From budgets and permits to meeting packets and annual reports, public documents, especially PDFs, have long been the workhorse of local democracy. As an essential public good, they should be easily accessible for residents of all abilities, but that is often not the case. Fortunately, new technology is making document accessibility achievable for local governments and special districts of any size, and the time to prioritize it is now.
Documents as Key Public Infrastructure
PDFs have been a staple for many local governments to create, share, and archive digital documentation. But government documents are more than passive paperwork sitting on a server. They shape how residents understand and interact with public life.
From emergency notices and zoning maps to budget records, election materials, court filings and more, documents are the operational records of our democracy. Residents rely on them to stay safe, access services, understand public information, and participate in government. When those documents are inaccessible, it can erode trust and throw up obstacles to civic participation.
PDFs Can Present Barriers to Residents, Risks to Overall Trust
PDFs can create significant usability and accessibility barriers, especially for those with disabilities who rely on assistive technology like screen readers. At the same time, they do not adapt well to mobile screens, often forcing residents to pinch, zoom, and scroll through dense pages on their phones. Additionally, the format is difficult to translate, making it significantly challenging for residents who speak different languages.
The consequences of inaccessible PDFs can be severe. Consider a blind resident attempting to read a wildfire evacuation notice who encounters a poorly scanned PDF that her screen reader processes one letter at a time, making the notice effectively unusable during an emergency.
In the era of voice search and answers at our fingertips, public expectations around accessing information in real-time are rising among people of all abilities. It is imperative that local governments take steps to meet them.
How to Lead in Document and Information Accessibility
With web accessibility deadlines looming, an important first step for local leaders is to get a clear picture of the scale of your document accessibility challenge. You can use free and low-cost tools like WAVE or PAC 2024 / PAC 2026 to scan your website and document library to identify inaccessible PDFs and help prioritize the documents that matter most. Governments should also create straightforward ways for residents to request accommodations or report barriers.
Once you have a clearer picture of your accessibility challenges, it’s time to identify the best strategy for your community. Traditional PDF remediation can prove costly and difficult to sustain, especially for governments publishing many documents on an ongoing basis. Consider new, smarter formats to avoid the challenges often associated with PDFs. For example, HTML is inherently more accessible, adaptable and sustainable. With AI-assisted platforms, HTML can generate alt text, audit accessibility issues and scale remediation across thousands of files. HTML is also more easily indexed by search engines or surfaced by AI-powered search tools than PDFs.
However you choose to remediate or automate your public documents, remember that leading with accessibility ultimately builds trust and resident engagement. When residents of all abilities can easily access public information, they can participate fully in public life. In that sense, document accessibility is not just a compliance box to check; it is an investment in democracy itself.
CivicPlus® Senior Vice President of Product Strategy and Innovation Mac Clemmens is the Co-Founder of DocAccess and Streamline. Mac is a proud advocate of website accessibility and local government, having presented on the subject at conferences nationwide. He received the prestigious “Vision Award” from Disability Rights California—the nation’s largest disability rights advocacy organization — in recognition of his commitment to creating accessible website experiences for all users. Mac is passionate about helping local governments tell their stories and engage with their communities, ensuring that the fear of ADA noncompliance doesn’t stand in the way.
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