{"id":323,"date":"2025-08-29T10:30:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/?page_id=323"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:35:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T19:35:34","slug":"alternatives","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"PDF Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-umflint-templates umflint-template-default\"><div class=\"wp-block-umflint-jumbotron jumbotron jumbotron-fluid jumbotron-page mb-3\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255,255,255);\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2eaeb9201e8a8fd8e5171d63bf312560\">PDF Alternatives<\/h1>\n\n<\/div>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"jumbotron-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-1024x800.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-768x600.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-1536x1200.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-2048x1600.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" alt=\"\" \/>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container mb-2\">\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-3\">\n\t\t\t\n<button class=\"btn btn-section w-100 px-0 wp-menu-block-toggle mobile-nav-toggle d-none\" data-target=\"wp-menu-block-secondary-menu\">\n          <span class=\"h-100 mr-3 mt-1 d-block mobile-nav-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mb-1 transition bg-dark d-block mobile-nav-icon-line\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mb-1 transition bg-dark d-block mobile-nav-icon-line\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mb-1 transition bg-dark d-block mobile-nav-icon-line\"><\/span>\n\t\t  <\/span>\n          Accessibility<\/button><nav id=\"wp-menu-block-secondary-menu\" class=\"wp-menu-block sidebar-nav wp-block-umflint-menu-block\"><div class=\"nav-sidebar-title-container\">\n                <div class=\"nav-sidebar-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\">Accessibility<\/a><\/div>\n                <a class=\"nav-sidebar-title-close\" href=\"#\" data-target=\"secondary-menu\" aria-label=\"Close\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"50\" fill=\"currentColor\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n                        <title>close<\/title><path d=\"M19,6.41L17.59,5L12,10.59L6.41,5L5,6.41L10.59,12L5,17.59L6.41,19L12,13.41L17.59,19L19,17.59L13.41,12L19,6.41Z\" \/>\n                    <\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n            <\/div><ul id=\"menu-secondary-menu\" class=\"menu nav nav-sidebar flex-column\"><li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-499\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-499 nav-item\"><a title=\"Accessibility Tools\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/tools\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Accessibility Tools<\/a>\n<ul class=\"subitems-menu\" >\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-500\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-500 nav-item\"><a title=\"Grackle\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/tools\/grackle\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Grackle<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-501\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-501 nav-item\"><a title=\"Panorama\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/tools\/panorama\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Panorama<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-502\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-502 nav-item\"><a title=\"Accessibility Guides\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Accessibility Guides<\/a>\n<ul class=\"subitems-menu\" >\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-503\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-503 nav-item\"><a title=\"Adding Alt Text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/alt-text\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Adding Alt Text<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-504\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-504 nav-item\"><a title=\"Checking Captions for Kaltura Videos\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/kaltura-videos\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Checking Captions for Kaltura Videos<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-505\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-505 nav-item\"><a title=\"Creating Accessible Descriptive Links\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-descriptive-links\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Creating Accessible Descriptive Links<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-506\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-506 nav-item\"><a title=\"Creating Accessible Presentations\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-presentations\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Creating Accessible Presentations<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-507\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-507 nav-item\"><a title=\"Creating Accessible Tables\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-tables\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Creating Accessible Tables<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-508\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-508 nav-item\"><a title=\"Ensuring Basic Color Contrast for Accessibility\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/basic-color-contrast\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Ensuring Basic Color Contrast for Accessibility<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-509\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-509 nav-item\"><a title=\"Removing Redundant Links\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/removing-redundant-links\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Removing Redundant Links<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-510\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-510 nav-item\"><a title=\"Structuring Your Documents and Pages for Accessibility\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/structuring-your-documents\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Structuring Your Documents and Pages for Accessibility<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-511\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-511 nav-item\"><a title=\"Recent Email News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/recent-email-news\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Recent Email News<\/a><\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-512\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-512 nav-item\"><a title=\"Rethinking PDFs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Rethinking PDFs<\/a>\n<ul class=\"subitems-menu\" >\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-513\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-513 nav-item\"><a title=\"Converting a PDF to Word\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/converting\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Converting a PDF to Word<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-514\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-514 nav-item\"><a title=\"Myths and Paths Forward\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/myths-paths-forward\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Myths and Paths Forward<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-515\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-515 nav-item\"><a title=\"PDF Alternatives\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/alternatives\/\" class=\"nav-link\">PDF Alternatives<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-516\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-516 nav-item\"><a title=\"Sharing Read-Only Files\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/sharing-read-only-files\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Sharing Read-Only Files<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-517\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-517 nav-item\"><a title=\"Shortcomings and Frustrations of PDFs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/shortcomings-frustrations\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Shortcomings and Frustrations of PDFs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-548\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-548 nav-item\"><a title=\"Accessibility Standard Practice Guide (SPG)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/spg.umich.edu\/policy\/601.20\" class=\"nav-link\">Accessibility Standard Practice Guide (SPG)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/nav>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-9\">\n\t\t\t\n<nav aria-label=\"breadcrumb\"><ol class=\"breadcrumb mb-3\"><li class=\"breadcrumb-item\"><a href=\"\/\">Home<\/a><\/li><li class=\"breadcrumb-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\">Accessibility<\/a><\/li><li class=\"breadcrumb-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/\">Rethinking PDFs: Building a Better Learning Environment<\/a><\/li><li class=\"breadcrumb-item active\" aria-current=\"page\">PDF Alternatives<\/li><\/ol><\/nav>\n\n\n<p>Faculty often reach for PDFs out of habit, but there are more accessible and flexible options available. The table below highlights common situations where PDFs are used and suggests better alternatives that are easier to update, more intuitive for students, and built with accessibility in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th><strong><em>Use Case<\/em><\/strong><\/th><th><strong><em>Best Practice<\/em><\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Syllabi Management<\/strong><\/td><td>Share as a read-only Google Doc\/Word 365 link. Post in the Canvas Syllabus tool or create Canvas pages (e.g., one for course info, one for schedule, one for policies). Add a short video walking students through the syllabus.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Research and Journal Articles<\/strong><\/td><td>Rather than upload a PDF of the research to your course, use permalinks to <a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.umflint.edu\/library\">library databases<\/a> and resources. These often include ADA-compliant formats, built-in screen readers, and citation tools. Utilize the Libraries&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/libguides.umflint.edu\/canvas\/texts\">guide to creating persistent and proxied links<\/a> to ensure your links are set up correctly in your course.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Handwritten Notes<\/strong><\/td><td>Save as an image and use <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1Gd3IiOFtmKrqXSkbFzEHK6avmdYwQxUMlApUU7JzFy0\/edit?usp=sharing\">Wolverine Describer<\/a> to create descriptive text. Optionally create a Canvas page with the image and text together.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Lecture Slides<\/strong><\/td><td>Share through Google Slides or PowerPoint 365 in view-only mode. Run <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/use-immersive-reader-in-powerpoint-1d205463-4145-4952-958e-0e823af3bb7b\">accessibility<\/a> checks with Grackle (Google) or Microsoft\u2019s built-in checker.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Course Handouts<\/strong><\/td><td>For short handouts, post as a Canvas page. For longer ones, share as read-only Google Docs or <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/use-immersive-reader-in-word-a857949f-c91e-4c97-977c-a4efcaf9b3c1\">Word 365<\/a> files.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Forms and Worksheets<\/strong><\/td><td>Use Google Forms or Microsoft Forms to create fillable, accessible forms that collect responses automatically.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Publisher\/Third-Party Course Packs<\/strong><\/td><td>Look for accessible versions like OpenStax or library-licensed HTML\/ePub versions. When available, share direct permalinks to the web versions so students benefit from the vendor\u2019s accessibility tools.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Signed Forms and Official Records<\/strong><\/td><td>Share the official PDF only when authenticity is required. Provide the key content (instructions, policies, details) in Canvas or as read-only Google Docs\/Word 365 for accessibility.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Grant or Accreditation Requirements<\/strong><\/td><td>If a PDF is required for submission, provide it to the agency. For internal and student use, share the same content in Google Docs or Word 365 for easier access and updates.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/alternatives\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"parent":315,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-323","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":354,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/323\/revisions\/354"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}