Common Mistakes Universities Make When Selecting PDF Remediation Vendors
                     Common Mistakes Universities 
Make When Selecting PDF 
Remediation Vendors
The Problem Universities Face
Complexity Time & Resources Legal & Compliance 
Risk
Requires specialized skills Manual remediation Inaccessible PDFs can lead to 
often lacking in-house demands significant effort lawsuits and exclude 
and specialized staff training significant portions of users
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Mistake 1 - Relying Solely 
on Automated Testing Tools
Issue: 
• Adobe Accessibility Checker and PAC cannot test for full 
compliance with Section 508, ADA, or WCAG 2.0/2.1.
• Automated tools cannot determine if alt text accurately 
describes images.
• Complex tables require trained analysts for correct tagging.
• Accepting deliverables based only on automated tests 
leads to discovering non-compliance later.
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Mistake 2 - Choosing Vendors 
Without Quality Assurance
What to look for: 
• Multi-tier quality assurance processes combining 
automation and human review.
• Expert accessibility specialists with experience in 
complex documents.
• Compliance reports and validation documentation.
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Mistake 3 - Ignoring Higher 
Ed Specializations
• Pitfall: Hiring a generalist vendor.
• Reality: Academic documents contain specialized content like 
STEM notation, complex citations, and multi-column layouts.
• Requirement: Ensure the vendor has experience with 
academic terminology and complex pedagogical structures.
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Mistake 4 - Failing to Address 
Legacy & Scanned Documents
Requirements to be fulfilled by vendor: 
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for scanned 
documents.
• Converting image-based content into readable, 
structured formats.
• Handling poor-quality scans and complex layouts.
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Mistake 5 - Failing to 
Provide Accessibility 
Reports
• Pitfall: Accepting remediated files without validation data.
• Reality: You need proof of compliance for audits.
• Requirement: Vendors should provide a PAC (PDF 
Accessibility Checker) report or a compliance certificate for 
every document.
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Mistake 6 - Lack of Scalability & 
Slow Turnaround
• Pitfall: Choosing a vendor that cannot handle 
high-volume remediation.
• Reality: Large-scale migrations of library archives 
or course catalogs require a robust infrastructure.
• Requirement: Verify the pdf remediation 
vendor’s capacity to handle high volumes without 
compromising quality.
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Red Flags to Watch For
No Human Unclear Pricing
Review
No Warranty Limited 
Experience
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Best Practices for Vendor 
Selection
• Verify the vendor combines automated tools with 
expert human review.
• Request samples of remediated documents and 
compliance reports.
• Ensure they have experience with legacy and 
scanned documents.
• Ask about their QA process and warranty terms.
• Get transparent pricing with per-page 
breakdown.
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Any Questions?
   We’re here to clarify any technical or compliance 
concerns. Documenta11y specializes in the 
complex nuances of Higher Ed PDF remediation 
and bridges the gap between automated speed 
and human precision.
Email us at [email protected]
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