[Ucrfacultyandstaff] Digital Deep Clean Week Six Challenge: PDFs

Wed Mar 18 09:55:45 PDT 2026

[image: UC Riverside logo]
The UCR Digital Deep Clean

[image: A large and disorganized home library with numerous books]
Week Six: The Library

The challenge this week is daunting but critical. We're headed to our
digital home’s "Library" to tackle PDF remediation. We’re learning how to
make a PDF accessible and use Adobe’s accessibility checker to ensure our
PDFs are "tagged" and in the correct reading order.

If we continue the analogy from last week's "Home Office" challenge
<https://accessibility.ucr.edu/announcements/2026/03/12/ucr-digital-deep-clean-week-five-home-office>,
a PDF is like a locked file cabinet in that it is inherently less
accessible. Without "tags," a screen reader can't see what's inside.
"Tagging" a PDF is like creating a digital map of the document so that
assistive technology knows exactly what to read and in what order.

Tagged PDFs are also mobile-responsive. This is important for our faculty,
staff, and students who frequently work from their smartphones. When a PDF
is tagged correctly, the text "reflows" to fit the screen, saving everyone
from the dreaded "pinch and zoom."
The Weekly Guidance

[image: A person signing a printed form with a pen]
Content Suitable for a PDF

Most content is not suitable for a PDF. According to UCOP
<https://www.ucop.edu/information-technology-services/services/ucop-it-services/application-and-web-services/accessible-pdfs.html>,
“Content that may need to be posted as a PDF includes a signed/dated memo,
a formal policy, or a report that is printed.”
[image: A Microsoft Word menu showing the steps to export a document to a
PDF]
Start at the Source

The easiest way to create an accessible PDF
<https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/hub/what-is-an-accessible-pdf.html> is to start
with an accessible source. As shared last week, create your content in a
webpage or a structured application like Google Docs
<https://docs.google.com> or Microsoft Word (online)
<https://www.office.com/>.

   -

   Use the built-in Styles and accessibility features
   <https://accessibility.ucr.edu/announcements/2026/03/12/ucr-digital-deep-clean-week-five-home-office>
   to easily add headings, alt-text, and list structures. When you eventually
   convert to PDF, those accessibility "tags" travel with the document.
   -

   Always use "Save As PDF" or "Export to PDF." In the settings, ensure
   that the box for "Document structure tags for accessibility" is checked.
   This keeps the "digital map" of your document intact.

Pro Tip: Never use "Print to PDF." If selected, the computer treats the
document like a physical piece of paper. It strips away all the headings,
links, and alt-text, leaving behind a "flat" image that is completely
inaccessible to screen readers.
[image: A digital accessibility symbol - person in a circle with a
checkmark - on a red background that contains numerous Adobe logos]
Remediate with Adobe Acrobat Pro

If you have an existing PDF that needs fixing, Adobe Acrobat Pro is the
best tool for the job. It contains accessibility features
<https://www.adobe.com/accessibility/pdf/pdf-accessibility-overview.html>
including an Accessibility Setup Assistant, the ability to prepare a PDF
for accessibility, and the ability to run an accessibility report.

To learn how to use these features, we strongly recommend reviewing Adobe’s
guidance
<https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html>
and taking the Linkedin Learning course titled “Creating Accessible PDFs”
by Chad Chelius
<https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/share?account=26135898&forceAccount=false&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Flearning%2Fcreating-accessible-pdfs-14445392%3Ftrk%3Dshare_ent_url%26shareId%3DO03CPJMvRWulu1ywiJzE6Q%253D%253D>.
(Note that all faculty and staff can access Linkedin Learning
<https://linkedin.com/checkpoint/enterprise/login/26135898?application=learning&appInstanceId=40840244&authModeId=6509230483031891968>
directly through R'Space <http://rspace.ucr.edu>.)

Pro Tip: If you only have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, you won't have
access to the accessibility tools. If you find yourself needing to
remediate many PDFs, consider reaching out to your department about
obtaining an Acrobat Pro license. If a Pro license isn’t an option,
consider using the Student Disability Resource Center’s SensusAccess tool
<https://sdrc.ucr.edu/sensusaccess> to convert PDFs into alternate formats.

The Weekly Challenge

[image: A woman sitting at a desk and writing down a plan]

Identify: Find the PDFs you frequently share or host online. Which require
remediation? Can any be “retired” (deleted) or “reformed” (recreated using
an accessible format)?

Review: Review the PDF remediation guidance contained in this email.

Plan: Make a plan for how you’ll tackle the remediation of content you’ve
decided to keep as PDFs.
Faculty Focus

Use the UDOIT tool to scan your Canvas courses for inaccessible PDFs. It
can identify untagged or scanned PDFs and offer options to convert them
into accessible Canvas pages or text files, immediately improving
readability for your students.
Learn How to Use UDOIT in Canvas <https://teaching.ucr.edu/udoit-guide>
Upcoming Accessibility Workshops
<https://teaching.ucr.edu/accessibility-workshops>
Accessible PDFs Guidance <https://teaching.ucr.edu/accessible-pdfs>
Accessibility for PDFs Course
<https://learninghub.siteimprove.com/path/accessibility-for-marketers/customer-training-accessibility-for-pdfs>

Website Wranglers
Learn About Siteimprove PDF Validate
<https://help.siteimprove.com/support/solutions/articles/80001190146-pdf-validate>
Accessibility for PDFs Course
<https://learninghub.siteimprove.com/path/accessibility-for-marketers/customer-training-accessibility-for-pdfs>

Siteimprove recently added a PDF validation feature to check the health of
the documents hosted on your pages. You can access PDF Validate directly in
the platform: Accessibility > PDFs > PDF Validate.
Did You Miss Previous Weeks or Want to Get Ahead?

You can find all of the accessibility guidance and resources provided as
part of the Digital Deep Clean challenge on the Digital Accessibility
webpage!
Visit the Digital Accessibility Webpage to Learn More
<https://accessibility.ucr.edu/digital-accessibility>

Access barrier? Report digital accessibility issues or request remediation
<https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal?id=ucr_accessibility_form_login>
of inaccessible digital content.

University of California, Riverside

900 University Ave.

Riverside, CA 92521

951-827-1012 | ucr.edu <https://www.ucr.edu/>
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