How to make an agenda PDF accessible

What makes an agenda PDF accessible

An accessible agenda PDF has real text, not a picture of text, and a hidden tag structure that marks the meeting title and sections as headings, the items as a list and any tables with header cells. It also has a title, a language and a sensible reading order, so a screen reader can move through it the way a sighted reader skims.

Those are the checks WCAG 2.1 Level AA asks for in a document like an agenda, and they map to W3C techniques: OCR for scanned pages, heading tags, list tags, table markup, alt text, a title, a language and reading order.

Start in Word, not in the PDF

Starting in Word is the fastest route because Word writes the tags for you when the document is built correctly. Most agendas begin as a Word file, and five habits there, heading styles, the list button, alt text, table header rows and a document title, do most of the work before the PDF exists. Fixing the finished PDF later is slower.

1. Headings. Type the town name and meeting as a Heading 1, and each section, such as Consent Agenda or New Business, as a Heading 2, using the Styles gallery. Bold text that only looks like a heading is not a heading to a screen reader.
2. Lists. Number agenda items with the numbering button, not by typing “1.” by hand.
3. Alt text. Right-click the town seal or any map, choose View Alt Text, and describe it in a few words. Mark a purely decorative line as decorative.
4. Tables. If the agenda uses a table for times or votes, set the first row to repeat as a header row, and avoid merged cells.
5. Title. Under File, Info, Properties, enter a real title, such as “Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Agenda, October 6, 2026”.

Then run Word’s Accessibility Checker (Review, Check Accessibility) and fix what it lists.

Save it as a tagged PDF

Saving as a tagged PDF is one checkbox that clerks often miss. In Word for Windows, choose File, Save As, pick PDF, open Options, and make sure “Document structure tags for accessibility” is selected, as Microsoft’s guide describes. Printing to PDF instead throws the tags away.

“Microsoft Print to PDF” and most “print to PDF” drivers produce a file with no tags at all, even from a perfect Word document. Use Save As or Export. If your office uses a different word processor, look for an export option that mentions tags or accessibility.

Fix a scanned agenda or signed document

A scanned agenda is a photograph of paper, so a screen reader finds no text on it. The fix starts with optical character recognition, which turns the picture into real, selectable text. Then the file still needs tags, a title and a language, and the recognized text needs a quick read, because OCR misreads names and numbers.

The better habit is to post the typed agenda and keep the signed scan in your records. If the signed version must be the one posted, run OCR (in Acrobat Pro, the Scan and OCR tool), proofread the text, then add tags and set the title and language as described below.

Packets, attachments and agenda software

Packets are the hard part because they combine many files from many sources: staff reports, contracts, site plans and letters, some typed, some scanned. When the pieces are joined, untagged attachments stay untagged, so one scanned letter or map inside a tagged packet still leaves a gap a screen reader cannot cross.

Three things help. Ask staff and consultants for accessible source files, not scans. Fix each attachment before the packet is assembled. And check what your agenda software produces: some systems tag the agenda they generate but pass uploaded attachments through unchanged. Maps and site plans need a short text description of what they show.

Set the title and language in Acrobat

Acrobat Pro can set the two properties Word sometimes misses. Open File, Properties. On the Description tab, type a real title. On the Initial View tab, set Show to Document Title, so the title, not the file name, is announced. On the Advanced tab, set the language to English. Save the file.

If the PDF has no tags at all, Acrobat Pro can add them automatically (the Accessibility tool, Autotag Document). Treat that as a first draft: check the headings, lists, tables and reading order it produced, and correct what is wrong.

Check the result before you post

Check the result with a quick automated test and then a short human review. The automated part confirms real text, tags, a title and a language. The human part confirms that headings, lists, tables and reading order make sense, because the Justice Department says automated tools cannot test for all aspects of accessibility.

Paste the address of a posted file into our free PDF checker to see the automated result in plain words. For the human part, open the file with a screen reader such as NVDA, which is free, or review the Tags panel and Reading Order tool in Acrobat Pro. The ADA.gov first steps guide is clear that automated testing alone is not enough.

Which files have to be fixed

Files you post after your compliance date generally have to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Older documents may fall under the rule’s preexisting documents exception, unless people still use them to apply for, gain access to or take part in a service. Archived content has its own four conditions. Current forms and ordinances usually need fixing.

The exceptions are in 28 CFR 35.201. Our guides on agendas and minutes and the archived content exception walk through them with examples. In Colorado, state law has applied since July 1, 2024; see our HB21-1110 guide.

What we do about it

What we do about it is take this off the clerk’s desk. Each month we find the agendas, packets, minutes and notices your office posted, fix the ones a screen reader cannot read, including scanned attachments, have a person check every file, and keep a dated Readable Record of the work. See how it works or pricing.

This guide explains the rule and common tools in plain language. It is not legal advice. For decisions about your town, talk to your attorney.