PDFs
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Summary
Creating a PDF by scanning handouts, articles or textbook pages results in an inaccessible “scanned images” PDF. Users accessing this material are unable to search the text, since only images of text are present. To be accessible, PDFs must be properly formatted, or “tagged” and contain searchable text. Sensus Access is a conversion tool that allows you to transform scanned PDFs into accessible, searchable PDFs. Sensus Access is free to use with a Wright State University e-mail account.
Impact
Searchable documents assist all users by allowing for the use of screen readers and keyword searches.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do
- Identify which PDFs don't have text that you can search and highlight and convert them with Sensus Access.
- Look for alternate versions of personally scanned articles or book excerpts to see if an accessible alternative already exists.
- Ensure any scanned PDFs you want to convert have clearly readable text prior to cut down on errors during conversion.
Don’t
- Don't delete a scanned document that adds value to your course just because it is not accessible.
- Don’t use Sensus Access as a workaround for completing compliant Microsoft Office documents. Sensus Access does not create hierarchy in a document.
- Don’t try to convert PDFs filled with handwritten notes, as it won’t make for a clean final product.
