Are Files Part of Website Accessibility?

Many website owners assume that everything appearing on their site, including external files like PDFs, Word documents, and videos, automatically falls under website accessibility services. In practice, Israeli accessibility standards draw a clear distinction between website pages and external documents and objects. While website pages are indeed covered by accessibility services, attached files are not part of the site's technical structure and therefore require their own dedicated accessibility process. Understanding this distinction is crucial for proper compliance, meeting legal requirements, and ensuring a complete user experience for all visitors.

Why Aren't Files Included in Website Accessibility?

Files such as PDFs, Word documents, presentations, and PowerPoint slides are not considered part of the website's code but rather separate objects to which the site merely links. For this reason, the standard does not view them as part of website accessibility itself, but rather as independent assets requiring individual attention. Each document must undergo its own accessibility process according to rules specific to its file type.

Beyond that, videos are also not included in website accessibility, because video accessibility requires captions, audio descriptions, and supporting materials as needed. None of these are part of standard code fixes or accessibility bars. Therefore, making videos accessible requires separate action that is not included in the basic website accessibility service.

What Should You Do to Meet Legal Requirements?

The most effective solution is to convert the information contained in files into a complete web page. Such a page becomes part of the website itself and is therefore included in the accessibility performed as part of a website accessibility service. Once the content becomes a regular page, it benefits from all the professional accessibility fixes applied to the rest of your website.

An additional advantage is simple maintenance: If there are updates to the original document, you can update the web page, and full accessibility will be applied automatically to the update as well. This way, your website remains compliant with standards over time, without needing to make each document separately accessible again.

Why Is It Important to Follow Guidelines for Files Too?

Much of the content businesses attach to their websites—including forms, proposals, procedures, and legal information—is essential for visitors. If these documents are not accessible, anyone relying on a screen reader or keyboard alone will be unable to use them, even though the website itself is accessible. From the user's perspective, this is an incomplete browsing experience that goes against the spirit of accessibility regulations.

Complying with guidelines for files also reduces legal risks. Business owners who make only part of their assets accessible may receive notices and warnings about inaccessible documents themselves. Converting documents into web pages is the simplest way to comply with the law and avoid unnecessary exposure.

Files Are Not Part of Website Accessibility

Files are not part of website accessibility services and therefore are not made accessible automatically. You should take into account that they are a separate category from your website's overall accessibility.

To comply with standards and provide a complete user experience, it's recommended to convert your file content into web pages and ensure accessibility covers them as well. This way, you can update, maintain, and adapt content to standard changes without needing to make each document separately accessible every time.

If you need individual document accessibility services, you can obtain this service from us at User Accessibility.