Toward accessible PDF documents in Open Access Repositories

Currently, disability affects 15% of the world's population (approximately one billion people), according to data from the World Health Organization's (WHO) first report on disability. Of these, 645 million people experience visual or hearing impairments, which can hinder the proper use of academic documents. Most documents in Open Access Repositories are deposited in PDF format, making it crucial to ensure their accessibility. Consequently, it is necessary to evaluate the accessibility of PDF documents in open access repositories available on DOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories) within the Communications and Information Technology field. For developers and site managers, it is important to understand the accessibility status of PDF documents deposited in repositories and to learn how to address and resolve these issues effectively.