All documents published by Nationwide must meet the Nationwide Accessibility Standard, including documents provided by our suppliers.
Making our documents accessible means as many people as possible can use them, including those with disabilities.
If you work with suppliers who provide documents, you must:
- make them aware of our accessibility standards and accessible communications guidance.
- make sure the documents they deliver are as accessible as possible for everyone.
Supplier contracts
Like Nationwide, our suppliers have a legal obligation to provide equal access to their products and services. This is in line with the Equality Act 2010.
However, the supplier’s contract may not explicitly include accessibility. So asking suppliers to provide accessible documents may come as a surprise.
Some suppliers will provide accessible documents when asked, even if it isn’t in their contracts. However, some may not. This may be because they don’t know about the requirements. Or because they don’t have the skills to meet them.
For existing PDF suppliers, you need to:
- include accessibility requirements in their contracts on renewal, or
- find suppliers who will provide accessible documents.
Quality
If you are responsible for a supplier’s document, you must make sure it’s as accessible as possible before it is published online.
There are two ways to check if a PDF document is accessible:
- Request evidence from the supplier
You can ask for evidence that their documents meet our accessibility standards. The supplier could share test plans for (visual and content design), or an Adobe Acrobat DC accessibility assessment report for (PDF code). - Conduct an accessibility review of the document
If the supplier doesn’t provide evidence, you’ll need to check the document. The design, content, and code must meet accessibility standards. Use our guide to find out how to check if a PDF is accessible.
If the document provided isn’t accessible, you must ask the supplier to make adjustments. Try to give them as much detail as you can about the document’s accessibility problems.
If you need support, please get in touch with:
- Emily Coward (emily.coward@nationwide.co.uk) in the Accessibility team
- Kay Morse (kay.morse@nationwide.co.uk) in the Studio team.
Inaccessible PDFs
If a supplier cannot provide an accessible PDF, there are two things you can do.
- Employ Communisis to make the document partially accessible.
For more information, use our guide How to make a PDF accessible. - Present your case to the Digital Accessibility Governance forum
They will decide on the appropriate route forward. The forum only grants a dispensation if there is a clear path for improving the accessibility of the document in the future. Please contact us if you would like to present your case at the forum.