Accessible PDFs for colleges and universities
Module handbooks, examination regulations, scripts and forms are created decentrally in many units at universities - and must be accessible to public bodies as content. Accessful automatically audits and remediates your PDFs according to PDF/UA-2, WCAG 2.2 and EN 301 549 without changing the layout or content.
The challenge
At universities, documents are created everywhere at the same time: examination offices publish regulations, faculties provide scripts and module manuals, administration maintains forms and applications, libraries and research institutions fill repositories. No central point can manually post-process this distributed document production in a accessible manner - the quantity and frequency are too high for that.
This has direct consequences for students with disabilities: Anyone who cannot read examination regulations, lecture documents or application forms using assistive technologies will be slowed down in everyday study life. Compensation for disadvantages will be ineffective if the underlying documents are not accessible.
In addition, there is a growing legacy: there are often thousands of PDFs from many years on websites and in repositories. As public bodies, universities are the focus of monitoring in accordance with BITV 2.0 or state law - published documents are expressly included in this. This is exactly where Accessful comes in: automated auditing and remediation, usable decentrally, with batch processing for the inventory.
Typical documents
- Module handbooks as well as study and examination regulations
- Lecture notes and teaching materials
- Forms and applications for students and employees
- Research reports and publications in repositories
- Official notices and administrative documents
- Information material for prospective students and first-year students
What Accessful does for universities
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Can be used decentrally – without training
The web app with drag-and-drop and live status is deliberately kept simple: upload the order or script and retrieve the remediated PDF - that's all you need. Each department works independently, without specialist knowledge.
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Correct old stocks in the batch
Accessful processes thousands of documents automatically - via web app or as a URL list via the REST API. In this way, repositories and download areas can also be planned to be accessible.
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audit report per document
An audit-ready report is created for each document. This allows you to document the status of your PDF stocks - for example for monitoring according to BITV 2.0 or internal reports.
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Scripts remain as they are
Layout and content remain unchanged. Only the structural level is supplemented: tags, reading order and alt text - in over 110 languages, including for English-language courses and publications.
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Operation in the university computer center
On-premises, Accessful runs completely in your infrastructure - air-gapped on request and with its own AI models. Alternatively, processing takes place in ISO/IEC-27001-certified data centers in Germany.
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Remediation guarantee
If a document remediated by Accessful is not recognized as accessible during an accessibility audit, we will remediate it free of charge - quickly, easily and at no additional cost.
Legal framework
- EU Directive 2016/2102, BITV 2.0 and state law
- State universities are public bodies: their websites and the documents provided there must be accessible. BITV 2.0 specifies this for federal institutions and the corresponding state regulations for most universities - this is checked, among other things, in the BITV test.
- EN 301 549, WCAG 2.2 and PDF/UA-2
- The European standard EN 301 549 specifies the technical requirements; WCAG 2.2 and PDF/UA-2 are relevant for PDF documents. Accessful audits and remediates against exactly these standards and documents the results for each document.
- University law and compensation for disadvantages
- University Framework Act and state higher education laws oblige universities not to disadvantage students with disabilities during their studies. Accessible teaching, examination and administrative documents are a practical prerequisite for this.
- BFSG for private providers
- The German Accessibility Strengthening Act is aimed at the private sector. Private universities and education providers can fall within the scope of application, for example if they conclude contracts for study courses via electronic commerce - it is worth examining the individual case.
Note: This content provides information about legal requirements, but does not replace legal advice.
Frequently asked questions about universities
Do PDFs on university websites also have to be accessible?
Yes. In addition to websites, BITV 2.0 and the state regulations also cover file formats of office applications - in particular PDFs that are made available on websites or in portals. The only exceptions are certain old documents that were published before September 23, 2018 and are not required for active administrative procedures. Our guide explains the legal framework BITV 2.0: Accessible PDFs in the public sector.
Can departments and institutes use Accessful independently?
Yes, that’s exactly what Accessful is designed for. The web app requires no training: you drag and drop the PDF into the browser, the correction runs automatically, and the result can be downloaded and published directly. Billing is based on prepaid page quotas without user licenses - departments, institutes or central facilities can procure their own quotas and control their costs separately. Details can be found on the Pricing page.
How do we make thousands of old PDFs in repositories accessible?
About batch processing: Accessful processes even very large inventories automatically. You can use the REST API to transfer entire URL lists from your repository, track the status of each document via status queries or webhooks, and automatically reload the corrected files - results are typically available in seconds. More on this below API & Integration.
Will the content of examination and study regulations remain unchanged?
Yes. Accessful does not change the layout or content; Only the structural layer is supplemented with tags, reading order and alt text. The appearance remains identical. Just note: Digitally signed PDFs must be re-signed after each technical processing.
Is there a solution for universities with their own data center?
Yes. Accessful can be operated completely on-premises in your infrastructure - also air-gapped upon request, with your own AI models behind your firewall. In the cloud version, processing takes place in ISO/IEC-27001-certified data centers in Germany. Details below On-Premises.
Check your PDFs for accessibility – free of charge.
Upload a document and receive a result in seconds - without registering. Or let us show you Accessful in person.