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Grain Valley Schools

Every Student. Every Day.

PDF and Fliers

PDF's and Fliers

A document icon with a red PDF label.PDFs, also known as portable document format, are a great way to get a large amount of information in one place. Sharing a PDF or flier digitally creates many challenges for numerous audiences. While it is often thought that this is the most effective way to get information out, that is unfortunately not the case. It is important to note that exporting a large text document as a JPEG or PNG does not fix the issues PDF’s create.

 

 

Challenges of PDF's

  • Text on fliers is often part of an image, meaning screen readers can’t read it for people with visual impairments.

  • Most users access social media on their phones. A flier that looks fine printed on paper will more than likely have text that is too small or cluttered on a phone screen. This will typically result in users needing to pinch and zoom into different areas of the flier to be able to read the text. Making it very inconvenient and difficult to obtain the information needed.

  • With text on fliers being a part of an image, again, screen readers can not do their job to support. If important information is typed up in the platform you are using, the end user can set their language preferences, and the channel more than likely offers translation support. A computer can not scan a PDF for text if not properly tagged, layered, and exported. If the flier is not properly created and text is part of the image, it can not be scanned, and screen readers can not do their job. 

  • Fliers typically are too cluttered with information, making it overwhelming for viewers instead of catching their attention quickly.

  • Social media algorithms favor posts with concise text and motion. A static flier with lots of text tends to get scrolled past!

  • The flier may not match the district’s social media feed, making the post look inconsistent and unprofessional. This can in turn increase a lack of trust with the community.

Steps to Accessibility

Solution

It is also important to note that creating an accessible PDF is extremely difficult, as it needs to include:

Proper Structure & Tagging:
Define Structures such as headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, etc.
Headings must follow a logical hierarchy, and reading order must match the visual order of the document.
Text & Fonts:
All text must be selectable and readable.
Fonts must be embedded to ensure consistent display.
Significant color contrast between text and background.
Images and Non-Text Content:
Images must have alternative text describing their purpose.
Decorative images (graphics) should be marked as artifacts so screen readers can skip them.
Links & Navigation:
Hyperlinks must be descriptive.
Must include bookmarks for longer documents to help with navigation.
Page numbers in the document should match logical page numbers.
Tables & Charts:
Must use header rows and proper tags to define relationships between data cells.
Avoid merged or split cells if possible.
Complex charts should include text descriptions or data summaries.
Language and Metadata:
Specify the document language (E.g. English) in the PDF Properties
Include a document title in metadata.
Keyboard and Assistive Navigation:
All interactive elements (like forms or buttons) must be keyboard accessible.
Tab order must follow a logical sequence.
Color and Visual Design:
Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning (In red you will see…)
Use patterns, shapes, or labels in addition to colors.
Testing:
Use accessibility checkers
Then manually test with a screen reader to confirm usability.

The simplest solution is to step away from creating PDFs or fliers to share information digitally. As mentioned earlier, Fliers are a great way to share information when printed out and used for their intended purpose.
Creating Appealing Accessible Digital Content

Content can still look good, and meet accessibility standards! While we often think that fliers are the most appealing and effective way to share information, that could not be further from the truth. To truly capture individuals attention, and meet accessibility, we encourage staff to create an engaging graphic similar to a billboard with just a highlight of text on it and an engaging design, or image. This will in turn be easier to add Alt Text to the graphic, grab the attention, and maintain a user-friendly experience.

Creating a PDF Is Not Easy 

It is also important to note that creating an accessible PDF is extremely difficult, as it needs to include:

  1. Proper Structure & Tagging:
    • Define Structures such as headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, etc.
    • Headings must follow a logical hierarchy, and reading order must match the visual order of the document.
  2. Text & Fonts:
    • All text must be selectable and readable.
    • Fonts must be embedded to ensure consistent display.
    • Significant color contrast between text and background.
  3. Images and Non-Text Content:
    • Images must have alternative text describing its purpose.
    • Decorative images (graphics) should be marked as artifacts so screen readers can skip them.
  4. Links & Navigation:
    • Hyperlinks must be descriptive.
    • Must include bookmarks for longer documents to help with navigation.
    • Page numbers in the document should match logical page numbers.
  5. Tables & Charts:
    • Must use header rows and proper tags to define relationships between data cells.
    • Avoid merged or split cells if possible.
    • Complex charts should include text descriptions or data summaries.
  6. Language and Metadata:
    • Specify the document language (E.g. English) in the PDF Properties
    • Include a document title in metadata.
  7. Keyboard and Assistive Navigation:
    • All interactive elements (like forms or buttons) must be keyboard accessible.
    • Tab order must follow a logical sequence.
  8. Color and Visual Design:
    • Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning (In red you will see…)
    • Use patterns, shapes, or labels in addition to colors.
  9. Testing:
    • Use accessibility checkers
    • Then manually test with a screen reader to confirm usability.

Solution

The simplest solution is to step away from creating PDFs or fliers to share information digitally. As mentioned, fliers are a great way to share information when printed out and used for their intended purpose.

  • Creating Appealing Accessible Digital Content
    • Content can still look good and meet accessibility standards! While we often think that fliers are the most appealing and effective way to share information, that could not be further from the truth. In order to truly capture individuals’ attention and meet accessibility requirements, we encourage staff to create an engaging graphic similar to the idea of a billboard you would see on the side of the highway, that has just a highlight of text on it and an engaging design or image. This will, in turn, be easier to add Alt Text to the graphic, grab the attention, and maintain a user-friendly experience.

Example of Accessible Graphic used in place of a flier or PDF: 

A social media post that is a school announcement and states 'No School' on November 4th, with students in the background. The image has a social media caption explaining their is no school on November 4th.