Document Accessibility 101: Essential Steps for Mission-Driven Organizations

Recently, a client reached out to us with a big accessibility challenge. Over the years, they had accumulated dozens, maybe even hundreds of PDFs and other documents linked from their website. The problem? Most of them didn’t follow accessibility best practices. It had become a major hurdle, and they needed help, not just fixing the current issues, but building a better workflow to ensure their documents stay accessible moving forward.

They’re far from the only ones. Document accessibility is a tough, often overlooked issue for many organizations with a lot of legacy content. In this post, we’ll explore why document accessibility needs to be on your radar, and share some best practices to help you make sure your documents are usable by everyone. Let’s get started!

Document accessibility might not be the first thing on your nonprofit’s digital to-do list, but it should be near the top. With the new ADA Title II rule requiring state and local governments to make their digital content WCAG 2.1 AA compliant by April 24, 2026, and ~96.3% of websites still failing to meet accessibility standards, ensuring your documents are accessible has become both a legal necessity and a mission imperative.

Your organization probably creates dozens of documents every month – grant applications, annual reports, program guides, volunteer handbooks, and board meeting minutes. If these aren’t accessible to people with disabilities, you’re potentially excluding the very communities you’re working to serve.

Why Document Accessibility Matters More Than Ever

The rules around digital accessibility are changing dramatically. The Department of Justice’s new ADA Title II rule now clearly covers digital documents, especially those used to apply for, access, or take part in services, programs, or activities offered by state and local governments. While this rule is mainly focused on public agencies, it’s something nonprofits should be paying close attention to especially if you receive government funding or work closely with public partners. Bottom line: making your documents accessible isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore, it should be a priority.

Beyond compliance, accessible documents benefit everyone in your community. Clear structure, good contrast, and descriptive language make your content easier to understand for people with cognitive differences, those reading on mobile devices, or anyone processing information in challenging environments.

Document accessibility also connects directly to your organization’s digital presence. There’s increased emphasis on ensuring PDFs and other documents linked to websites are accessible, including proper tagging and structure for screen reader compatibility. If your website meets accessibility standards but your downloadable resources don’t, you’ve created a barrier right when people are trying to engage with your services.

The Foundation: Understanding WCAG for Documents

WCAG covers websites and software, mobile technology and applications, and digital documents like PDFs. The same four principles that guide web accessibility apply to your documents: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

For documents, this means:

• Perceivable: Alt text for images, sufficient color contrast, scalable text
• Operable: Logical reading order, keyboard navigation support
• Understandable: Clear language, consistent structure, meaningful headings
• Robust: Proper tagging, compatibility with assistive technologies

Making PDFs Accessible: Your Step-by-Step Approach

PDFs are the most common document format nonprofits share, and they’re often the most problematic for accessibility. Adobe Acrobat provides accessibility tools to make PDFs meet common accessibility standards, such as WCAG 2.0 and PDF/UA.

Start with the source document. The easiest way to create an accessible PDF is to start with an accessible source document in Word, Google Docs, or InDesign. Add structure, alt text, and proper headings before converting to PDF.

Use Acrobat’s built-in tools. Acrobat’s “Prepare for accessibility” feature automates many tasks, checks accessibility, and provides instructions for items that require manual fixes. This catches obvious issues like missing tags or improper reading order.

Focus on critical elements:

• Document language settings for screen readers
• Tagged headings that create document structure
• Alt text for images, charts, and graphics
• Proper table headers and structure
• Meaningful link text instead of “click here”

Test with real users. Even the most advanced automatic accessibility scanning tools miss things or have a high rate of false positives. Consider working with people who actually use screen readers to test your most important documents.

Microsoft Office: Built-in Accessibility Features

Many nonprofits create documents in Microsoft Office, which has significantly improved its accessibility features. Microsoft Office includes several built-in features to make sure that everybody can read and understand your documents, including an Accessibility Checker to ensure content is truly accessible.

Word document accessibility essentials:

• Use built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) rather than just making text bigger and bold
• Organize headings in the prescribed logical order and do not skip heading levels
• Add alt text to images using the right-click menu
• Use sufficient color contrast and avoid conveying information through color alone
• Create accessible tables with proper header rows

PowerPoint presentation considerations:

• Use a screen reader to attend a PowerPoint Live session in Microsoft Teams to understand how your presentations sound to people using assistive technology
• Include speaker notes that provide context for visual content
• Use descriptive slide titles and logical slide order
• Ensure color contrast meets WCAG standards

Eligible nonprofit organizations can access Microsoft 365 applications through grants available through Microsoft’s nonprofit program, making these accessibility tools available even for organizations with tight budgets.

Google Workspace: Collaborative Document Accessibility

Other nonprofits have moved to Google Workspace for collaboration, and Google has made significant investments in accessibility features. Google editors (Docs, Sheets, Vids, and Slides) are designed to work with screen readers using speech or braille output.

Enable accessibility features first. Choose “Accessibility” from the “Tools” menu and click the boxes marked “Turn on screen reader support” to allow anyone collaborating on the document to consume Google Docs content with a screen reader.

Focus on structure and clarity:

• Use Google Docs’ built-in heading styles
• Write descriptive link text that explains where links lead
• Add alt text to images through the image options
• Use sufficient color contrast for text
• Leverage Google’s automatic list formatting for better structure

Export considerations. In order to make a doc accessible for most users, it is best to convert a Google Doc to a Microsoft Word document before sharing with external audiences, as Word documents often have better accessibility support across different platforms.

Creating an Organizational Document Accessibility Strategy

Individual document fixes are important, but sustainable accessibility requires an organizational approach. At ArcStone we highly recommend creating an accessibility strategy for your organization and partnering with experts that can guide and advise you.

Start with staff responsibility. Designate someone to coordinate your document accessibility efforts. This person doesn’t need to be an accessibility expert initially, but they should own the process of improving document accessibility across your organization.

Develop templates and standards. Create accessible document templates for common formats like grant applications, program reports, and board presentations. When staff start with accessible templates, they’re more likely to maintain accessibility throughout the document creation process.

Training and awareness. Many accessibility barriers in documents come from simple oversights – missing alt text, poor heading structure, or unclear link text. Brief training sessions can address the most common issues and build awareness across your team.

Regular auditing. Regularly monitor updates in standards, and proactively audit your documents to adapt to new guidelines. Set aside time quarterly to review your most important documents and address accessibility gaps.

Connect Document Accessibility to Your Broader Digital Strategy

Document accessibility doesn’t exist in isolation – it’s part of your overall commitment to digital inclusion. Your accessible documents should complement an accessible website that serves your entire community effectively.

At ArcStone, we’ve seen how comprehensive accessibility strategies strengthen organizations’ ability to serve their missions. When your website, documents, and digital communications work together to include everyone, you’re not just meeting compliance requirements – you’re living your values.

Whether you’re just beginning to address document accessibility or looking to strengthen your existing efforts, remember that accessibility is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. Every accessible document you create opens doors for someone in your community to engage with your mission more fully.Looking for help with your organization’s overall digital accessibility strategy? Our accessibility expertise extends beyond websites to help nonprofits create inclusive digital experiences across all touchpoints. Reach out to discuss how document accessibility fits into your broader digital strategy.