Summer Sweep

Congratulations! University staff removed nearly 1,000 PDFs from the CSUN website in summer 2026! 

Inspired by a similar project at North Carolina State University, since adopted by more than 50 colleges and universities, CSUN will take targeted steps over four weeks this summer to make our web content, specifically public-facing PDF documents, more accessible.

Schedule

The List  |  Web Pages  |  Forms  | PDF  

A stylized sun with accessibility, form, PDF icons, and a broom inside its center.

Week 1 – The List (July 6 to 10)

The Universal Design Center will distribute a list of PDFs on division and college websites. Go through your list and remove from the site any PDFs that are internal or outdated. Of the remaining PDFs, start to identify which of your PDFs could be a web page or a web form instead, and which need to remain public-facing PDFs. 

Support:

PopeTech Platform

Lists for each website are available through the PopeTech web accessibility evaluation platform. 

  1. From the navigation menu on the left, select Websites.
  2. Find your website. 
  3. Select the button under Actions (labeled ">>" or "Edit").
  4. At the bottom of the following page are three tabs, each containing a list. Select the Documents tab. 
  5. Ignore the first four files in your Documents list. The remaining items are the PDFs for this website.

 

Use the PopeTech list to begin making a plan for your website during the Summer Sweep. Identify:

  • Old files that can be removed.
  • Internal files that should be moved to Box or another internal location.
  • PDFs that could be web pages.
  • PDFs that initiate a campus process, and might be better served by another platform.
  • PDFs that meet the definition of "archived" files:
    • "Archived web content means web content that—
    • (1) Was created before ..., reproduces paper documents created before ..., or reproduces the contents of other physical media created before [April 24, 2027];
    • (2) Is retained exclusively for reference, research, or recordkeeping;
    • (3) Is not altered or updated after the date of archiving; and
    • (4) Is organized and stored in a dedicated area or areas clearly identified as being archived."

Template (Excel)

 

If you believe you have PDFs that qualify as "archive" material, create a dedicated section within your website and clearly identify it as your archive section. Over the summer you will move your archived PDFs to this new section. 

Archive handout (Word)

Presentation Slides and Training Video 

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Week 2 – Web Pages (July 13 to 17)

Using your list from week 1, begin to convert some of your PDFs to web pages on your division, college, or department website. 

Support:

Presentation Slides and Training Video 

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Week 3 – Forms (July 20 to 24)

Using your list from week 1, begin to convert your PDF forms to one of CSUN's many options for forms. 

Support:

CSUN offers many options for forms:

Presentation Slides and Training Video 

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Week 4 – PDF Remediation (July 27 to 31)

Finally, some content does belong on our public websites as PDF files. For the PDFs that qualify for the "archive" exception (see Week 1 Instructions) under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensure those PDFs are moved to your new archive section. For the remaining PDFs, ensure they are accessible. 

Support:

To start, follow the three steps outlined on the PDF Accessibility Remediation Tool page. These three steps will fix or improve many of your PDFs, especially the "untagged" PDFs.

If the PDF Accessibility Remediation Tool does not improve your PDF -- it does not work for all files -- more guidance and resources are available on our PDF Accessibility page. You are also welcome to make an appointment with the UDC team. 

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Universal Design Center Offers

Want to learn more? Have questions? Need advice? email udc@csun.edu or call us at 818.677.5898