This report shows the accessible content solutions that are underway or completed at departments. Whenever possible, we recommend switching to an html solution for PDFs as html will provide the most accessible solution. PDFs cannot support display modes, do not provide a clean experience for screen reader users (even when remediated), and often do not provide an equally effective experience for low vision employees, students, etc. Even when a PDF can provide an accessible experience, the PDF often needs to be redesigned to provide a truly accessible experience.
Completed Solutions
| Accessible Solution | Department | What did the Solution Replace? | Benefits of Accessible Solution |
|---|
| HTML-Based Board Policies | Board of Trustees | Inaccessible PDFs | Policies are now mobile responsive, work with browser zoom, provide better semantics for screen reader users, and can be adapted based on a user's display mode (high contrast mode, dark mode, color filters mode, etc.) |
| HTML-Based Timeline | Communications | Non-semantic html, Image-based timelines, etc. | Communications requested an accessible html-based timeline for an upcoming Massachusetts.edu project. We will roll this functionality out on umassp.edu as well so project managers can use it for timelines that need to be posted to the website. |
| HTML-Based Books | UITS and General Counsel | Inaccessible PDFs and Word Documents | The General Counsel switched from a PDF to an html book for the Immigration Handbook going forward. The UITS Digital Experience team also switched to html book format for multiple guides. This makes the guides easier to find and also reduces the risk of having multiple versions being shared via email and Dropbox. |
| 403(b) One-Time Payout Salesforce Connector Form | Human Resources | Inaccessible PDFs | Provides a fully accessible and mobile responsive experience. Removes information security risk of employees adding EmplID and last four of SSN to a PDF and sending it via email. Data is not collected in Form Database and is submitted directly to a Salesforce case. Also removes the risk of someone downloading the PDF from Salesforce and storing the data locally. This is important as access to sensitive information in HR Direct is being protected by the last four digitals of the SSN. |
| HTML-Based HR Guidelines | Human Resources | Inaccessible PDFs | HR Guidelines are now mobile responsive, work with browser zoom, provide better semantics for screen reader users, and can be adapted based on a user's display mode (high contrast mode, dark mode, color filters mode, etc.) |
In Progress Solutions
| Accessible Solution | Department | What Will the Solution Replace? | Benefits of Accessible Solution |
|---|
| Institutional Research Remediated Document or HTML Book | Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Equity | Inaccessible PDFs | AASAE is currently exploring multiple solutions for their annual reports, including remediated PDFs, keeping reports in Word format, and modernizing reports as html content. Another possible option will be to explore converting the PDF to an ePub but guidance would needed on if people would need a specific desktop app to open the ePub. |
| A&F Knowledge Articles | A&F | Inaccessible PDFs | Once converted to knowledge articles, training content will be mobile responsive, work with browser zoom, provide better semantics for screen reader users, and can be adapted based on a user's display mode (high contrast mode, dark mode, color filters mode, etc.). In addition, the knowledge articles will provide better search results for the chatbot that A&F is using. |
