PDF is a common file format that can be displayed and opened the same way on almost any device. While PDFs are great because any device can view them they do have one major draw back. PDFs are not designed to be easy to edit.
When creating PDFs it’s always recommended to keep a working version of the document in its original format such as MS Word. This way any changes to update content or accessibility remediations can be made more easily. When complete you can always publish it from Word to a PDF. For help with accessibility in MS Word visit the Accessible Documents page.
If you do not have the original source file, you can always convert your PDF to Word and then complete remediation. Some documents will convert to MS Word better than others. If your document does not convert to word well, either because it is a scanned image of a book page or it has too many design elements you can edit the document directly in Abode Acrobat.
Below are several links to helpful videos and guides on making PDFs accessible in Adobe Acrobat XI.
Visit the web pages for NCDAE and Adobe for additional guides on PDF accessibility.
Blackboard Ally: The course tool “Ally” once activated will scan your course documents and rate their accessibility as well as provide instructions on remediation to correct any accessibility issues it finds. Learn more about Ally at the link below or contact bbhelp@uml.edu.