Documents: a web page first, a PDF only when needed

Public websites are full of PDFs: agendas, minutes, forms, flyers, budgets, newsletters. Many were made for printing, and many are hard or impossible to use with a screen reader, a phone or a translation tool.

The fix starts with a question before you upload: does this need to be a PDF at all?

A web page first

A web page is usually the better choice:

• It works on a phone without pinching and zooming.
• It is accessible by default when you use headings, lists and alt text in your editor, as covered in Lessons 1 to 3.
• It is easier to update. Change the page, and there is no old copy floating around.
• Translation tools and search engines read it well.

Hours, fees, eligibility rules, how-to steps and event details belong on web pages. Keep PDFs for documents that must stay fixed: signed contracts, adopted ordinances, official minutes, large reports meant for printing.

When a PDF is the right call

An accessible PDF has:

• Real text, not a scanned page, which is only a picture of text.
• Tags, the hidden structure that tells a screen reader what is a heading, a list or a table.
• A title and a language set in the document properties.
• Alt text on meaningful images, and decorative ones marked as such.
• A logical reading order, so text in columns is read in the right sequence.

The reliable way to get there is to start in an accessible source. Build the document in Word or Google Docs with heading styles, list buttons and alt text. Then export to PDF using the option that keeps tags or accessibility information. Check it with the accessibility checker built into your PDF software.

Fixing an inaccessible PDF after the fact is slow, specialist work. Fixing the source document is usually faster.

Scanned documents

If you must post a scanned document, such as an old signed deed, run text recognition (OCR) and still provide the key facts as text on the page. For anything you can retype or regenerate, do that instead.

Old documents and archives under Title II

The Title II rule has exceptions editors should know about, and they are narrow.

Archived web content is excepted only when all four of these are true, according to ADA.gov:

1. It was created before your institution's compliance date.
2. It is kept only for reference, research or recordkeeping.
3. It is kept in a special area for archived content.
4. It has not been changed since it was archived.

Preexisting documents, meaning word processing, presentation, PDF or spreadsheet files that were on the site before the compliance date, usually do not need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. The exception does not cover a document still used to apply for or take part in a service, such as a permit application form, or an old file that was later updated.

Even when content is excepted, ADA.gov says your institution would likely still need to provide it in an accessible form to a person with a disability who needs it. Ask your attorney or ADA coordinator before relying on an exception.