To meet federal accessibility requirements by April 24, 2026, Web Services will be working with units to remove or remediate document files currently available via university websites. These include PDFs, Word docs, Excel sheets, PowerPoints, etc.
Please review the information on this page and ensure that your unit understands what documents belong on the website moving forward, and what actions we need from units now. It is important to engage in this process as soon as possible to ensure that your documents can be addressed before the deadline. Any documents that are not accounted for by the deadline will be removed.
Please coordinate your efforts through your Content Manager. If you are not sure who is in charge of your website's content, please review our current list of Content Management Teams.
If you have any questions, please contact us at webservices@fit.edu.
New Criteria For Website Documents
Only documents that meet one or more of the following criteria, and are fully remediated for accessibility, will be permitted on the website:
- A legal or other legitimate requirement mandates the content be presented in a document.
- The document’s availability on the website is essential to the university’s mission or holds significant strategic value.
- No reasonable alternative format exists for presenting the content.
Web Services will guide and support remediation efforts as needed for documents that meet the criteria.
Documents That Do Not Meet The Criteria
Web Services will work with you to convert your documents to webpages and forms, or explore other alternatives to meet your users' needs.
While we must take action to reduce our dependence on documents, we recognize that unique circumstances exist. If you have documents that you believe should be handled differently, we encourage you to reach out so that we can discuss and find a suitable solution.
What We Need From Units
Please be aware: if we do not receive an assessment of your documents prior to the deadline, your documents WILL BE REMOVED.
- Stop creating new documents intended for the website.
- The web team can create forms or set up a webpage(s) to present the content of your documents. Submit a service request.
- Review all documents currently posted on your unit’s webpages.
- We have collected an inventory of links to documents that we've detected from each section of the website. Find the file for your site, and additional guidance, on our SharePoint page.
- Remove unnecessary documents or, where appropriate, move documents internal system (Canvas, SharePoint, Teams, etc.).
- Review remaining documents and categorize according to the new criteria.
- Return your categorized list of documents to webservices@fit.edu by the deadline.
- Work with Web Services to address your documents requiring remediation or conversion.
Project Timeline
Deadline: Friday, April 24, 2026
Reviewing, converting and remediating documents takes time. Please engage in this process as soon as possible to ensure that we can make as much progress on your documents as possible before the deadline.
Project Urgency Milestones
- February - GREEN - Low Concern - Please review your documents as soon as practical.
- March - YELLOW - Growing Concern - Units should take action as soon as possible.
- APRIL 1-20 - ORANGE - High Concern - Immediate engagement is strongly encouraged.
- APRIL 20-24 - RED - Last Chance - Documents that are not accounted for at the deadline will start being removed on Monday, April 27.
Common Issues With Documents On The Web
Accessibility
As with any other website content, documents must meet current accessibility standards. Documents must be structured correctly and incorporate other important features in order to be interpreted properly by assistive technology and accessible to all users. Adding accessibility features to existing documents can be a challenging and time-consuming task, but resources are available to aid in that process. There are also many vendors who offer document remediation services.
Making content accessible is not only the kindest way to present information, it is also a federal legal requirement.
User Experience, File Sizes And Formats
Accessibility issues aside, in most cases, users do not visit a website with the intention of downloading a document to find the information they’re looking for, they expect content on a webpage. Documents can have large file sizes which can be difficult to load for users with slower connections, older devices, or limited data. Large pages and layouts intended for print can be difficult to navigate. Content for folded brochures, for example, usually does not appear in the intended order in PDF format.
Content on a webpage typically loads faster, is easier to navigate and understand, and avoids the need to switch between website pages and documents. This all adds up to a better experience for all users.
Outdated Information
The website is an authoritative source of information about the university, it is critical that the information we make available is accurate and up to date. In some cases, documents are added to a website and forgotten about, or old documents are retained and shared unnecessarily. This can lead to cluttered document folders and sharing outdated information which could result in people being misled.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Content on a webpage is generally better for SEO than content inside of a separate document. The experience for users coming from a search engine is generally better when the user lands on a webpage instead of being led straight to a document. When the user lands on a webpage they see the site's navigation and are able to more easily visit other parts of the site as well.