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PDFs on our website

As you navigate around our website you will come across PDF documents. This page tells you more about PDF documents, why we use them, and looks at PDFs and accessibility.

What are PDFs?

PDFs are downloadable attachments produced in 'portable document format' - this means that they can be accessed with free software that can be downloaded from the Adobe website.

Every PDF file on our website is accompanied by two links - one that will take the user to a free download of Adobe Reader (see link above), and a link to this page, which contains information and advice about accessibility.

Why do we use PDFs on our website?

We convert downloadable documents to PDF wherever possible to ensure that they are available to people who do not have access to commercial software such as Microsoft Word. PDFs can be read using free software that can be downloaded from the Adobe website. It also means that we can be sure that documents are presented in the correct format, particularly when printed out. (This can sometimes be necessary for legal reasons.)

Are PDFs usable with assistive technology?

As PDF documents may not be readily accessible to screen readers and may not be formatted for visually impaired users, the following tools can be used to convert PDF documents into plain text or plain HTML documents. This service is provided by Adobe.

Online conversion:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html

FAQs about online conversion:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_tools_faq.html

For the latest advice and guidance on producing and viewing PDFs using assistive technology please see the Adobe accessibility centre.

Can we supply information in a different format?

If you require any PDF document in an alternative format, please contact the Web Services Team in the first instance at: webeditors@coventry.gov.uk for assistance.

Find out more about accessibility on our website

Please see our accessibility page for more information on the steps we take to try and make our website accessible to everyone.