Guides
Plain answers for the people responsible for accessible documents: what the rules require, what fixing costs, and how to prove it’s done.
ADA Title II PDF requirements: what's exempt and what changed in 2026
Under the DOJ's ADA Title II web rule, PDFs that a state or local government posts must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. An April 2026 interim final rule moved the compliance dates to April 26, 2027 for governments serving 50,000 or more people and April 26, 2028 for smaller governments and special districts, without changing the requirements. Older PDFs can be exempt if they are properly archived, or if they were posted before your compliance date and nobody uses them to apply for or take part in a service. You will likely still need to provide any document in an accessible form when someone asks.
Guide · 12 min read · Ockem teamAccessible PDF forms: how to make a fillable form screen readers can use
Forms are how residents apply for permits, licenses and services, so they are the PDFs most worth fixing first. Here is what each field needs, how to set it in Acrobat Pro, and how to test it with a free screen reader.
Alt text for complex images: charts, maps and diagrams in PDFs, and where AI helps
A short alt names the picture and its point. A long description carries what it shows. Full examples for a budget chart, two kinds of map, an org chart, a flowchart and an infographic, plus what AI drafting gets right and wrong.
Title II archived content exception: archive, keep or fix your PDFs
Most public PDF libraries hold years of agendas, minutes and reports. This guide helps clerks and web managers decide what to archive, what to keep, what to fix and what to take down.
Automated PDF remediation: what software fixes and what needs a person
A check-by-check map of WCAG 2.1 AA for PDFs, showing what software repairs on its own, what it drafts for a person to confirm, and what a person decides.
How to find all PDFs on a website and decide what to fix first
You cannot sort, budget or plan PDF remediation without a list. Here is where PDFs hide, five ways to find them, what to record for each file, and a simple way to decide what to fix first.
Should this be a PDF at all? When HTML beats remediating a PDF
The most common advice on a PDF backlog is to stop publishing PDFs. This guide shows when that advice is right, when it isn't available, and what you can archive for free first.
Logical reading order in PDFs: what 'Needs manual check' means and how to pass it
Acrobat flags reading order on every PDF it checks. Here is what the flag means, what WCAG 1.3.2 asks, how to check the order in 15 minutes with free tools, and how to fix it in Acrobat or at the source.
PDF accessibility checkers compared: Acrobat Pro, PAC 2026 and veraPDF
What each checker actually tests, why their results disagree, why a clean report still isn't WCAG 2.1 AA, and a free checking routine you can run on your next agenda packet.
PDF color contrast: how to check it, and how to fix brand colors that fail
Acrobat's checker leaves contrast to you. Here is how to measure it with free tools, which colors usually fail, and why fixing two or three template colors can clear hundreds of failing lines at once.
PDF remediation cost per page, per document or subscription in 2026
How the main pricing models work, what makes a document cost more, and the arithmetic for a flyer, a report, a 200-page budget book and a 5,000-document library.
Proof of accessibility for PDFs: certificates, reports and audit trails
When a complaint, an audit or a procurement questionnaire asks how you know a document is accessible, here is the evidence that answers it, and the evidence that doesn't.
Multi-column PDF reading order: sidebars, footnotes, tables and complex layouts
A pattern gallery for newsletters, annual reports, budget books and agenda packets: ten layouts, what a screen reader user often hears, the order that works, and how to tag it.
Scanned PDF accessibility: why OCR alone isn't enough, and what a scan needs
Signed resolutions, old ordinances and letters in agenda packets are often scans. Here is how to spot one, what OCR does and doesn't do, and how to decide whether to fix, retype, archive or provide it on request.
HHS Section 504 web accessibility rule: what it means for your PDFs
Hospitals, health departments, health centers and human services agencies that take HHS funds have a WCAG 2.1 AA deadline of their own. Here is what it covers, which PDFs are exempt, and how to plan the work.
Free tools
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Count the PDFs on your site
Enter your domain. We count every linked PDF, score a free sample against WCAG 2.1 AA (12 by default, up to 100 for requests we qualify) and price the job, usually within 3 business days.
CalculatorPrice your library
Type a document count and see the cheapest combination of packs, with your team’s review time.
By sector
Start from where you work.
State and local government
Cities, counties, states and special districts under the ADA Title II web rule.
Higher education
Public institutions under Title II, and any institution with HHS funding under Section 504.
K-12 school districts
Public school districts under the ADA Title II web rule.
Health
Hospitals, clinics and health departments that receive HHS funding, under Section 504.
Start with one PDF.
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Longer document? Request an assessment.