UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries has launched an automated PDF Remediation Tool and Alt-Text Generator. The new self-service program streamlines digital workflows to help the Penn State community efficiently align academic and public-facing documents with federal accessibility mandates.

Built by the University Libraries' Development Team in collaboration with Ohio State University and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud-based tool leverages machine learning and was in development for eight months before its completion.

To make the system as approachable as possible for everyday users who may not have a technical background, the design team focused heavily on user-friendliness.

"We wanted the tool to be as simple as possible to use," said Alex Kiessling, lead developer for University Libraries Strategic Technologies. "There are no complicated workflows, and you don’t need to be an accessibility expert. Just upload your document and let the tool handle the rest.”

The tool was developed in response to a Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) update mandating that public institutions ensure digital content conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines standards. Because PDFs represent one of the most common formats for university administrative and academic content, this technology serves as a critical compliance mechanism, Kiessling said.

“From PDF to Accessible PDF in just minutes — it’s a simple way to improve digital content accessibility without taking valuable time away from your work,” Kiessling added. “This tool is easy to use, can reduce hours of manual work to just a few minutes, and supports the University's mission to improve the accessibility of our digital content.”

Specifically, the tool delivers the following core capabilities:

• Structural Tagging: Automatically injects structural identifiers for headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables.
• Reading Order Fixes: Identifies and corrects the structural reading order of complex page data.
• Alt-Text Generation: Examines figures and graphics to generate smart descriptive text.
• Metadata Attachment: Corrects empty or missing document properties, such as primary language and titles.

So far, the tool has processed 75,565 pages across the University with 280 users since its implementation and includes a web service that automatically remediates files in systems like ScholarSphere, a research repository service offered by the University Libraries. The remediation tool is currently housed at ScholarSphere, where downloaded files are automatically updated to include proper tags and alt text.

While the system does most of the heavy lifting, the Libraries’ Adaptive Technology and Services team then conducts manual reviews of the remediated files and makes additional necessary changes before re-uploading them to ScholarSphere, to ensure 91%-93% accessibility compliance.

“The developers from Libraries Strategic Technologies have worked extremely hard to put this tool into production for the entire University to access, and we are eager for others to use it to help make their instructional materials accessible for all,” said Jamilyn Houser, IT accessibility consultant for adaptive technology and services.

The platform is built for Penn State faculty, staff and campus instructors tasked with updating digital resources. Eligible employees with a Penn State user login can gain access to the web portal by contacting their unit’s Accessibility Web Liaison, who should, in turn, email ul-digital-accessibility@lists.psu.edu.

University employees with an eligible Penn State user login who would like to use the PDF remediation tool should contact their unit's Accessibility Web Liaison to gain access. Web liaisons can then email ul-digital-accessibility@lists.psu.edu for access and information.

Currently a 50-page daily upload cap is in place for specific remediation queues, with unlimited access to the alternative text generation for graphics. Files are automatically purged from the temporary server 24 hours after processing to preserve privacy.

The rollout of PDF remediation software complements wider, University-wide digital transformation goals. Along with launching the tool, the University Libraries is celebrating a milestone 100% employee accessibility-training compliance rate.

Moving forward, the Libraries' Accessibility Working Group is leading systemic efforts to minimize reliance on PDFs as a default document format across University domains, prioritizing the replacement of older documents with modern, native HTML versions and alternative digital content frameworks that guarantee equitable access for all learners.

Penn State University Libraries is committed creating an environment of respect and inclusion for all, and strives to ensure equitable access to all facilities, resources, and services. For more information, visit Accessibility webpages or email Adaptive Technology & Services at ul-adaptive-tech-svcs@lists.psu.