Category: Accessible documents

As spring quarter wraps up, now is the ideal time to prepare any PDFs in course materials for fall. UW faculty and staff have access to the Little Forest PDF Remediation Tool, designed to help improve the accessibility of actively used PDFs by adding document structure, tags, and generating suggested alternative text for images.

Accessible documents are essential for supporting students with a variety of disabilities. A new document remediation service is available, but for documents requiring manual remediation, the wait time is increasing. Submitting PDFs now provides summer staff more time to help ensure your content is ready for your students when your fall course begins.

Before You Submit

If you have PDFs in your course materials or on student-facing websites that may not be accessible, start by determining whether the content needs to be a PDF at all.

Use the following resources to guide your review of existing materials and the creation of new ones:

• Our Think Before You Create a PDF blog post
• The Accessibility and PDFs: Role-based Decision Trees page on the Accessible Technology Services (ATS) website

As part of this process:

• Delete or archive outdated files. Little Forest should only be used for PDFs in active use.
• Do not upload documents containing PHI, PII, or FERPA-protected information should not be included. Visit the Little Forest page on the ATS website for more guidance on sensitive and protected data and information.

Taking action now can help create a more accessible and inclusive learning experience for students this fall.

UW faculty and staff now have access to a new resource to support digital accessibility: the Little Forest PDF Remediation Tool. Designed with extensive input from UWIT’s Accessible Technologies Services (ATS) team, Little Forest helps improve the accessibility of high-priority PDFs by adding document structure tags and alternative text (alt text).

Before You Start

In last year’s blog post, Think Before You Create a PDF, we noted that PDFs can create barriers for people with disabilities. They often require extra work to make accessible, are harder to navigate on mobile devices, and aren’t easy to update. It’s worth your time to take a step back to consider whether a PDF is the best format for your content.

Important Note About UW Data

Please note that Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and FERPA-related data should not be uploaded to Little Forest, as it is not HIPPA- or FERPA-compliant. Visit the Little Forest page on the ATS website for more guidance on sensitive and protected data and information.

When and Why to Use Little Forest

The initial rollout of Little Forest focused on course-related PDFs, and now it is available for broader use at the University. Making these documents accessible supports a more equitable and inclusive experience for students with disabilities who rely on screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Little Forest is recommended for PDFs that are still actively in use. UW departments, units, and faculty are encouraged to archive or remove outdated documents rather than invest time in remediation. The tool can automatically add tags for headings, lists, and tables, and it generates suggested alt text for images that users review and edit for accuracy. Because automated remediation is imperfect, some documents may still require you to do manual follow-up work, or you can submit a request for additional remediation directly within the tool.

Learn More

For guidance on getting started, recommended use, and known limitations, and additional information, visit the Little Forest PDF Remediation Tool webpage.

As the University of Washington prepares for the ADA Title II digital accessibility deadline on April 24, 2026, the Digital Accessibility Initiative (DAI) team continues to share practical guidance to help units create inclusive, compliant digital experiences. In our March update, supervisors were encouraged to help their teams prioritize key accessibility efforts and take advantage of UW-supported tools and training. 

This month’s focus includes Grackle for Google Workspace, a new accessibility checker available to all UW students, faculty, and staff. Grackle makes it easier to identify and fix accessibility issues directly in Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets—supporting WCAG 2.1 AA standards and UW policy.  

Supervisors were also reminded of best practices for accessible online classes and meetings, including using live captions, sharing materials in advance, and reviewing auto-generated captions for accuracy. 

Website owners were encouraged to actively use DubBot, UW’s website accessibility checker, to remediate issues and prioritize high-traffic, public-facing content. The DAI team also highlighted the importance of keyboard accessibility, an essential but often overlooked requirement. 

Everyone is invited to build their skills by attending upcoming digital accessibility events, joining community meetups, and taking free online training. Small steps, taken together, will make a big difference for our accessible future. 

At first glance, creating PDFs might seem like a convenient way to share information, they’re easy to attach, consistent in appearance, and familiar to most users. But in the digital age, especially at a university committed to accessibility and inclusion, it’s time to rethink when and how we use them.

Why You Shouldn’t Default to PDF

PDFs can pose real barriers for users with disabilities. They often require extra steps to make accessible, are difficult to navigate on mobile devices, and aren’t easily updated. Worse, they can interrupt the seamless experience we strive to provide across our websites and digital platforms.
If you’re publishing content online, especially for students, employees, or the public, ask yourself: Does this need to be a PDF?
In most cases, the answer is no.

When PDFs Are Appropriate

We’re not saying never use PDFs. They still have a place, but only when their format provides a clear and necessary benefit. For example:

• Archival documents: Final reports, memos, or policies that are no longer actively edited.
• Official printable forms: For workflows that require hand-signed, physical copies.
• Complex designs: Flyers or brochures that require controlled layout and branding.
• Legal documents: Public notices or contracts that need a fixed, time-stamped format.
• Scientific publications: Manuals or white papers with complex formatting.
• Long-form publications: Handbooks or annual reports, ideally with navigation tags and bookmarks.
• External submissions: Documents required in PDF format by funding agencies or partners.

Even in these cases, PDFs must be accessible, tagged for screen readers, structured for navigation, and readable on multiple devices.

When PDFs Are Not Ideal

Avoid PDFs for content, such as:

• Dynamic content that updates regularly
• Interactive Forms
• Event announcements
• Department overviews
• How-to instructions
• Meeting presentations and minutes
• Training materials and on-boarding content
• Web-based tutorials or walk-throughs

For these types of content, it’s better to use tools that have built-in editors and create web-friendly formats, like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Qualtrics, or web platforms such as Microsoft or Google forms. These tools are designed to produce content that is more accessible for people with disabilities, easier to read on mobile devices, and quicker to update when things change. They also make it easier for screen readers and search engines to understand your content. Features like headings, bullet points, tables, and image descriptions are built in, helping everyone navigate and use the content more effectively.

PDF Guidance

Use PDFs only when formatting, printability, or legal compliance demand it. Otherwise, default to other structured tools. Doing so makes our content more inclusive, usable, and future-proof.

Let’s build a digital environment where information is open, accessible, and effortless to engage with, for everyone. For more information, resources, and support, visit the Digital Accessibility portal.