Removing and Replacing Inaccessible PDFs

Overview

SIDEARM partners can remove inaccessible PDFs directly from the CMS to ensure their athletics site meets accessibility standards. This process is safe and non-destructive — removing a PDF does not break any existing links to it.

What Happens When a PDF Is Removed

When you remove an inaccessible PDF through the CMS, the URL for that document remains active. Anyone who visits that link will see the following message in place of the document:

"This document has been removed in order to provide a fully accessible experience."

This means you can remove PDFs immediately without worrying about creating dead links or a poor user experience in the interim.

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1 — Remove the inaccessible PDF

Use the CMS to remove the PDF from your athletics site. How to remove inaccessible PDFs (Word). How to remove inaccessible PDFs (PDF).

Step 2 — Remediate the PDF

Work to remediate the PDF so it is properly tagged and meets accessibility requirements. A PDF is considered accessible when it has correct reading order, image alt text, tagged headings, and other structural markup that assistive technologies can interpret.

Step 3 — Restore the document

Once the remediated PDF is ready, you have two options for getting it back on your site:

• Replace the old PDF directly — Upload the remediated file in place of the removed one. The original URL will resume working automatically.

• Upload as a new file and add a redirect — If you upload the PDF under a new file name, set up a redirect from the old URL to the new one so existing links continue to work.

Key Takeaways

• Removing a PDF is reversible and does not create broken links.

• The placeholder message keeps users informed while remediation is in progress.

• Always ensure a PDF is fully tagged and accessible before restoring it to the site.

For questions about the remediation process or accessibility requirements, contact the SIDEARM Accessibility Team.