PDF accessibility guidelines

Article Type: Informational

Description: This article provides guidelines on how to ensure that PDF content meets accessibility standards, and outlines options for making PDFs accessible or replacing them with alternative formats.

Applicable to: Fort Collins, Pueblo, Spur, System

Affiliation: Students, Faculty, Staff, Guests, Community

Background:

CSU Employees are responsible for ensuring that any PDFs and documents they create are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes all PDFs available on websites.

Prerequisites:

Check if the PDF is still required online.
Prepare to update any links that reference the PDF file.

Details:

Transfer the content from a PDF document to an accessible webpage whenever possible.
If transferring content is not feasible, create an accessible PDF by following CSU’s accessibility guidelines.
If the content cannot be transferred to a webpage or recreated as an accessible PDF:
- Remove (delete) the PDF from being published online.
- Update any links that refer to the PDF to prevent broken links.

Resources:

Outcome: By following these guidelines, PDF documents will either be made accessible or replaced with more accessible formats, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and improving usability for all users.