Many of us have gotten in the habit of sending finished documents out as PDF files. However, this often introduces barriers to assistive technology users, with many PDFs ranging from difficult to impossible to read. While it’s certainly possible to create accessible PDFs, it’s also worth considering whether the document you’re working on really needs to be distributed as a PDF.
Source documents are often more accessible
What’s often seen as an advantage of PDFs — that their content is “locked down” and cannot be easily changed — can often make it more difficult for people to read. This isn’t limited to assistive technology users, either: have you ever had to try to read a PDF on your phone, and had to pinch to zoom in, scroll back and forth and up and down over the page, until you just decided to wait until you were on a device with a larger screen? It’s frequently an exercise in frustration, and that doesn’t even take into account whether the PDF has been created with the proper accessibility features that assistive technology needs.
A source document (Word, PowerPoint, etc.), however, is much easier for a user to adapt to their own needs. This could be as simple as being able to easily “reflow” the document to read on the smaller screen of a mobile device. This could also include letting the reader change the font style and/or size to something that’s more comfortable for them, or to change the color settings to a combination that is easier for them to see. Additionally, by distributing a (properly formatted) source document, there are no worries about whether the PDF has its accessibility features set up. And, of course, it’s easier for you: no extra file translation step necessary, and no need to keep saving new files when you make changes; just save the document and send it off, and you’re done!
When PDF may be the best choice
Of course, there are situations where distributing a PDF is the best option. Many website content management systems (CMS) like WordPress require uploaded files to be in PDF format as a security measure. Documents with complex layouts, like promotional posters and flyers, or even things like end-of-year department or institutional reports, may need the content to be locked down to display correctly. This is fine (as long as the PDF passes accessibility checks)!
Choose your format wisely
In the end, there is no solid “right” or “wrong” answer. In some situations, PDF may be the way to go! But in many — especially for documents that are primarily or entirely text-based, such as syllabi, assignments, readings, and so on — simply distributing the source document and giving the reader the agency to interact with it in whatever way works best for them may well be the best way to go.