🌐 Accessibility on YUMPU – What It Means for You as a Publisher
❗ Why Accessibility Matters
Accessibility means that digital content can be used by as many people as possible – regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive limitations.
This includes people with visual impairments, mobility challenges, hearing loss, or learning disabilities.
🗣️ The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) states:
“Accessibility supports social inclusion for people with disabilities as well as others, such as older people, people in rural areas, and people in developing countries.”
— Source: W3C WAI – Introduction to Web Accessibility
⚖️ Digital accessibility is not only increasingly required by law (e.g., the European Accessibility Act, effective from 2025), but also a key part of inclusive and user-centered design.
📄 What Accessibility Means for You as a Publisher on YUMPU
YUMPU provides a platform for you to publish digital content such as magazines, brochures, and articles.
As the publisher, you are responsible for the accessibility of the content you upload, including whether it meets accessibility best practices.
⚙️ While we provide technical support through the platform, we do not modify or guarantee the accessibility of your content.
🧰 Technical Support by YUMPU: Rendering & Reading Modes
Depending on your account type, your uploaded PDF will be rendered differently:
🆓 Freemium users:
Your document is automatically rendered as an HTML version, which is typically more accessible.
HTML rendering allows for better interaction with screen readers and offers improved semantic structure.
💎 Premium users:
You can choose between HTML rendering and Instant Rendering (a visual display that renders your pages as images).
✅ We strongly recommend choosing HTML rendering for a more accessible viewing experience.
🔁 Regardless of rendering type, we advise using the “Scroll” reading mode, which is generally more compatible with screen readers and easier to navigate than the flip (animated) view.
🚧 Common Accessibility Barriers in Digital Publications
When publishing content on YUMPU, please pay attention to the following:
Barrier | Impact |
Missing alt text for images | Screen readers can't describe visual content |
Poor color contrast | Difficult to read for users with visual impairments |
Incorrect or missing heading structure | Users with assistive tech may lose orientation |
Scanned PDFs without OCR | Text is invisible to assistive technologies |
No captions or transcripts for videos | Hearing-impaired users miss information |
“Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.”
— W3C WAI
🔧 How YUMPU Supports Accessibility
We are continuously working to make the YUMPU platform more accessible. This includes:
✅ Keyboard navigation
✅ Screen reader compatibility in the UI
✅ High-contrast design elements
✅ Support for alternative reading modes (e.g., scroll view)
✅ A structurally clear and semantic user interface
🔔 However, you are responsible for the accessibility of the files and content you upload – including PDFs, images, and videos.
📘 Recommendations for Creating Accessible Content
To improve the accessibility of your publications, we recommend:
✅ Choose HTML rendering (if available) – it's more screen-reader-friendly
✅ Set the reading mode to “Scroll” – better for assistive tech users
✅ Prepare your PDFs for accessibility – add tags, reading order, alt texts
✅ Use clear language and high color contrast
✅ Apply style templates and structure in Word, InDesign, or similar tools
✅ Test your PDFs before uploading, using tools like:
PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC 2021)
Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker
axesPDF or other PDF/UA validation tools
📘 More Information
For full details about accessibility on our platform, current status, and legal context, please see our Accessibility Statement.