Drupal PDF Accessibility Review (D-PAR)
A campus-wide initiative to identify, categorize, and remediate PDFs hosted on SFSU's Drupal websites to ensure accessibility compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508.
Overview
The D-PAR project is in response to the US Access Board’s January 2024 update to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It is a campus-wide initiative to identify, categorize, and remediate PDFs hosted on SFSU's Drupal websites to ensure accessibility compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508.
Monthly scans run by ATI will be used to locate documents that are not in compliance. Each month, a report will be sent to all website managers who have inaccessible PDFs on their websites. Website owners are instructed to:
- Remove unneeded PDFs
- Archive any historic or reference documents
- Remediate PDFs that need to remain on their website
- Replace the inaccessible PDF with the remediated version
Project Updates
For August and September 2025, the focus of the project will be on archiving inaccessible content that will not be updated or referenced in the future. For steps to achieve content in Drupal, please see the Web Accessibility Guide.
Intended Audience: SFSU Website owners, editors and content creators
Check our monthly accessibility reports, to discover if your website has an PDFs that do not comply with WCAG 2.2 and
Other things you may need to ensure you're website is accessible:
- Access to Drupal editing for your website
- Access to the PDF remediation program, Equidox. To request access to Equidox, please email access@sfsu.edu
- Access to a PDF Accessibility checker, we recommend the free program PAC
The Drupal PDF Scans are available here.
A comprehensive html report is available here.
Report Overview
Domain PDF scans are available in the form of an Excel document with two sheets:
- Scanned PDFs
- Failure
Deciding which PDFs to remediate will be challenging. To make this decision easier for non-technical users a refined selection of PDF UA failure conditions are aggregated.
| Column | What It Means |
|---|---|
| PDF URI | The link to the PDF file |
| Parent | The Page containing the PDF |
| Violations | The number of unique PDF/UA failure types (e.g., missing alt text, untagged lists). |
| Tagged | Indicates whether the PDF has a tagged structure. Untagged PDFs are not accessible to screen readers. |
| PDF Text Type | Shows how text is encoded in the file: • Text = More Accessible • Image over text or Image only = Likely inaccessible |
| Has Form | Marks whether the PDF contains form fields. These are always considered high priority for remediation. |
| Errors/Page | A higher value suggests a more problematic document. |
| High Priority (yes/no) | Defaults to Yes. Select no if no remediation conditions apply. |
| DPRC Will Remediate | Defaults to No. If this is a high priority PDF, the DPRC may remediate it for free, depending on resources. |
Red Rows = Inaccessible
Blue Rows = It is ok to ignore
Remove or Replace the PDF
In some cases, it may be more practical to remove or replace a PDF rather than remediate it. Consider the following options:
Remove the PDF:
- Outdated Content: If the PDF contains outdated information or is no longer relevant, it may be best to remove it from the website.
- Broken Links: If the PDF link is broken or the document no longer exists, update or remove the link from your site to improve user experience.
Replace the PDF:
- Alternative Formats: Consider using alternative formats such as HTML pages or Qualtrics/Drupal forms, which are inherently more accessible and easier to maintain.
- Updated Documents: If you have an updated version of the document, ensure it is accessible before uploading it to replace the old version.
Can I Archive this PDF?
The 2024 ADA Title II Final Rule allows certain PDFs to be exempt from accessibility remediation if they qualify as archived content. However, this exemption only applies to Title II public-facing content, not to internal content covered under Title I.
| ADA Title | Covers | Archive Rule Applies? | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title II | Public-facing content and services provided by state and local government (e.g., university websites, admissions info, academic program pages) | Yes — if all archive conditions are met | PDFs on department websites, archived event flyers, old academic catalogs |
| Title I | Employment-related information, internal systems, and documents used by employees (e.g., HR onboarding, internal training, staff portals) | No — archived PDFs must still be accessible to employees with disabilities | HR forms, benefits guides, job instructions behind SSO or on intranet |
Under the 2024 ADA Title II Final Rule, certain public-facing digital content—like PDFs or Word files—may be exempt from WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility remediation if they meet strict archived web content criteria (defined in 28 C.F.R. § 35.104).
Archived content must still be provided in an accessible format upon request.
A PDF can be archived if all four conditions are met:
- It was created before the April 24, 2026 compliance deadline, and
- It is kept only for reference, research, or record-keeping, and
- It has not been modified or updated since being archived, and
- It is clearly marked as archived, either by:
- Being stored in an “Archive” section (Example 1 and Example 2)
- Having “Archive” or “Archived” in the file name or page title e.g.
Archived-2017-Flyer.pdf(See Example 3) - Moved into an dedicated archive box.com folder and labeled publicly as archived. (See Example 4)
You do not need to remediate PDFs that are archived, unless
- As long as they remain inactive and clearly labeled and stored in an "archive" section of your page.
- You must still provide an accessible version upon request to meet effective communication standards.
- Archived files should not appear in current navigation, homepage links, or service pages.
- PDFs created after April 2026 must be accessible.
How to archive a PDF
Please follow the detailed archive guide to move archivable PDFs into box.
Which documents need to be remediated?
| Condition or Situation | Recommended Action |
|---|---|
| PDF was posted or updated after your ADA/WCAG compliance date (April 2026) | Remediate |
| PDF is actively used for critical services, forms, or public processes | Remediate |
| PDF is frequently accessed or downloaded | Remediate |
| PDF contains legally required or program-critical information | Remediate |
| PDF is historical, pre-dates the rule, and is archived (not updated or used) | Left Alone (unless requested) |
| PDF is outdated, rarely accessed, and no longer needed | Remove |
| PDF content duplicates an accessible webpage | Remove or Left Alone if clearly marked archival |
| PDF is mostly visual and cannot be remediated practically | Remove or replace with accessible alternative |
| PDF is an image-only scan and lacks a searchable text layer | Remove or replace with accessible version |
Using Equidox:
- Request an account for Equidox. Please email access@sfsu.edu to make a request
Training and Resources:
- Take advantage of online tutorials and resources to improve your understanding and skills in PDF accessibility. Websites like the WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) provide excellent guides and tips.
Basic Remediation Steps:
- Add Tags: Make sure your PDF is tagged. Tags are essential for screen readers to interpret the content correctly.
- Text Alternatives: Provide text descriptions for non-text content like images, charts, and graphs.
- Reading Order: Check and adjust the reading order to ensure it matches the logical flow of the content.
- Forms: Ensure form fields are interactive and have clear labels. Use the “Prepare Form” tool in Adobe Acrobat to add necessary form tags.
- Headings and Structure: Use proper headings to create a structured and navigable document.
Checking for Accessibilty:
- The PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) can be used to validate the compliance of your documents with PDF/UA standards.
Request a Consultation
If you would like consultation regarding a report. Please email access@sfsu.edu.
*coming soon*
Requested By
Status
Start Date
Delivery Date
Who Will This Impact?
- Students
- Staff
- Faculty