Accessible Alternatives to PDF

PDFs can be difficult and time-consuming to make accessible to users of assistive technology. Often, the easiest way to ensure your course materials are accessible is to avoid PDFs altogether and use inherently more accessible formats like Word (.docx) or HTML. Check out the following easier/better alternatives to PDFs.

Option 1: Link to Existing Web or Library Content (Easiest)

Does the content already exist in a more accessible format online or in our library?

For example, instead of scanning a print journal article, check if the full text is already published on the publisher’s website as HTML (directly on a webpage).

If it is, consider adding a permalink to that article in your Moodle course or website. You could even provide the link in addition to a PDF so students can choose their preferred reading format.

Note about Web e-Readers

Some websites publish their content in their own web e-readers. These platforms are not always accessible. Reach out to a librarian or email Accessibility@Swat if you’re unsure whether an online resource is accessible.

Option 2: Creating Your Own Document? Start with an Accessible Source File

If you are creating the document yourself, or you have access to the creator’s source file, make the source file as accessible as you can, then convert it to PDF. See the following guides:

How to Convert to PDF

Microsoft Suite

Presuming you’ve checked accessibility, if you do need to convert the file to PDF, we suggest the following method:

Go to File, then Save As…
Change the file type to PDF.
Check Best for electronic distribution and accessibility.

This method preserves headings, alt text, etc. better than other PDF conversion methods.

Google Suite

We strongly suggest using Grackle, a Swarthmore-approved extension for Google.

In your Google Workspace document, click on the Extensions menu.
Hover over Grackle [Docs/Sheets/Slides], then click on Launch.

For installation instructions and a tutorial, see Grackle: Making Google Documents Accessible on the Swarthmore ITS Blog.

When to Avoid PDFs Entirely

STEM: PDFs are not recommended for STEM. Math formulas in PDFs often turn into flat images, requiring highly complex alt text. Industry leaders instead recommend formats/tools such as Chem4Word, Wiris’s MathType and ChemType, or LaTeX (published via HTML, not PDF).
Forms: Avoid creating fillable PDF forms, as they can be tricky to make accessible. If you do need to create a PDF form, we strongly recommend watching the LinkedIn Learning course Advanced Accessible PDFs (chapter 3) by Chad Chelius, contacting ITS Support, or scheduling a consultation with Accessibility@Swat.

Option 3: Only Have a Physical Paper Copy? Tips for Scanning

If you don’t have the digital source file and have to scan a physical copy, quality matters. Fuzzy, skewed, or marked-up scans make it difficult for conversion tools and assistive technology to read the text. In these cases, it’s worth rescanning the source.

Check out the tips from the University of Washington’s page about creating high-quality scans.

Tip: Use Swarthmore copiers to create your scans. All Swarthmore copiers are set to create OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scans, which means they will convert scans to text rather than simply pictures of text.

Once you have your high-quality PDF scan, you can either convert it to another more accessible format (Option 4) or keep it in PDF format and remediate it (Option 5).

Option 4: Don’t Have a Source File? Convert Your PDF to a Different Format

If you don’t have a digital or physical source file for your PDF, you may be able to avoid lengthy accessibility remediation by converting your PDF to a more accessible format. Try out the following tools:

RoboBraille (SensusAccess) for converting files to HTML, .docx, e-book, and more. Especially helpful for non-text-based PDFs. Available to everyone on campus.
Read&Write’s PDF importer. Available to everyone on campus.

Note: While a document converted using one of these tools may not achieve full WCAG compliance or a peak accessible experience, it will generally be more accessible than a PDF. Be sure to review the quality of the converted file before sharing with students.

Option 5: Still Want to Use PDF? Remediate It!

While avoiding PDF is often the best way to make your materials accessible, sometimes you just need a PDF. See Creating Accessible Documents and PDFs to learn how to remediate your PDF for accessibility.

Stuck?

We’re here to help with your accessibility questions! Contact ITS Support or schedule a consultation with Accessibility@Swat.

Resources to Learn More

How to Use Read&Write’s PDF Scan Tool