PDF Accessibility

Under 28 CFR Part 35 Subpart H, starting April 26, 2027 all PDFs we create and publish on the web must be accessible, specifically meaning in compliance with WCAG Version 2.1 Level A and AA (aka WCAG 2.1 AA).

If you have questions or would like assistance in creating or remediating a PDF, reach out to Web_Team@LeonCountyFL.gov and we will be happy to assist!

PDF Upload Request Form

Use a Website Instead Whenever Possible

PDFs present accessibility barriers to all kinds of users.

For blind users, PDFs frequently have no accessible content, no structure, broken OCR, or are not fillable.
For sighted users, non-fillable PDF forms represent a technical barrier, requiring printing and scanning to complete.
PDF forms must be transmitted over email, requiring additional steps for completion compared to a web form, and once collected the data is unstructured and non-automatable (compared to Smartsheet, Excel, or custom web applications).
For mobile users, PDFs are difficult to view and navigate, requiring awkward zooming and scrolling to view.

Whenever possible we recommend creating a web page instead for digital forms and resources. Your work area can freely create Smartsheet Forms or Microsoft Forms for easy ingest of form submissions.

Reach out to Web_Team@LeonCountyFL.gov for consultation and assistance if you believe your PDF is good candidate for a website conversion.

Leon County Resources

Leon County Government provides the following information to help staff and partners create accessible PDFs.

Creating Accessible PDFs with Word
(Coming Soon) Creating Fillable Forms with Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro
(Coming Soon) Remediating Scanned PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro

External Resources

These resources are helpful references, but do not supercede the resources and guidance above.

WCAG 2.1 PDF Techniques: WCAG's "Techniques" are ways you can make content acccessible, but are not the only way to comply, nor are they required. Note that their techniques cover Level A, AA, and AAA, while we must comply with A and AA criteria, and AAA criteria are optional for us. Additionally, some techniques are highly technical or are not applicable to Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat.
Microsoft Word Support - Make your Word documents accessible to everyone with Accessibility Assistant: This page covers what the Accessibility Assistant is able to check for. It's a good point of reference to have an in depth understanding of what it warns you about.

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