PDF/UA Processor LWG

Background

This Liaison Working Group is a meeting-place for the PDF and assistive technology industries to help drive the formalization of common understandings on processing PDF files that conform to ISO 14289 (PDF/UA), the standard for accessible PDF documents.

Although the current edition of ISO 14289, PDF/UA-1, includes some basic requirements for processors, these have not seen the same degree of marketplace uptake as PDF/UA’s file format requirements. Accordingly, PDF/UA-2, published in 2024, differs from PDF/UA-1 in that it focuses exclusively on file format requirements. Processor requirements are under development in a separate dedicated specification, the work of this LWG.

Involving developers who focus on assistive technology, including accessibility APIs, is critical to this work. We encourage their involvement!

Objective

Improving accessibility support for PDF documents means improving the way PDF viewers, other PDF processors and assistive technology (AT) handle tagged PDF.

To support this objective the PDF/UA Processor LWG was created at the request of ISO TC 171 SC 2 WG 9, the ISO working group responsible for development of PDF/UA.

How to participate in the Working Group

It’s possible to participate in the Working Group without attending meetings!

Working group members may attend the working group’s online meetings – currently alternating biweekly on Tuesdays at 1605 CET / 1005 ET / 0705PT and 2005 CET / 1405 ET / 1105 PT, or review meeting notes and recordings of previous calls.

The PDF/UA Processor LWG is open to all PDF Association Individual, Division, Full, Partner, Institutional and Liaison members. Non-member experts who wish to participate as either Invited or Liaison experts subject to their agreement with the PDF Association’s IPR Policy and Code of Conduct. Contact the community-manager@pdfa.org for more information.