Reading order & document structure
WCAG 1.3.1 · 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence · A
- Automatic
- deterministic fixer, re-verified
- Decision queue
- human decides, machine applies
- Attestation
- human sign-off, listed on the certificate
What the rule requires
A PDF carries a hidden structural outline that tells assistive technology what to read and in what order. When it’s missing or scrambled, a screen reader has to guess the order, and on multi-column pages it guesses wrong — headlines after footnotes, captions mid-sentence.
How Proof clears it
- Builds structure automatically on untagged documents, and rebuilds broken structure in place — preserving what’s already correct (figures, tables, links, lists).
- Self-validates: any automated change that doesn’t measurably improve the document is discarded, never saved.
- Per-page visual review: a numbered overlay shows the exact order assistive tech will follow; your reviewer confirms each flagged page, and the verification is recorded on the compliance certificate.
Watch it in Proof
What to expect
Final reading order is confirmed by a person — WCAG makes it a judgment call, and any tool claiming to fully automate it is overclaiming. The rare document whose content was exported with no repairable structure gets flagged honestly for re-authoring, with the reason stated.
Run the full profile on one of yours.
Free, no account: one PDF of up to 10 pages and 50 MB per verified email, remediated file and verification record included. Certify it for $59 when you’re ready.