The federal government has issued new requirements about the accessibility of web content provided by state and local governments. As a state institution, NIU must comply with these requirements by April 2026 or face fines and legal repercussions.
The requirements say that all web content must be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes text, images, videos and documents. To ensure that all documents linked to from NIU websites are accessible, please follow these guidelines.
If you have any questions or need help making your content accessible, please contact us at webstrategy@niu.edu.
Avoid PDFs and ISSUU
PDFs provide a poor user experience and require remediation to ensure accessibility, which can be complicated and time consuming.
In addition, the document-hosting platform ISSUU is not accessible, and we will be closing the NIU ISSUU account at the end of the calendar year.
Accordingly, Creative Services no longer designs PDFs for the sole purpose of posting online or distributing electronically. They continue to design print materials.
Use Accessible Alternatives
Present the content from your document as HTML web content, instead. In most cases, this is the most effective and user-friendly solution.
If your content must be presented as a file, it should be a Microsoft document created with the accessibility checker turned on. The document link can be set to open in a browser tab, instead of prompting a file download.
The web team is developing accessible Microsoft templates for commonly used document types, such as newsletters and annual reports. Creative Services can design a custom cover page upon request.
Conduct a PDF Inventory and Review
Make a list of the PDFs on your department’s website. Indicate whether you plan to convert PDF content to an HTML webpage or place it into an accessible Microsoft document. Prioritize public-facing PDFs with large audiences.
Update Existing PDFs (as Needed)
Existing PDFs can remain on the NIU site for the time being. When you want to update the content in the file, you must convert it to HTML or an accessible Microsoft document at that time.
Address Exceptions
You may need to post a PDF on an NIU website due to accreditation or legal requirements. In that case, you should email webstrategy@niu.edu to request an exemption. If approved, the PDF must be remediated for accessibility before posting.
Get Assistance
- Contact the web team at webstrategy@niu.edu for guidance.
- Request a report of files uploaded to your website to help with your PDF inventory/review.
- View the web team’s document tutorial and remediation guide.
- Use our sample accessible Word document (DOCX) as a template for your document.
