Google Docs and Slides

Publish as Webpages¶

A webpage is generally more accessible than a PDF file. If you are using Google Docs, you can publish your documents and slides as a webpage by going to File > Share > Publish to web. This will generate a link that you can share with your students.

Note that you do not need to change the document’s sharing setting. Publishing to the web is a separate feature that allows you to create a publicly-accessible, read-only version of the document. For example, if you are working on the document with some collaborators using the “Anyone with the link can edit” option, you can keep the sharing settings as is and still create a read-only version using Publish to Web.

What If I Need a PDF?¶

Unfortunately, Google Docs and Slides do not generate accessible PDFs. If you must provide a PDF version, you have a few options:

1. Download in the native format (e.g., .docx or .pptx) and then use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint (or OpenOffice/LibreOffice) to export an accessible PDF. This is the recommended option if you have access to Office applications.

2. Download the PDF from Google Docs, and then use UDoIt (available in Canvas) to tag the PDF file and add alt text. See External PDF Files for how to use UDoIt on pre-existing PDF files.

3. Download the PDF from Google Docs, and then use Adobe Acrobat Pro to add accessibility features (e.g., alt text, document structure tags). See External PDF Files for how to use Adobe Acrobat Pro on pre-existing PDF files.