Digital accessibility is more than a compliance requirement—it's a commitment to ensuring that every member of our community can fully engage with digital content. Accessible PDFs support screen reader navigation, reduce cognitive load, and ensure that information is clear and usable for everyone.

Poorly formatted documents—such as those with missing tags, low color contrast, or scanned images without text recognition—can create barriers. Well-structured PDFs, on the other hand, use headings, lists, tables, and descriptive links to make content easier to navigate and understand. By adopting universal design practices, we not only meet legal standards but create a more inclusive learning and working environment. 

Whether you're preparing a syllabus, sharing research, or distributing forms, small changes can make a big difference. This practice enhances the learning experience for all learners and supports UMBC's mission of inclusive excellence (UMBC's mission of inclusive excellence).

Here are some key takeaways for remediating or creating accessible PDFs, organized into practical steps you can apply right away.

PDF Tools and Techniques

The following strategies are useful for identifying and fixing accessibility issues:

• Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker: Scan documents for missing tags, unlabeled form fields, or reading order problems.

• Tagging and Structure: Apply proper heading levels, alt text for images, and logical reading order to support screen readers.

• Conversion Options: Export PDFs to Word or PowerPoint for easier editing, or scan and get text from an image with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to make scanned documents searchable.

• Color Contrast Checkers: Ensure text and graphics meet WCAG 2 standards checklist for readability.

Tips for Everyday Use

• Test your PDF: If you can select text, it's searchable; if not, use OCR.

• Start with accessible files: Use built-in templates in Word, PowerPoint, or Excel to create your document before exporting it to PDF. (Note: select the accessibility-friendly PDF preset when exporting the file)

• Write meaningful alt text: Keep it concise and focused on the purpose of the image.

• Simplify tables: Avoid merged or blank cells and fill in empty spaces with placeholders like 'N/A,' and keep the overall structure easy to follow.

Building a Culture of Access

Digital Accessibility is a shared responsibility. By making small, intentional choices— using descriptive links instead of "Click here" or ensuring high-contrast text—we can create digital content that works for everyone. These practices not only help individuals with disabilities but also improve usability for all readers, including those accessing content on mobile devices or in low-bandwidth environments.

Next Steps

UMBC offers ongoing training and resources to support digital accessibility. Upcoming sessions will cover accessible feedback, videos, images, and more. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to explore these opportunities and integrate accessibility into their daily workflows.

Ready to take the first step? Visit UMBC's Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.

Resources:

• Adobe Creative Cloud Installation

• PDF extension for Chrome and Edge | Adobe Acrobat 

• Creative Cloud Support

• Creating PDFs from LaTeX 

• Google Workspace Updates: New LaTeX features in the Gemini app 

• Digital Accessibility Guidelines Checklist

• Video Recordings (UMBC Login required):

• PDFs That Work: Remediation Tools and Techniques (09.11.2025)

• Practice & Share: Learn How to Remediate or Create Accessible PDFs for All Audiences (11.11.2025)

Dear UMBC Community,

As we continue to rely on digital platforms for teaching, learning, and administrative functions, digital accessibility has been a core component of that commitment. UMBC has been dedicated to making our information technology and digital content accessible so that everyone has the opportunity to make use of the university's knowledge, ideas, and resources.

We are updating and expanding our digital accessibility initiatives to meet new federal requirements. On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), defining clear technical standards for digital accessibility to follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level A (minimum) and Level AA (enhanced) for images, sound, video, documents, and text. As content for courses, research, and the public is constantly created, this will be an ongoing effort requiring everyone to do their part for the benefit of others.

To support this ongoing effort, UMBC has launched the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee (DASC) led by vice presidents Tanyka Barber and Jack Suess. This group is charged with developing, tracking, and evolving our compliance efforts by focusing our resources on the efforts that can achieve the greatest impact.

The DASC has started meeting and will begin reaching out to campus departments and constituencies to communicate and seek feedback on our plans and efforts that are underway. This work affirms our university's deep and ongoing commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community for all our members. Together, we can use this effort to create a more accessible digital environment that truly works for all members of our community.

Additional digital accessibility information and resources are available on both the UMBC Digital Accessibility website and the USM Digital Accessibility website.

Sincerely,

Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Tanyka M. Barber
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer

Jack Suess
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Please schedule SDS finals now to avoid time conflicts! Read to the end of this message!
For students with SDS testing accommodations at the UMBC main campus, please use our Accommodate software (for more info - https://sds.umbc.edu/accommodated-testing-2/) to schedule your final exams.

• During finals (December 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th), SDS will be open for testing between 8:30 am and 6:00 pm each testing day. 
• Remember that most finals must be booked in SDS by December 5th but no later than December 9th (the last day of classes).
• You should schedule all of your finals NOW. We may run out of space but can advocate for additional rooms for Finals if we know the demand in advance. Please?

For students registered with SDS who take classes at Shady Grove (USG), please follow the directions on the USG testing website at https://shadygrove.usmd.edu/student-affairs-career-readiness/studenttesting. In general, USG test request forms must be submitted at least seven days before the exam date.  The finals schedule for UMBC-USG course is included in the Regular Final Exams schedule linked below.

Important Notes:

• Online finals: If your course is online, then your final exam is likely to be online. Your instructor will set extended time in the testing platform, and you do not need to schedule it in SDS unless your instructor requires that it be proctored or you need accommodations that can't be used in the online test.
• Common Finals vs Regular Finals:
  • Check the Common Finals schedule first - if your course is not listed then check the Regular Finals schedule. 
  • Both schedules are linked below.
  • Also, check your syllabus for each class to determine if your class will have a final.
• Most finals are 2 hours long, so your extended time will be longer than usual. You must check that your finals do not overlap or exceed testing center hours when you apply your extended time.
• Scheduling Conflicts?: If your final exams will overlap in time or if you have more than two finals on one day, please communicate this information directly to your instructors with your plan for how you would like to schedule your test time with accommodation(s). If there are any difficulties in scheduling alternate test arrangements, don't hesitate to contact SDS for assistance.
• Also, please remember that your instructor must email SDS at disability@umbc.edu to notify us of their agreement to your test time when it differs from your class's scheduled test day/time.
• The registrar's office may have changed the the finals schedules since they were first published. Please double-check your final exam times and locations (if you are not scheduling in SDS) with your instructors.
• You cannot schedule exams in SDS (or DSS at Shady Grove) unless you submitted a Semester Request for Fall 2025 in Accommodate and had your Letter of Accommodations sent to your instructors.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with our office via email (disability@umbc.edu), phone (410-455-2459), or drop by (Math/Psych 212) if you have any questions or if we can assist you in scheduling your finals on the Main Campus.
~~Student Disability Services
Resources:
Scheduling a test at UMBC main campus SDS instructions: https://sds.umbc.edu/scheduling-exams-in-accommodate/

UMBC Finals Schedules

• Common Finals (check this first):
  https://registrar.umbc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2025/09/Fall-2025-Regular-Final-Exam-Schedule.pdf
• Regular Finals (includes the schedule for USG classes on page 2):
  https://registrar.umbc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2025/10/Common-Final-Exam-Schedule-Fall-2025.pdf

We're tabling all week in the Breezeway 11am-3pm to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis

Winter Break (Jan 6 & 7) & Spring Break (Mar 19 & 20)
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Over the past decade, nearly 700 UMBC staff, faculty, and students have participated in UMBC's two-day Restorative Practices Training—consistently describing it as both personally and professionally transformative.

Whether you work with students, lead teams, support community spaces, or want to strengthen communication and conflict-resolution skills, this training offers tools you can use every day.

Restorative Practices help with:
• Building community in residential, academic, and workplace settings
• Addressing conflict in student orgs, staff teams, and roommate situations
• Strengthening resilience and communication
• Developing mindsets and practices that support leadership during challenging moments

Training Dates:
 Winter Break: January 6 & 7
 Spring Break: March 19 & 20
Choose either two-day session.

If you've never attended a restorative practices workshop, you should register!
If you have attended, please consider encouraging a colleague, student, or someone on your team to join.

https://conduct.umbc.edu/programs/restorative-practices/events-and-workshops-offered/