Accessible PDFs in Norway

Uu-tilsynet treats published documents as part of the web solution hosting them. It recommends considering HTML and provides specific Word and PDF guidance. Public and private sector requirements are not identical in every respect.

Sources: [1], [2]

Norway’s universal-design rules for ICT concern both public and private sectors, but the requirements differ. Uu-tilsynet’s document guidance identifies WCAG 2.0 as the basis for private-sector requirements and WCAG 2.1 for the public sector. Identify the criteria incorporated into Norwegian rules rather than assuming every criterion in an entire WCAG edition applies everywhere.

A commission should state whether the document belongs to a public- or private-sector web solution and identify the relevant Norwegian requirements. Uu-tilsynet’s criteria list can be filtered by sector and solution. Use it alongside the document guidance when planning the assessment.

Public-sector accessibility statements also need to reflect problems in website PDFs. Buying the file from a Swedish supplier does not change the rules relevant to the Norwegian publishing organisation.

Sources: [3], [2]

The guidance discusses exceptions for certain documents published before 1 February 2022, including the significance of documents needed in active administrative processes. Do not use this date as a blanket exemption for every Norwegian PDF.

An active administrative process involves more than a digital form. A document may explain evidence required for an application or supply information needed to access a service. Ask whether users need the material to accomplish the service’s purpose.

Record publication date and present use separately. “2019, still required as an application attachment” provides different evidence from “2019, completed report not used in an active process”. Public-sector statements also need to handle exempt content correctly.

Sources: [1]

An old PDF may sit in an archive while remaining the only way to apply for a current service. Record both its publication date and actual use before deprioritising it. If the information could become a web page or web form, assess that option too.

• Establish the organisation and publication context.
• Request the exact legal or contractual standard reference.
• Agree which files and forms are included.
• Report technical and practical checks for the same file version.

Suppose a Norwegian organisation will publish a report with ten tables and two charts. The brief should identify language, publication location, requirements and tasks to test. Readers might need to find the summary through heading navigation, identify the year and unit for table values and understand chart comparisons through text.

Ask the supplier to distinguish machine checks, editorial assessment and assistive-technology testing. If the document mixes Norwegian Bokmål and English, include language changes in the assessment. Translating the heading of a Swedish validation report does not specify the rest of the work.

Also consider publication format. A short, frequently changing instruction may be easier to use as HTML. Retain PDF where a fixed edition has value, but make that choice before all the information is committed to page layout.