PDF Decision Tree for Instructional Materials

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that all course materials need to be available to students in an accessible format. While PDFs are often used by faculty to retain formatting and protect the content from change, most PDFs do not meet accessibility guidelines [WCAG 2.1 Level AA]. PDF remediation is difficult and time-intensive and should be considered a last resort. In general, Oregon State University recommends that faculty avoid creating PDFs for instructional materials and begin replacing existing PDFs with more accessible formats. Use the following decision tree to determine the best alternative for your existing PDFs.

Document Purpose

This decision tree provides guidance for determining the best alternative for content you currently have as PDFs. It is not a guide on how to remediate PDFs for accessibility.

Intended Audience

Teaching faculty, instructors, TAs, GTAs, and anyone creating academic materials. It is not intended for creators of marketing materials.

Basic Principles

  1. Whenever possible, provide course content in a format other than PDF.
  2. Prioritize required course content you have created (handouts, assessments, case studies, etc.).
  3. Link to library resources as much as possible.

Decision Tree

This decision tree dynamically changes based on your answers. View the full tree if you prefer.
 

Is the PDF part of your required course materials?

Remove the PDF from your course until you’ve finished making your required course materials accessible. See the Digital Accessibility Instructor Guide: Prioritization Strategies.

Do you have the original source file e.g., a Microsoft Word document?

Replace the PDF with the original file. It is easier to make these formats accessible.

Could the document be a Canvas page?

Recreate the content directly in Canvas.

Canvas has built-in tools and resources to identify and address accessibility issues.

Is the content available from the OSU Libraries?

Link to the content using a persistent link. A persistent link or permalink connects to the article or resource in the library databases or journal subscription.

If you need assistance finding resources in the OSU Libraries databases or creating a persistent link, please contact [email protected] or use the Live Chat on the library home page.

Is the document a form?

Recreate the form using Microsoft Forms or Qualtrics.

Is the document a scanned copy of an article of book chapter?

Check with the OSU Libraries for alternative formats. Scanned copies of texts are likely not accessible and might constitute a copyright violation and should be avoided.

If you have questions about scanned content, please contact [email protected] or use the Live Chat on the library home page.

See the Accessibility Tips for Library Resources for additional suggestions.

Where can I get help if none of these options work for me?

Frequently Asked Questions

Providing the same document in multiple formats will increase the amount of work you do. We recommend that you focus on creating a single, accessible document to share with your students.

Provide the content from the flyer in the body of the email. Ensure that, if the flyer/PDF were no longer attached to the email, the email recipient would still have all the information in the email.

Reach out to the publisher and remind them of our legal requirement to provide materials that are accessible for students and faculty. Ask them how you and your students can report accessibility issues for remediation. If the publisher is non-responsive, consider replacing their content with accessible alternatives, such as OER textbooks or library-provided content (eBooks, online articles, etc.)

These documents especially need to be converted to an accessible format such as Word or Canvas pages. For documents originally written in LaTeX, provide the original .tex file or convert to HTML. See the Instructional Materials guide on making equations accessible.

Resources

  • Digital Accessibility – This is the official OSU website for digital accessibility and includes an overview of the ADA rule on digital accessibility, information on how to make digital content accessible, resources to help create accessible course materials, digital accessibility on many different platforms used at OSU, and training opportunities.
  • Accessibility and Canvas by Learn@Oregon State provides in depth guidance on making Canvas content accessible.
  • OSU Digital Accessibility Policy on the University Policies and Standards page.
  • Accessibility Tips for Library Resources by OSU Libraries.
Topic
PDF