What this means
Downloads need accessible content too. Text must be readable by software, headings and tables need structure, and meaningful images need descriptions. A file can look correct while still being difficult to use.
Passing examples
- A PDF contains readable text and a sensible reading order.
- A document has real headings, meaningful links, and identified table headers.
- A chart in a report has a useful description and a readable explanation of its figures.
Failing examples
- A PDF is only a scanned picture of text with no readable text layer.
- Reading order jumps between unrelated columns.
- An important chart has no text explanation, so its information is unavailable to someone who cannot see it.
An automatic checker can find some problems, but a clean result does not prove accessibility. Later edits can also damage an accessible template.