Explore what’s next for digital learning. Join Adobe at the ACExperience Conference in Washington in Feb 25-28. Learn more
Why most campuses struggle with accessibility.
In a 2025 Adobe poll of 181 higher education professionals, we found that only 2% feel fully prepared to meet the upcoming PDF accessibility requirements. They cited these issues as their biggest challenges:
Time and staffing constraints
Limited budget or resources
Lack of internal expertise
How Adobe makes accessibility easier.
From individual documents to campus-wide remediation, Adobe has tools to help your institution create and maintain accessible content.
Adobe Express
Create accessible web pages that meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards. Adobe Express will introduce new capabilities including headings, natural language settings, and GIF controls in the second half of 2026.
Best for: Staff and faculty creating accessible web content, flyers, and materials — no design expertise required.
PDF Accessility API
Convert large volumes of PDFs programmatically with an API that's ideal for campuses sitting on decades of inaccessible documents. In partnership with Arizona State University and Amazon Web Services, Ohio State University has seen tremendous success using the API.
Best for: Bulk remediation at scale — tag, structure, and convert thousands of legacy PDFs without manual effort.
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Included in Acrobat Studio and Adobe Creative Cloud Pro Plus
Get industry-standard accessibility features including a built-in Make Accessible function. Great for staff and faculty creating net-new accessible PDFs, while demonstrating progress against WCAG standards.
Best for: Creating and remediating individual PDFs with full accessibility tagging, alt text, reading order, and compliance checks.
Resources for building an accessible campus.
Explore blogs, videos, and webinars to help your institution understand compliance and advance accessibility.
Why accessibility can't wait.
Now more than ever, institutions need to ensure equitable access to digital content — for every student, faculty member, and visitor on campus.
Help ensure equitable access for every student.
Inaccessible content creates real barriers. When documents and webpages aren't accessible, students with disabilities can't fully participate in the educational experience they're paying for.
Legal risk is growing.
Non-compliance can carry civil penalties up to US $75,000 for a first violation and US $150,000 for subsequent offenses — plus legal fees and reputational damage. Any institution can face litigation, regardless of size.
Scale takes time.
Most campuses are sitting on decades of legacy PDFs. Even with automation tools, remediating at scale takes planning, and institutions that start early are better positioned to show real progress.
ACE EXPERIENCE 2026
Explore what’s next for digital learning. Join Adobe at the ACExperience Conference in Washington, DC for hands-on demos of Acrobat Studio, conversations with our Higher Education team, and fresh ideas for powering creativity and productivity on campus. Plus, enjoy a booth giveaway while they last.
Frequently asked questions
To help students succeed in a competitive job market, higher education leaders need to equip students with sought-after skills and ways to showcase them to employers.
Professor Justin Hodgson of Indiana University demonstrated how projects with integrated digital badges can help students articulate their learning and their career-ready skills, supplementing traditional degrees. By combining micro-credentialing with creative digital coursework, educators can help students stand out and land their dream jobs.