading order and alt text all live in the file structure, which is exactly where a DTP team works. For translation agencies this matters twice: every language version of a report needs its own tags and descriptions, and they have to be checked again after translation, when text length and page flow change.

You do not need to become an accessibility expert to deliver an accessible file. You need a production partner who builds it in from the start.