What to Do Now
Public websites should not rely on PDFs or other attachments when the information can be provided as a webpage or web form. As 糖心原创 prepares for federal digital accessibility requirements taking effect in April 2026, units should begin identifying the PDFs their area shares online and determining the best next step for each one.
By March 20, 2026, units and content owners should identify the PDFs their area uses most and determine the best next step for each one.
If you do not manage web pages directly, please work with the person in your unit who posts or maintains your content.
Start with documents that have the greatest impact or visibility, including:
- documents tied to critical business processes
- fillable PDFs used for forms or workflows
- materials that require a handwritten signature
- highly used or high-visibility materials
- program, admissions, or transfer-related documents
Initial Focus Areas
Over the next several weeks, the university will begin working directly with a small number of offices whose documents have the highest visibility or impact on campus operations.
Initial outreach will focus on areas such as:
- Admissions
- Enrollment Services
- Human Resources
These areas manage forms and documents that are widely used by students, employees, and applicants. Addressing them first helps reduce accessibility barriers for the largest number of users.
Additional units will be contacted as the project continues.
Decision Guide
As you review each document, use this sequence:
-
Is it still needed?
No - Submit a web support request to remove it from the public website.
Yes - Continue.
-
What type of content is it?
Informational content - Plan to move the content to a webpage as soon as possible.
Form or data collection - Use Microsoft Forms or Qualtrics instead of a PDF.
Must remain a PDF - The PDF will need to meet accessibility standards so it can be used with assistive technology.
When in doubt, removing the PDF from the public website is often the safest first step until the right replacement is in place.
Support Options
Different types of content will follow different support paths.
Webpage content
If a document should become webpage content, work with Web Strategy in University Communications and Marketing.
Forms and workflows
If a PDF is being used as a form or workflow, work with CaTS to determine whether Microsoft Forms or Qualtrics is the better solution.
PDFs that must remain PDFs
If a document must remain a PDF, the document owner is responsible for preparing an accessible file. Support for PDF accessibility will follow a self-service model using university guidance and tools.
Requests and questions may be submitted through the Digital Accessibility Request Form. Submissions will be routed to the appropriate area.
Resources
糖心原创
- New ADA Title II Digital Accessibility Requirements
- SharePoint Sites | CaTS
- PDFs | 糖心原创 Online
External
- | Microsoft Support
- | Adobe