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PDF Accessibility Scans

How to do a PDF Accessibility Scan and Request a Remediation Quote

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This article gives instructions on how to scan a PDF file and request a PDF remediation.

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Introduction

PDF scans are done via a Remediation Quote. Order a list of issues that require attention in the PDF. This service is provided by a third-party provider, CommonLook Clarity:

Choose the type of PDF scan:

  1. Scan a PDF file (also known as a “clarity” scan).

  2. Request PDF file remediation.

Notes:

  • EU customers have to contact our partner Commonlook directly for PDF remediation quotes at their own discretion due to regulatory requirements. The PDF Remediation option continues to be available for customers in other geographical regions.

  • The Content Links count in the Inventory module shows the number of links that point to PDF files. This is not the same as PDF files that are internal and present on the site. For example, the inventory may state a higher number of PDF links than the Accessibility module PDF file count.


Include PDF Files in the Scan

This section gives information on how to request a PDF accessibility scan.

  1. Click Domain Overview (Globe icon) on the top menu bar.

    The location of the Internal PDFs button on the left menu.

  2. Click to select a domain from the list. The domain Dashboard opens.

    An example of a domain Dashboard landing page.

  3. On the top menu bar, click Accessibility (icon of a human figure with outstretched arms).

    The location of the Accessibility button on the window menu bar.

  4. The Accessibility summary page opens.

    The Accessibility summary page.

  5. Click PDFs on the menu on the left side of the page.

  6. The list expands with more choices:

    • Internal PDFs: Select if the PDF is uploaded on the site. The Internal PDFs page opens.

      The location of the Internal PDFs button under PDFs on the left menu.

      The chart has the following sorting options:

      • Pending

      • Reviewed/OK

      • Queued

      • Failed.

  7. Action: Click to expand the list of options.

  8. Select Start PDF Accessibility scan: Select to scan this PDF.

    The PDF file moves into the Queued column.

    If the PDF is located externally, select External PDFs: The External PDFs page opens. The chart has the following sorting options:

    • Pending

    • Reviewed/OK.

  9. Click a PDF in the list to view the URL and scan information.

The scan results are imported directly into your account and are available through the Monsido dashboard.

If the scan is successful and no accessibility errors are found, the PDF is automatically moved to the Reviewed/OK column. Select the PDF to view the results.

If the scan is successful and some accessibility errors are found, the PDF is automatically moved to the Failed column. Click to view the scan results and the issues detected. Repair the errors or use the PDF remediation option as described below in the Remediation Quote instructions, upload the new PDF documents, and then start a new scan.

Here is an example of how the scan report can look:

An example report, as detailed in the text below this image.

  • Columns are:

    • Name: The name of the error. In this example, the first row is "Alternative Representat.." (truncated).

    • Result_type: The type of error. In this example, the first row is "error".

    • Page_number: The page that the error is on. In this example, the first row is "1".

    • Element_tree_path: How to locate this error directly in the tree path for the report. In this example, the first row is "Annotations->11".

    • Reason: The reason for the error. In this example, the first row is "Link Annotation doesn't..." (truncated).

    • Clarity_comments: Any comments from the CommonLook/Clarity team. In this example, the first row is empty.


Check the Scan Results

To find more details about the PDF from the scan results, the Quality Assurance Module can provide some additional details:

Instructions

  1. From the Monsido Domain Overview, click Select Domain.

    The location of the Select Domain button on the upper left side on the page menu bar.

    The Domains list page opens.

  2. Click Open on the same row as the domain name. The domain dashboard opens.

    The location of the Open button, on the same row as a domain name.

  3. Click Quality Assurance (the checkbox icon), on the domain dashboard toolbar.

    The location of the Quality Assurance button on the window toolbar.

  4. The Quality Assurance page opens.

    The Quality Assurance landing page on a sample website.

  5. Click Content with QA Errors from the menu on the left-hand side of the page.

    The location of the Content with QA Errors option on the left menu bar.

    The Content with QA Errors page opens.

    The Content with QA Errors page for a sample website.

  6. On the menu bar at the top of the chart, click to navigate to PDF Documents.

    The location of the Internal PDFs button on the left menu.

  7. Click a document in the list to view more information about the scan results.

    If the scan is successful and no accessibility errors are found, it is automatically moved to the Reviewed/Ok column. Select the PDF to view the results.

    If the scan is successful and some accessibility errors are found, the PDF is automatically moved to the Failed column. Click to view the scan results and the issues detected. Repair the errors or use the PDF remediation option as described below in the Remediation Quote instructions, upload the new PDF documents, and then start a new scan.


Remediation Quote

If any PDF files require remediation, this can be requested from within the Monsido platform. Monsido delivers the remediated documents and accessibility reports when they are ready. To include the PDF scanning tool, upgrade your account at Monsido Support.

  1. Do an accessibility scan as per the previous section and locate the non-compliant PDF files.

  2. Click to select Remediation Quote on the same row as a non-compliant PDF

    This submits an order for remediation of issues that require attention in the PDF. This service is provided by a third party. A dialog box opens with the following text:

    "Document remediation for compliance to WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508, HHS or PDF/UA accessibility standards. Document remediation requires manual verification and can range in cost. When you submit PDF documents for remediation, we will review the document and give you a firm, fixed price for the remediation. Upon completion of the work, we will also provide a compliance report. We will let you know if there is any Alternative Text (Alt-Text) required for images that are not self-descriptive or any related additional information needed to remediate the document."

    The dialog box with the text as given above for PDF remediation quotes.

    Note: Section 508 is now fully aligned with WCAG 2.0 AA. Monsido has transferred existing users of the check to WCAG 2.0 AA.

  3. Click OK to confirm, or Cancel to close the dialog box without ordering the PDF remediation check.

  4. The remediated PDFs are sent to you when they are finished.

  5. Remove the old PDFs from the website and upload the remediated PDFs.

  6. Change the status of the PDFs manually to Mark as reviewed. This moves the files to the Reviewed/OK folder in the Monsido UI.

Note: EU customers have to contact our partner Commonlook directly for PDF remediation quotes at their own discretion due to regulatory requirements. The PDF Remediation option continues to be available for customers in other geographical regions.

For more information on the PDF accessibility scan service, see:


Bulk Remediation Quotes and PDF Accessibility Checks

For accounts that are upgraded to include the PDF scanning tool, it is possible to do a bulk remediation quote to include all PDFs.

  1. Click to select All PDFs.

    The menu expands.

  2. Choose one of the following bulk options:

    • Mark all as reviewed: Select this option to mark all PDF files as reviewed.

    • Request PDF accessibility check for all: Select this option to request a PDF accessibility check for all PDF files.

    • Request remediation quote for all: Select this option to request a remediation quote for all PDF files.

Contact Support for more information. PDF tracking allows users to see which files are remediated.

Note: EU customers have to contact our partner Commonlook directly for PDF remediation quotes at their own discretion due to regulatory requirements. The PDF Remediation option continues to be available for customers in other geographical regions.


FAQ

This section answers some common questions about Commonlook Clarity accessibility scans.

  • Where is CommonLook Clarity based?

    They are based in Canada, with offices around the world, including the DC area.

  • Where do they store data?

    This depends on where the customer is based: EU is on Azure in the EU; all others are on US servers.
    For more information, see the Monsido sub-processor list for server identification.

  • What happens with the data once they have completed a PDF check?

    Data is deleted in alignment with Monsido's data retention requirements.

  • Are they ISO compliant? If so, to what level?

    No.


Additional Resources

For more information, see the User Guide chapters:

See also:

For definitions and explanations of acronyms and abbreviations used in the Monsido User Guide, see:

For further assistance, contact the Monsido support team at support@monsido.com or use the Monsido chat and help features inside the application.

Image of the toolbar with the Help Center buttons highlighted.

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