This article introduces accessible PDFs to our clients and focuses on an additional layer of content we will need from you during your report design process. In later parts of the Accessible PDFs series, we will cover topics such as how to write alt text, how to check your accessible PDF, and guidance on visual styling. If you have any specific questions you’d like for us to cover, feel free to contact us.

Laws are changing

In April 2027, a Department of Justice rule under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) goes into effect, requiring state and local governments serving populations of 50,000 or more to publish accessible web content, including PDFs. In April 2028, the same law expands to every municipality that serves populations under 50,000.

None of this is new. The underlying requirement to provide accessible communication has existed since Section 504 took effect in 1973. Section 504 applies to any program or activity that receives federal funding. Title II’s general nondiscrimination mandate, which took effect in 1990 specifically applies to state and local governments, regardless of their source of funding. What’s new with the Department of Justice ruling is a specific technical standard, WCAG 2.1 Level AA, and firm deadlines tied to population size.

While the law is clear that this affects state and local governments and public universities, it also has implications for organizations and businesses that provide public services. For organizations whose audience includes these entities, it may be wise to produce accessible PDFs so that your target audience can repost and reshare your content without risking noncompliance or incurring expensive remediation costs. There’s an additional motivation for organizations centering equity in their work. Producing accessible content demonstrates a commitment to your values, regardless of the legal exposure or requirements.

That’s why The Bridge Studio is beginning to incorporate accessible PDF design into our standard practice. While this does require an additional layer of effort, it’s nothing we can’t handle. Because we already follow a clear plan and schedule for our projects, with set times for the delivery of the final manuscript, design reviews, and final sign-off, we can naturally incorporate accessible PDF design processes into our work together.

Why does this matter?

28.7% of adults in the U.S. are disabled — that’s 70 million people. Imagine, more than a quarter of your audience may benefit from the work we do to make PDFs accessible! And accessible PDFs serve these populations in myriad ways. 

People of all sorts of abilities use assistive technology to access information. This includes people with visual impairments such as dyslexia or blindness, as well as cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, elders who have aged into a disabled status, and many other types of disability. 

Assistive technologies include tools like screen readers, spoken audio, and refreshable braille displays. Without accessible PDFs, your audience may have no way to access materials that they need, and that you took painstaking care to create.

Who needs to be concerned?

Anyone who produces content for local and state governments, public universities, or content that will be reposted or shared on government websites should know about the changes in accessibility law. PDFs can be fixed after they are exported. This is called remediation, but it is very labor-intensive and can be expensive. It’s best to set up the file for accessibility from the start.

If you are unsure if this applies to you and your organization, we encourage you to do your own research. 

What about previously produced electronic documents and PDFs?

According to the official ADA website, if your content is published prior to the effective dates, you are grandfathered in. However, if your product is used to apply for, gain access to, or participate in government services or programs, they will need to be updated. This includes forms and applications, as well as reference documents needed to complete them. 

How to prepare for your accessible PDF design process

Much of the work that goes into preparing an accessible PDF happens in the design software used to produce your document and falls to your editorial and design team. However, there is additional content that authors need to provide that falls outside of the traditional manuscript.

Here is a list of things to expect and plan for:

1: Provide the final, formatted manuscript

In addition to being reviewed, edited, and approved for design and layout, the final manuscript should be formatted consistently using the styles palette. When done correctly, you should be able to easily generate a dynamic table of contents. 

We will use the table of contents in your final manuscript to inform how headings are mapped and tagged in InDesign. Tagging helps people using assistive technology know when they are reading a Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, paragraph, bulleted list, numbered list, table, etc. Avoid manually styling your document and manually producing a table of contents.

2: Write the metadata

This step is pretty straightforward. Metadata is what an individual using assistive technology will encounter first. It’s also what search engines see when they are crawling the internet. What we need from you includes:

1. Title: The complete and formal title of the report as it should appear in a citation.
2. Author(s): A list of author(s) in the order that they should appear. This can also be a list of organizations, if you prefer. 
3. Description: One or two sentences that tell the reader what the report is about. 
4. Keywords: 3-5 keywords that describe your content, presented as a list separated by semicolons. When writing your keywords, think of your target audience and the search terms they would use to find your report. 

3: Develop alt text

Unlike the other items in this list, alt text may not be as obvious or familiar. Because of that, I’m going to give a bit more background so you know what it is and what we need from you. 

What it is

Alt text provides people using assistive technologies with an alternative way to access your content. 

When alt text is needed

Alt text should be produced for any visual content that is essential to your report. This includes pictures, graphics, data visualizations, and logos.  

When alt text is not needed

Alt text is not necessary for ornamental objects, images, or graphics that do not substantively contribute to your content. These non-essential objects include boxes that frame text, watermarks, or graphics that provide texture on a page, but no substance. 

What we need from you

We need you to provide alt text for all charts, graphs, figures, information graphics, photographs, and logos. This can also be scoped as part of the services The Bridge Studio offers. Regardless of who produces the content, it is important to decide who is responsible for this step before production begins.   

See our article — Accessible PDFs Part 2: How to Write Alt Text — for more detailed instructions on how to write alt text, including how this folds into the broader production schedule and tips on plain language writing.

4: Final sign-off

Throughout the process, we will check in with you as questions arise regarding reading order, tagging structure, and alt text. You will then have two formal opportunities to review the PDF before we submit it for final review and approval. It is very important that no additional edits or comments come in after final sign-off. 

At this point in the process, we’re likely to be hours or days away from making your report public. Only once the final PDF has been exported and approved can we begin the last and final stage of the accessible PDF design process. This level of effort is highly detail-oriented. Receiving any changes after final sign-off will cause meticulous work to be undone and may cause the project cost to increase. But if we follow the agreed-to schedule, this shouldn’t be a problem or concern. 

If you’d like to read more about what to expect during the publication design process, here is a link to our blog: A Step-by-Step Guide to Publication Design: For Teams Who Deserve to Get it Done Right.

The Bridge Studio is here to help

If you are preparing for your next report design project, we’d love to connect. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.