Guides @ UF: Publishing with Florida OJ: Accessibility

Kat Nguyen

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Title II Revisions

In April 2024, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was revised to expand accessibility requirements to web content and mobile applications (apps). As a large public institution, the University of Florida is required to provide accessible digital content and files by April 24, 2026. More information on the Title II revisions is available on the ADA.gov website. Web content and mobile apps usually need to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1's Level AA at a minimum.

What does this mean for journals published by LP@UF?

Journals are required to provide an accessible file galley (such as an accessible PDF, an HTML file, or an ePUB) for all publications after April 24, 2026.
Publications prior to April 24, 2026 do not need to provide an accessible file galley.

As we navigate these changes, the LibraryPress@UF is here to support you! Starting accessibility efforts now will ensure that your journal is meeting accessibility requirements by the implementation date.

This LibGuide provides a basic introduction to accessible galleys. For more information and resources, visit our Journal Accessibility webpage.

Most journals on OJS publish PDF galleys. For most folks, accessible PDFs will probably be more manageable to develop. PDFs are accessible when:

Information can be read by an assistive device, such as screen readers. This means they need to be appropriately tagged.
There is a hierarchy of headings for clarity and understanding.
Lists, tables, and paragraphs are appropriately tagged and marked.
Important images have informative alt text and unimportant images/graphics have empty alt text.
There is a correct tab order for keyboard-only users.
There is accurate metadata.

While PDFs are not fully accessible due to their lack of reflowability, there are ways to make them more accessible.

Ensure that your source document is as accessible as possible prior to converting to PDF.
When converting your source document to PDF, use settings that retain tags and accessibility formatting. Avoid "Print to PDF."
Adobe Acrobat: Once you have created a PDF, check for the following:
- Tags. Open the Tags panel (View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags) and make sure everything is appropriately tagged. The Autotag feature may be useful to start if you have none.
  - Common tags are heading tags, list tags, paragraph tags, and link tags.
- Reading order. The order of the tags displayed in the Tags panel is called the reading order. Make sure the order of the tags matches the order of the content.
- Alt text. Informative images should be tagged as <figure> and have useful alt text.
- Color contrast.
- File properties. Add and/or verify your PDF's metadata, and be sure to double-check security settings.

This LibGuide provides a basic introduction to accessible galleys. For more information and resources, visit our Journal Accessibility webpage.

Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML, is the standard markup language for webpages; it stores text and defines the structure and formatting of that text. HTML is the "ultimate" accessible galley due to its reflowability. HTML files can be opened in any browser on any device, can be resized to fit a device's screen, and can be extensively customized. However, it is important to note that HTML will be more complex and laborious for most journal teams, unless someone is already experienced in developing HTML files.

For folks interested in producing HTML galleys, we highly recommend checking out the University of Alberta Libraries' HTML Galley template. Their team developed a great guide on how to use the template.

HTML Basics

HTML files can be developed in something as simple as the Notepad app on your computer. Visual Studio Code (VSC) is a downloadable, free code editor that is super beginner-friendly.
HTML structures text using tags, which are defined using < >. Each line of code needs opening and closing tags, which are differentiated by a backslash. Tags are "nested" to show the hierarchy of the text. It's the same concept as the heading hierarchy used in documents! Here's an example:
- <h1> Heading 1 is the main heading for a document. A document can only have one H1 heading. </h1>
  - <h2> Heading 2 is a second-level heading. It "belongs" in Heading 1. </h2>
    - <h3> Heading 3 is a third-level heading. It is a subheading for Heading 2. </h3>
    - <p> The <p> tag is used for any body text. </p>
- Your article can be structured using simple heading and body tags, with the appropriate tags for figures and alt text.
HTML also supports "jumping" to different sections in your article by hyperlinking subheadings.

Free Resources & Tools

For folks without access to Adobe Acrobat and its built-in accessibility checker, you can use:
- PAVE. An open-source, free tool that automatically corrects accessibility issues. This tool can be used in your browser, but has a 5MB file limit.
- PAC. A free, downloadable accessibility checker. I did not see a file size limit when looking at this tool.
The Public Knowledge Project's (PKP; developer of OJS) Creating Accessible Content guide for journal editors and authors covers basic accessibility principles and more information on creating accessible galley files.
PKP has also developed some guidance on HTML galleys.
Harvard developed guidance on developing a variety of accessible document types and on creating accessible PDFs.
For additional resources, check out the LibraryPress@UF's Journal Accessibility page.