Institutions like McMaster rely heavily on documents and files for various purposes. The recommendation is to have the information available in a web format. However, this isn't always possible.
All site owners are responsible for ensuring that all files and documents (PDFs, Word Docs, Excel Sheets, etc.) on a website are created and maintained in an accessible format. For some, this can be a massive undertaking.
The recommendation is to develop and implement a team strategy for handling accessible files and documents.
For more information on how to develop a Web Accessibility Strategy, please contact McMaster's resident Web Accessibility Specialist, Clark Cipryk (ciprykc@mcmaster.ca).