Non-HTML content, like documents, presentations, and forms, are often created, published as PDFs, and uploaded to public-facing web spaces without accessibility in mind. These resources can pose formidable accessibility barriers to people with disabilities when they are not properly formatted.
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.
The help articles in the following collection will guide you through the accessibility principles and best practices you should consider when creating and repairing non-HTML content with noted accessibility barriers.
Creating Accessible Documents and Forms
Remediating Inaccessible Documents and Forms
Please note that Adobe Acrobat Pro is generally required in order to generate fully accessible PDFs. Departments may purchase copies of Adobe Acrobat Pro by submitting a software installation request through the PSU Helpdesk.
For additional resources, or any questions related to digital accessibility for public-facing digital resources at PSU, please email help-accessibility@pdx.edu.