Accessible University Documents: How Flipsnack Helps Create ADA-Compliant Flipbooks

Published on: November 28, 2025

In higher education, creating accessible documents is both a moral imperative and a legal necessity. Universities serve diverse audiences, including students and staff with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments. 

In the U.S. alone, over 61 million adults live with a disability – equivalent to roughly 1 in 4 people. If course materials, syllabi, brochures, or reports aren’t accessible, a significant portion of potential readers and learners are effectively excluded.

Beyond inclusivity, accessibility impacts a university’s reputation and compliance status. Laws such as ADA Title III (for public-facing content in the U.S.), Section 508 (for U.S. federal institutions), and the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines set clear standards that academic content must meet.

Failing to provide accessible digital content (for example, a PDF without alt text or a document that can’t be navigated via keyboard) can not only undermine student success but also expose institutions to legal risks.

Accessibility isn’t just about “doing the right thing” – it yields practical benefits for universities. When documents are readable by assistive technologies and easy to navigate, more people can find, use, and trust the content, improving engagement and reach.

With Flipsnack, you can create accessible documents from your existing PDFs, from scratch, or starting from a template. 

Why accessible documents matter in higher education

1. Inclusive education

Universities have a mission to provide equal educational opportunities. All students should be able to access course content, policies, and informational materials.

When materials aren’t formatted for screen readers or lack descriptive alt text, some students face unnecessary barriers.

A recent multi-country study of university teaching staff found that inaccessible educational materials significantly restrict students with disabilities from acquiring the knowledge they need for academic success.

2. Legal compliance

Academic institutions face growing pressure to meet accessibility standards like ADA and WCAG. This is especially true for public universities and colleges.

Universities must ensure digital documents are:

• Readable across various devices
• Navigable with assistive technologies
• Usable for people with different abilities

Different countries have specific regulations:

• U.S. universities: Must comply with ADA and often Section 508 for federally funded programs
• European universities: Follow the European Accessibility Act or similar laws

Non-compliance can result in lawsuits or government action. An accessible PDF course catalog or online campus brochure isn’t just best practice—it’s often legally required.

3. Enhanced engagement and reputation 

Accessible content benefits everyone. Clear headings, screen reader-compatible text, and keyboard-friendly navigation improve the experience for all readers.

Accessibility features help multiple audiences:

• Someone with low vision benefits from high-contrast text
• Someone using a mobile device in bright sunlight gets the same benefit
• Students and faculty appreciate documents that are easy to search and navigate

Studies in user behavior indicate that younger audiences (like Gen Z students) will quickly leave content that is hard to navigate.

Making documents intuitive and barrier-free keeps readers engaged longer. It also strengthens your institution’s reputation for inclusivity and innovation.

4. Improved discoverability

An often overlooked advantage of accessible documents is better SEO and discoverability. Content that is machine-readable (with proper text structure and alt tags) will be indexed more thoroughly by search engines. 

For universities, this means that accessible flipbook brochures or reports are more likely to appear in search results, helping prospective students or researchers find relevant information. 

In short, accessible content not only broadens your human audience but can also boost your online visibility.

Traditional documents don’t work anymore

A typical PDF of a syllabus or annual report may look professional, but if it’s just a scanned image or missing proper tagging, screen readers can’t interpret it. In fact, most PDFs and digital documents lack the necessary tags and structure for accessibility, which excludes millions of users who depend on assistive tech.

Common issues with traditional documents include:

• Lack of alt text: Images, charts, or graphics in a PDF or slide deck often have no alternative text descriptions. Someone using a screen reader will only hear “image” with no context, losing the information entirely.
  
• Keyboard unfriendly: Many PDFs or online documents assume a mouse or touchscreen for navigation. For users who rely on a keyboard or assistive switch devices, it can be impossible to jump to a specific section or link. For example, a long course catalog PDF might not let a keyboard user easily skip to the desired program page.
  
• Inflexible layouts: Traditional static files often aren’t mobile-responsive or easily zoomable. A student trying to pinch-zoom a PDF on their phone might find themselves scrolling horizontally and vertically, an awkward experience. If text can’t reflow or adjust, it’s a problem for readers with low vision who need enlargement.
  
• No multimedia accommodation: A static document can’t accommodate captions or transcripts for multimedia content, while an interactive format could. If a PDF prospectus links to a video message from the university president without captions, that’s an accessibility gap.
  

While PDFs and other static formats are familiar, they often require significant remediation (adding tags, alt text, etc.) to meet accessibility standards. Without the right tools or expertise, a university could unknowingly publish content that screen reader users, keyboard-only users, or colorblind users struggle with or cannot use at all. 

This is where digital publishing platforms like Flipsnack come into play as a solution.

Create accessible digital documents without the hassle using Flipsnack 

Flipsnack turns PDFs or templates into interactive, mobile-friendly flipbooks while keeping accessibility in focus. You can publish course materials, brochures, magazines, and reports as flipbooks that still meet WCAG 2.1 AA and ADA requirements, so you do not trade accessibility for interactivity.

1. Compliance foundation

Flipsnack’s Design Studio, viewer, and website are built to follow WCAG, ADA, and Section 508. Universities still need to test their own flipbooks, yet they begin from a platform that already respects core accessibility rules. Each new publication can then be both engaging and inclusive by default.

2. Screen reader support

When accessibility is enabled, readers can open an Accessibility Panel in the viewer. This shows the content in a clean text view that works well with screen readers and presents the page in a logical reading order, even if the visual layout is complex.

3. Keyboard navigation

Flipsnack’s viewer can be used entirely with a keyboard. Readers can move between pages, follow links, open the Accessibility Panel, and use controls without a mouse. This is essential for users with motor impairments and also improves usability for power users who prefer keyboard shortcuts.

4. Alt text and images

Creators can add or edit alternative text for images, charts, and other non-text elements directly in the editor. That means a campus map, data chart, or photo in a digital magazine can always have a meaningful description that a screen reader will read aloud.

5. Structure and tagging

Flipsnack keeps a clear structure behind the scenes. It preserves headings, lists, and other semantic elements from an accessible PDF and adds an accessibility layer so assistive technologies can parse the content correctly. This helps the flipbook meet WCAG requirements for document structure and navigation.

6. AI-assisted accessibility

Flipsnack includes AI tools that can generate page summaries. This is useful for older or very visual documents, since it speeds up the work of creating an accessible text layer. Staff still review and refine the results, but they no longer start from a blank page.

How universities use these accessible flipbooks made in Flipsnack

Universities already publish a steady flow of magazines, guides, and reports. Turning these into accessible flipbooks in Flipsnack means readers can use screen readers and keyboard navigation while still getting a polished, interactive experience.

Manchester University

Manchester University publishes its Manchester Magazine as an online flipbook. It works as an alumni and community magazine that readers can browse in a browser instead of downloading a PDF.

With accessibility turned on, this kind of publication can be read with a screen reader and navigated by keyboard. Alumni who cannot use a mouse or who rely on assistive tech can still move through articles, follow links, and read captions. The magazine stays professional, but it is no longer a barrier for part of the audience.

University of Suffolk

The University of Suffolk uses Flipsnack for several important documents, such as its postgraduate prospectus, research and knowledge exchange strategy, and legal advice centre report.

When these are published as accessible flipbooks, prospective students, partners, and community members can search the text, jump to sections, and use assistive technology to read the content. The same documents that support recruitment, strategy, and reporting also meet accessibility needs.

Other ways universities can use Flipsnack for accessible documents

Beyond these examples, universities can use accessible flipbooks for many other materials, for example

• Course catalogs and program guides
• Student handbooks and academic regulations
• Orientation guides and student life information
• Housing, dining, and campus services guides
• Internal newsletters and HR or policy manuals
• Research highlights, case study collections, and impact reports

All of these start as documents the university already creates. Publishing them as accessible flipbooks simply makes them easier to use for everyone, including people who rely on screen readers or keyboard navigation.

With these in mind, let’s see some free templates from Flipsnack you can use and make accessible.

Free templates you can use (accessible or ready to be made accessible)

1. Online Admissions Handbook Guide Template

Help new students navigate their first semester with less stress. This admissions handbook template covers the essentials: registration, accommodation, courses, and financial support.

Simply add your university’s specific details to this ready-made template. You can share it publicly on your website or send it directly to incoming students.

2. Interactive Online University Prospectus Template

A modern prospectus designed for showcasing your programs and campus life. This template supports interactive elements like embedded videos, clickable links, contact forms, and page navigation—making it easy for prospective students to explore what your university offers.

The layout includes space for program details, admission requirements, campus highlights, and student support services. Perfect for universities that want to create an engaging digital first impression.

3. School Communication Toolkit Example

A practical resource for teachers and administrators who need to communicate program updates to families. This toolkit helps you create clear, actionable messages that parents will actually read and understand.

It includes ready-to-use flyers and email templates, communication best practices, and examples of what to avoid. Interactive features like embedded videos, audio explanations, and reflective questions make it easy to implement. Ideal for improving parent engagement across your district.

4. Digital Workshop Guide Example

An interactive resource for delivering professional development sessions to educators. This guide includes session introductions, learning objectives, agendas, trainer bios, and follow-up resources—all in one organized document.

Interactive elements like embedded videos, quizzes, maps, and contact forms keep participants engaged. Perfect for hosting virtual or hybrid workshops with a polished, educator-friendly experience.

5. Digital College Enrollment Guide Template

Support prospective students through the enrollment process with this comprehensive guide. It walks applicants through college preparation, the enrollment timeline, and interview preparation.

Add interactive elements like videos, page navigation buttons, and slideshows to make the content more engaging. Use Flipsnack’s AI to generate alt text summaries for accessibility. Share it on your website or social media to reach more applicants.

Put accessibility into practice with Flipsnack

Accessible documents are not optional for universities. They are about equal access, legal compliance, and giving everyone a usable reading experience. Static PDFs and print thinking do not match how students, staff, and alumni actually consume information today.

Flipsnack gives universities a practical way to publish accessible versions of the documents they already create, from course syllabi to annual reports. You keep the design and interactivity, while students with screen readers, staff with mobility impairments, and alumni with low vision can still access the same content.

Adopting accessible flipbooks is a simple, visible step toward academic quality and genuine inclusivity, and it shows that no one on campus is an afterthought.