ADA Document Compliance: Elimination and Remediation Process

 

Purpose

This article defines the standard process for reviewing documents to determine whether they should be eliminated or remediated to comply with ADA and WCAG accessibility requirements.

 

Scope

This guidance applies to all digital documents that are publicly available or shared internally or externally, including PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and web-based files.

 

Applies To

Departments responsible for documents published or stored in:

  • Department websites
  • Shared drives
  • Public portals or forms
  • Knowledge bases and public resources

Policy Summary

All publicly available documents must be accessible to individuals using assistive technologies in accordance with ADA and WCAG standards. 

Departments are responsible for ensuring that unnecessary documents are removed and that required documents are remediated before publication or continued use.

 

Procedure: Document Review 

Follow this workflow for all document reviews.

1. Inventory Documents

Identify and document all files located on department websites, shared drives, public portals, knowledge bases, and file repositories (e.g., SharePoint, OneDrive)

2. Evaluate Business Need

Determine whether each document is still required for business, legal, or operational purposes. Consult with document owners or stakeholders to confirm.

3. Eliminate Unnecessary Documents

Remove outdated, duplicate, archived, replaced by newer versions, or no longer required documents.

4. Prioritize Required Documents

Prioritize remediation for high‑impact documents, including:

  • Forms and applications
  • Policies and official documentation
  • Frequently accessed resources

5. Remediate Required Documents

Update documents so they meet accessibility standards before publishing or republishing them.

6. Validate Accessibility

Use approved accessibility checking tools and resolve all identified errors.

7. Republish and Maintain

Replace the original file with the accessible version and ensure accessibility is maintained during future updates.

Required Accessibility Elements 

Documents that remain available must include:

  • Proper heading structure
  • Alternative text (alt text) for images and graphics
  • Logical reading order
  • Searchable text (not scanned images)
  • Accessible tables with defined headers
  • Descriptive links 
  • Descriptive document title
  • Defined document language
  • Proper list format  
  • Sufficient color contrast
  • Non-reliance on color alone

Decision Guide: Eliminate, Remediate, or Maintain

Use the questions below to determine the correct action.

  1. Is the document publicly available or shared?
    • No → No action required
    • Yes → Continue
  2. Is the document still needed for business, legal, or operational purposes?
    • No → Eliminate
    • Yes → Continue
  3. Is the document duplicated or replaced by a newer version?
    • Yes → Eliminate the older or duplicate version
    • No → Continue
  4. Does the document meet ADA/WCAG accessibility standards?
    • Yes → Maintain accessibility
    • No →  Remediate the document

If the document does not meet accessibility standards, it must be remediated before its continued use.

Quick Decision Summary

Document Status

Required Action

Not publicly available

No action

Outdated or no longer used

Eliminate

Duplicate or replaced by a newer version          

Eliminate

Required and publicly available

Remediate

Required and already accessible

Maintain

Accessibility Checking Tools

Use the following approved tools to verify compliance before publishing:

  • Microsoft Accessibility Checker (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
  • Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker (PDF files)
  • WAVE Web Accessibility Tool (browser-based)

All critical accessibility issues must be resolved.

Best Practices

  • Use HTML web pages instead of PDFs.
  • Use built‑in heading styles (do not use manually formatted text).
  • Include alternative text for all images and graphics.
  • Avoid scanned documents; use OCR (Optical Character Recognition).
  • Use clear, descriptive links (do not use "click here").

Responsibilities

Departments are responsible for reviewing, ensuring, and maintaining accessibility compliance of all documents under their control. 

Review Cadence

Documents should be reviewed periodically (e.g., annually) to ensure continued relevance and compliance. 

 

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