PDF and the OSU Standards

Using PDF to distribute content involves several special considerations to insure accessibility and to meet the OSU Minimum Web Accessibility Standards (MWAS). To insure compliance, web designers must address several different standards. In the discussion below, we've identified these requirements for you and referenced the associated standard.

OSU Requirements for Implementing PDF on Your Web Site.

Provide a link to a PDF viewer plug-in (typically Acrobat Reader) on every page with PDF link. (MWAS 13).

Web designers should not assume that users have an available PDF viewer installed on their desktops. Many users may avoid downloading and installing external plug-ins to avoid viruses, trojans, and other nefarious elements.

Offer a link to the download page of a PDF viewer that is accessible to assistive technology. If you do not use the more standard PDF viewer (Adobe Reader), be sure to test your plug-in to insure it is ADA compliant.

Tip: You can easily meet this requirement by adding the link to a PDF viewer on the footer of your pages (e.g. "PDF files in this site may require Adobe Reader to view.").

Inform the user when a link is PDF. (MWAS 18).

Some users may want to avoid opening PDF documents, especially if they may take a long time to download or open on a slower modem or older processor. Also, users may want to open the PDF viewer first, before opening your document, to avoid system errors. Typically, designers choose one of three options to identify PDFs:

1. Link text: View my document [PDF].
2. Symbol: View my document*. All links with an asterisk lead to PDF.
3. Collect/Bundle: View any of the following documents (note: all documents are PDF format): Link1, Link2, Link3.

For good and bad examples of PDF linking, see the WAC Guide "Identifying Links to PDF Files."

Make every attempt to insure that PDFs are accessible.

PDFs offered on your site should be created so that they are accessible to users of assistive technology. Creating accessible PDFs depends largely on how the original document is created in the originating software and/or how the document is scanned into PDF.

For more on assessing a PDF for accessibility, see the WAC guide: "What Is an Accessible PDF?" and "Checking Your PDF for Accessibility."

What to do with Non-accessible PDFs?

If you are unable to make a particular PDF accessible, you should:

1. offer the document in an accessible alternative format (e.g. HTML or text – MWAS 19)

OR

2. include a clear statement on how users can request and obtain an accessible version of the document (OSU Web Policy).

It is expected that most sites will use a combination of these techniques: accessible PDFs, non-accessible PDFs with alternate versions, and non-accessible PDFs with alternate formats by request only (archived PDF).

Determining which PDFs will be made accessible or available in alternate format and which will be offered in accessible form by request only depends on the timeliness of the document, the importance of the document in completing necessary or regular business with the university program or office, and the priority of usage (number of hits) of the document in comparison to other documents in the site.

Archived PDFs

Archived PDF documents are those containing information that is not essential to using the services of or conducting business with the university office or program and are accessed infrequently or contain out-dated or historical information of limited use and value to the general user. These PDFs may be offered in accessible format by request only.

In the case of archived PDFs, it is the responsibility of the web developer to:

1. On the entry page (where the archived PDF is linked), provide a clear statement identifying how a user may request the PDF document in accessible format.

and

2. Insure that requests are met in a reasonable amount of time (typically not more than 10 business days). Units should review their response protocols to insure that accessibility-related requests receive high-priority status.