PDF/UA TWG

The PDF/UA Technical Working Group provides resources for developers, marketers and policy makers who need to understand ISO 14289, the International Standard for universally accessible PDF, first published in August 2012.

PDF/UA is of interest to organizations concerned with conformance to regulations requiring accessible electronic content including WCAG 2.0, Section 508 in the US, Canada’s Common Look and Feel standard, Britain’s BS 8878, and others.

Join us!

The PDF/UA Technical Working Group (TWG) is a collaboration of PDF software developers and PDF accessibility subject matter experts who use the TWG's resources to share their knowledge and experience of PDF/A technology in a vendor-neutral space.

Members of the PDF Association are entitled to participate in online and in-person PDF/UA TWG meetings, subscribe to the PDF/UA TWG listserv, access the PDF Association's Jira, and gain other benefits as well. Review the options for membership, or get in touch with PDF Association Executive Director Duff Johnson to learn more!

History of PDF/UA

• 2016-03-31 ANSI adopts PDF/UA-1 as an American National Standard, technically identical to the ISO standard, but available for only $15
• 2015-02-18 The US Access Board adopts PDF/UA for its new draft NPRM updating US federal government ICT Standards and Guidelines
• 2014-12-17 ISO publishes ISO 14289-1:2014, a minor technical update
• 2014-07-29  AIIM publishes the PDF/UA-1 Technical Implementation Guide for ISO 32000
• 2014-06-14  The PDF Association publishes the PDF/UA Reference Suite
• 2014-04-30  The PDF Association publishes the Matterhorn Protocol 1.02
• 2013-10-03  AIIM updates the PDF/UA Technical Implementation Guide to version 1.2a
• 2013-08-15  Access for All announces their free PAC 2.0, the first implementation of the Matterhorn Protocol
• 2013-08-04  The PDF Association publishes the Matterhorn Protocol, the definitive validation algorithm for PDF/UA
• 2013-03-07  AIIM publishes PDF/UA Technical Implementation Guide: Understanding ISO 14289-1 (PDF/UA-1)
• 2012-08-16  AIIM publishes Achieving WCAG 2.0 with PDF/UA
• 2012-08-15  Adobe Systems announces its intention to integrate PDF/UA into their products
• 2012-08-01  ISO publishes ISO 14289 (PDF/UA)
• 2004 AIIM Standards launches the PDF/UA committee to study accessibility guidelines for PDF technology

Note: ISO 14289-1:2014 is ISO’s first fully accessible standard; the document conforms to PDF/UA.