Documents, flyers, and PDFs are commonly used to share information with students, families, employees, and the community. Whether you’re creating a handout, newsletter, guide, flyer, or report, it’s important to consider accessibility from the beginning. Many flyers and PDFs start as documents created in programs such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Canva, or Adobe applications. Accessibility starts with the original document and should be maintained when content is exported or converted to another format. Features such as headings, alternative text, meaningful links, and logical reading order may not always transfer correctly, making it important to check the final version before sharing.
Below are tips for creating accessible documents, flyers, and PDFs, applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL), sharing content on websites, and additional resources for program-specific guidance.
Use Headings & Structure
Use built-in heading styles, lists, and a logical reading order so everyone, including people using assistive technology, can easily navigate and understand the content.
Create Meaningful Links
Use descriptive, visually distinguishable links that clearly identify their destination or purpose, and verify that all links work before sharing.
Add Alternative Text to Images
Add meaningful alternative text to informative images, mark decorative images appropriately so people using assistive technology can understand important visual information.
Use Accessible Color & Contrast
Use sufficient color contrast, avoid busy backgrounds, and never rely on color alone to communicate important information.
Use Tables Carefully
Use tables to organize data, not to create visual layouts. Include clear headers and keep tables simple.
Make Text Easy to Read
Use clear language, readable fonts, appropriate text sizes, consistent formatting, and adequate spacing to make documents, PDFs, and flyers easy for everyone to read and understand.
Be Careful with Flyers & Highly Visual Designs
Keep flyers and highly visual designs simple and easy to navigate, using readable text, sufficient contrast, and meaningful alt text while ensuring essential information is available in an accessible format.
Avoid "Print to PDF"
When creating a PDF, use "Save as PDF" or "Export to PDF" with accessibility options enabled to help preserve headings, reading order, links, and other accessibility features that may be lost when printing to a PDF.
Avoid Scanned PDFs
Avoid scanned PDFs whenever possible, they may be unreadable by assistive technology. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) alone does not make a scanned PDF accessible.
Make the Purpose Clear
Use descriptive titles and brief introductions so readers quickly understand what the document is about and what they need to know or do.
Prioritize Important Information
Place essential details, such as dates, times, locations, deadlines, and action items, where readers can easily find them.
Break Up Information
Organize longer documents into manageable sections using meaningful headings, short paragraphs, lists, and white space.
Use Visuals to Support Understanding
Include relevant images, diagrams, or examples that help explain information, and ensure they are accessible.
Keep the Design Simple
Avoid overcrowded flyers, unnecessary graphics, excessive text, and complicated layouts that distract from the main message.
Provide Context and Examples
Explain unfamiliar terms, clarify instructions, and include examples when they help readers understand the information.
Consider Different Formats
Think about whether the information would be easier to access and use as a webpage, document, PDF, video, or audio resource, and provide alternative formats when appropriate.
Creating an accessible document, flyer, or PDF is just the first step. How you share it on your website matters, too! Before posting, consider how visitors will access the information and whether it is easy for everyone to find, navigate, and use.
Use Web Content When Possible
Whenever possible, place important information directly on the webpage rather than requiring users to download a file. Web content is often easier to access, navigate, and read on different devices.
Use Meaningful Links
When linking to a document or PDF, ensure the file is accessible, use descriptive link text that identifies its content and file type, and remove outdated or duplicate files.
Make Flyer Information Available as Text
When posting a flyer as an image, add meaningful alt text, provide important details as accessible webpage text, make links clickable, and ensure downloadable versions are accessible.
Explore the following resources for additional guidance, tools, and step-by-step instructions to help you create accessible documents, flyers, and PDFs.
- Make Your Word Documents Accessible to People with Disability (Microsoft)
- WebAIM: Microsoft Work – Making Your Document Accessible
- Creating Accessible Documents in Google
- Make Your Document, Presentation, Sheets & Videos More Accessible (Google)
- Canva Accessibility Tips
- PDF Accessibility Features (Canva)
- Design Accessibility (Canva)
- Create & Verify PDF Accessibility (Adobe Acrobat)
- Accessible Design in Adobe Express
