Digital Accessibility

PDFs are one of the most common document types—and often the preferred format for sharing files on the website. However, it’s important to ensure they are accessible to everyone, including individuals who use screen readers.

Learn how to create and share accessible PDFs, and remember: do not use PDFs to present digital content that could or should be published as a web page instead.

• PDF Accessibility Checker
• UL System: Zoom Recording Link: Access Starts Here: ADA Compliance for Documents (Recording)
• Adobe Acrobat Pro: Make PDFs Accessible
• Microsoft Office: Create Accessible PDFs
• Save Word or PowerPoint files the right way before turning them into PDFs
• Google Workspace
• WebAIM: PDF Accessibility: A comprehensive, easy-to-follow overview of accessible PDF creation and repair.

Use proper heading hierarchy to clearly organize content, similar to chapter titles in a book. Headings should follow a logical order such as H1, H2, and H3. Follow best practices for headers, like starting each page with an H1 that describes the content of the page, then using H2s and H3s as sub-headings. Use the heading tags intentionally; do not randomly stagger them with no thought to the structure.

Keep dense paragraphs to a minimum, use shorter sentences when you can, and avoid using jargon or slang. Clearer, more concise copy will help users with cognitive impairments to better understand your content and will also help minimize confusion for all readers.

• OTS Guide: Page Structure

Avoid Using All Capital Letters

• Using all capital letters in text can make content harder to read for many users, including people with dyslexia, low vision, or cognitive disabilities.
• Excessive use of all caps can negatively impact readability and comprehension and should be avoided in favor of sentence or title case.
• Some assistive technologies may interpret long strings of capital letters as acronyms or emphasize them differently, which can affect how the content is understood.

Write descriptive link and button text that makes sense out of context and clearly describes where the link goes. Avoid using phrases like “click here.”

The best link text gives the user an idea of what to expect once they click. Descriptive link text is especially critical for your call-to-action copy. What better prepares the user about what they’ll encounter when they click: “Click here” or “Download our whitepaper”?

• OTS Guide: How to Write Hyperlinks

Add meaningful alternative text to images so users who rely on screen readers understand the content and purpose of the image.

Alternative text, or “alt text,” describes your website’s images so a screen reader user can get a more comprehensive idea of each web page’s content. If you chose images that function as a visual explanation, people who cannot see them will be at a loss if you forgo alt text.

• OTS Guide: How to Write Good Alt Text

Use tables for data only, not to control layout or positioning. The Web Team is currently working to proactively convert many existing tables into fully compliant formats.

Use sufficient color contrast to ensure text and visual elements are easy to read.

Recent website updates address color contrast at the template level, but custom content, images, and graphics should still be reviewed for accessibility.

• WebAIM: Understanding WCAG 2 Contrast and Color Requirements
• Web Aim Contrast Checker

Guide: Accessibility and Email Campaigns – Campaign Monitor

Before You Send: Accessibility Checklist

• Subject line clearly describes the purpose of the email
• Headings are used to organize content (not just bold or large text)
• Content follows a logical, top-to-bottom reading order
• Text has sufficient color contrast against background colors
• Images include appropriate alt text
• No important information appears only in images
• Links use meaningful, descriptive text
• Fonts are simple and readable
• Send a test email and review it on desktop and mobile
• When possible, review using a screen reader or plain-text view