Creating accessible non-HTML content, like documents and forms, is extremely important to Portland State University’s efforts toward creating more inclusive and accessible online spaces. Not only does PSU’s Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility policy require that public-facing digital content meet accessibility guidelines; the choice to apply accessibility best practices to all digital content authoring allows for greater accessibility, usability, and search engine optimization for all users.
Consider the following facts:
15.4% of adults in the United States have cognitive and/or vision disabilities. This translates to over 36 million people.
In a recent world-wide survey of screen-reader users, over 75% of people indicate that PDFs are either somewhat or very likely to pose significant accessibility barriers.
There are thousands of PDFs on the pdx.edu website.
Over 4,000 of those PDFs have undergone automated testing; 90% were found to have one or more accessibility barriers.
Our document accessibility help articles will guide you through accessibility principles and best practices you should consider when creating documents and repairing documents with noted accessibility barriers.
Please choose from the following articles depending on use case:
Article | Use Case |
|---|---|
Situations in which you have access to the original document and its associated authoring program. | |
Situations in which you’ve inherited a PDF and do not have access to the original document and/or its associated authoring program. |
Please note that Adobe Acrobat Pro is required in order to generate fully accessible PDFs. Departments may purchase copies by submitting a software installation request through the OIT Helpdesk.
Please let the IT Accessibility Team know if we can be of assistance. If you have any questions or concerns, please email help-accessibility@pdx.edu or submit an accessibility ticket via go.pdx.edu/help.