Choosing Your Format

Before creating or publishing a document, the most important question to ask is not "how do I make this accessible?" — it is "what format should this be in?" The answer affects how much accessibility work is required, how easily the document can be updated, and how well it serves the people who need it.

Could This Be a Web Page?

A page on the WVDE website is often the most accessible option for content that would otherwise be published as a PDF. Pages built through our standard Drupal publishing process are inherently accessible — heading structure, link behavior, color contrast, and reading order are all handled by the site's design system. The built-in content review workflow and real-time accessibility checking module provide additional layers of quality control that PDFs do not have.

Web pages also adapt to the reader. Text resizes, layouts reflow on mobile devices, and users can apply their own accessibility preferences without any additional effort on your part.

Consider whether your content could be published as a web page before deciding to create a PDF. If the content already exists on another organization's website, consider whether you can link to it rather than hosting a copy on our server. A link to the source is easier to maintain, and ensures users are always accessing the most current version.

Things to keep in mind:

• Is the content in your file represented anywhere on the site currently? If not, a new page would probably be a good option for your content. 
• Large documents in their entirety may not work as new pages on the site.  If there is a portion of a large document that is currently not represented on the site, we can add that content as a page.

Could This Be a Microsoft Form?

If the file you are placing on the site is a simple form, consider creating a Microsoft Form instead of a downloadable file. Microsoft Forms are accessible options if the form is recording simple information. There are, however, limitations:

• Microsoft Forms may not be the best option if you are requesting personally identifiable information (PII), like student names with addresses or social security numbers.
• If the form requires a "wet" signature, or steps requiring more than one signature, a Microsoft Form is not a viable option.

Could This Be a Microsoft Office File?

For some content, the source file — a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation — is more accessible and more useful than a PDF conversion.

This is particularly true for complex spreadsheets. A multi-sheet Excel workbook with extensive data, formulas, or financial information may be impossible to make fully accessible as a PDF. The same file, properly structured in Excel, can be navigated by screen readers using the application's native accessibility features. In these cases, publishing the Excel file directly is not a convenience — it may be the only way to make the content genuinely accessible.

Similarly, PowerPoint presentations with complex layouts or extensive content may be better served by publishing the source file instead of a PDF export.

When providing source files, ensure the file itself is accessible. The same accessibility principles that apply to PDFs — proper heading structure, alt text on images, descriptive link text, accessible table structure — apply to Microsoft Office files as well.  However, all Microsoft products provide a live accessibility testing tool that will walk you through which portions of your document do not meet accessibility, and a recommended solution.

When Is a PDF the Right Choice?

A PDF is appropriate when:

• The document will be printed. Forms, applications, and documents that people fill out by hand benefit from PDF's fixed layout. The formatting will be consistent regardless of the printer or device used.
• The layout must be preserved exactly. Technical diagrams, official documents, or content where the precise visual presentation is part of the document's meaning may require PDF format to ensure consistent rendering.
• Legal or regulatory requirements apply. Some documents must be in PDF format to meet specific compliance, records retention, or submission requirements.
• Offline access is needed. If users need to access content without an internet connection, a downloaded PDF provides reliable offline viewing.

If none of these conditions apply, it is worth reconsidering whether a PDF is the right choice.

Does This Document Already Exist Somewhere Else?

Before uploading a PDF to the WVDE website, consider whether it is available on another organization's website. Agency reports, legislative documents, federal guidance, and similar materials are often published by their source organization and maintained there.

Linking to the source rather than uploading a copy means the accessibility responsibility stays with the originating organization. If a document must be hosted on our server — for example, because the source is unreliable or the document needs to remain available permanently — that is a reasonable exception, but it should be a deliberate decision rather than a default.

A Note on Exporting to PDF

Regardless of which format you choose, if you do create a PDF, always export it using File > Save As > PDF. Never use Print to PDF.

Printing to PDF creates a visual copy of the document with no structural information. Tags, heading levels, alt text, table structure, list formatting, and link destinations are all lost. The result looks correct on screen but is inaccessible to screen readers and extremely difficult to remediate in Adobe Acrobat.

Full guidance on export settings — including which options to enable and which to leave unchecked — is covered on the Document Settings page.