The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is hosting its fifth annual pdx.edu PDF Spring Cleaning event! From April 17 to May 15, 2025, OIT will guide registered participants through several different, self-paced options for addressing accessibility barriers associated with public-facing portable document files (PDFs).
There are currently thousands of PDFs on the public-facing pdx.edu website. Many of those PDFs were not created with accessibility in mind. Inaccessible PDFs and PDF forms can pose formidable if not prohibitive barriers for people with disabilities. Fortunately, there are many ways to ensure that the digital resources we publish are accessible to all users, whether that means exploring more sustainable, accessible formats or doing the work necessary to make our PDFs accessible.
Schedule
Week 1: Inventory and Strategy (April 17 to April 24)
Participants will receive a custom PDF Inventory and Strategy Worksheet. This resource will include a list of all PDFs on their pdx.edu site(s). There will be space for participants to add additional PDFs that they may currently store and distribute elsewhere. Participants will be asked to review their inventory and to assign a strategy to each PDF based on a provided list of options and associated instructions. Options include:
- deletion
- archival
- conversion to an accessible web page
- conversion to an accessible web form
- conversion to accessible PDF
- conversion to accessible PDF form
Week 2: Web Pages (April 24 to May 1)
Participants will receive resources and support for creating new, accessible web pages on their pdx.edu site(s). Participants will be strongly encouraged to utilize the Web Communications team's 1:1 site help consultations for any questions related to pdx.edu site design.
Week 3: Web Forms (May 1 to May 8)
Participants will receive resources and support for creating new, accessible web forms to share on their pdx.edu site(s). Participants will be strongly encouraged to attend an informative presentation on secure web form options available at PSU, like Qualtrics and OnBase.
Week 4: PDFs and PDF Forms (May 8 to May 15)
Participants will receive resources and support for remediating inaccessible PDFs and PDF forms by creating new versions in programs like Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign and validating in Adobe Acrobat Pro and Foxit PhantomPDF. Participants will also be given information regarding third party vendors that may be hired to do this work if their departments do not have the capacity to remediate in house.
Please note that while Adobe Acrobat Pro or Foxit PhantomPDF can generate fully accessible PDFs, only Adobe Acrobat Pro can generate fully accessible PDF forms. Departments may purchase copies of Adobe Acrobat Pro and Foxit PhantomPDF by submitting a software installation request through the OIT Helpdesk.
Conclusion
On May 15, Global Accessibility Awareness Day, participants will share their updated PDF Inventory and Strategy Worksheet with the Digital Accessibility and Content team, indicating which PDFs were deleted, archived, converted or made accessible. Each group that actively participates in this event will receive a certificate of recognition from OIT regarding their outstanding commitment to digital accessibility and inclusion at Portland State University.
Registration
Registration for the pdx.edu PDF Spring Cleaning Event is currently closed.
Questions
If you have any questions related to this upcoming virtual event, contact the Digital Accessibility and Content team at help-accessibility@pdx.edu or submit a Digital Accessibility Support Request.