Document accessibility
Get your municipality’s documents ready before the federal deadline
The Justice Department’s ADA rule requires the agendas, minutes, forms and notices on your website to be readable by people with disabilities. Celsari fixes them at one fixed price, quoted in writing, so it is done before the deadline.
Deadline for governments serving 50,000 people or more: April 26, 2027Governments serving fewer than 50,000 people, and special districts: April 26, 2028
What a blind resident hears when they open your agenda
CITY OF LARKMOOR
CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 6:30 PM
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes of October 20, 2026
3. Public Comment
4. Public Works: Winter Salt Bid
- Call to Order
- Approval of Minutes of October 20, 2026
- Public Comment
- Public Works: Winter Salt Bid
The screen reader says:
Larkmoor is a fictional city. The fixed version passes veraPDF, the standard checker for accessible PDFs.
In October 2026 we checked the websites of 284 local governments in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. 5,873 of the 6,747 PDFs we tested failed a basic accessibility check.
About 22% were plain scans with no readable text at all. A full check finds more problems than ours did, so the real numbers are higher.
What the rule asks of your municipality
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as updated by the Justice Department’s 2024 rule, requires state and local government websites, and the documents on them, to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The date depends on population, generally the 2020 Census figure.
- April 2024The rule is published.
- April 2026Both compliance dates move back one year.
- April 26, 2027Governments serving 50,000 people or more.
- April 26, 2028Governments serving fewer than 50,000 people, and special districts.
Two exceptions shrink the job, and they are narrower than they sound. Archived content is exempt only if it was created before your deadline, is kept only for reference or recordkeeping, is not updated, and sits in a clearly identified archive. Older documents posted before your deadline are exempt unless people still use them to apply for, get or take part in a service. Current forms, applications and permits, and everything you post from now on, are covered.
Source: ADA.gov, Web rule: first steps. The Justice Department has said it may revise the rule again; we check the current wording before every engagement.
One fixed price, quoted in writing
You get a written quote before any work starts, based on a free count of the documents on your site. No hourly billing, and no surprises later.
Every engagement includes a sort of your files into three groups: fix, move to the archive, or delete. A municipality with 2,000 PDFs may need only a few hundred fixed. We would rather shrink your job than pad it.
What’s included
- An inventory of every document on your website, sorted into fix, archive or remove.
- Accessible versions of your current documents: forms, applications, notices, agendas and minutes.
- Fixed files returned under their original file names, so links to them keep working.
- Agenda and minutes templates that come out accessible from the start, and a one-page guide for your staff.
- A clearly labeled archive page for older documents.
- An accessibility statement page for your website, with a way for residents to report a problem or ask for another format.
- A one-hour training session for the staff who post documents.
- A report for your files listing every document and its result.
Optional monthly upkeep
New agendas and minutes go up every week. Each month we check what was added, fix what needs it, and send you a short report showing files checked, files fixed and your pass rate.
How it works
Free document count
Tell us your website. Within two business days we tell you how many documents need work.
Written quote
One fixed price, based on the count and the sort into fix, archive and delete.
We fix the documents
Every file is checked with veraPDF. A person reviews the files that need judgment and spot-checks the rest with a screen reader.
You post them
We send the fixed files with a list showing each file’s current address, so replacing them takes an afternoon. If you prefer, we can do the swap with a limited editor login.
Questions municipalities ask
Doesn’t our website company already do this?
Some website providers sell an automatic tool that adds a readable copy next to each PDF. It can help, but it does not fix the original files, set up templates for new ones, or have a person check the result. We can review what your tool produces and fix what it misses.
Will the fixed documents look different?
They keep every word, number and link of the original, in a clean, consistent layout. If you need your letterhead or exact layout kept, tell us and we will include it in the quote. Fillable forms need extra care, so we tell you up front which ones we rebuild by hand.
Our agendas live on another platform. Is that covered?
The inventory covers every document your website links to, including agenda portals. We will tell you which ones we can fix directly and which the platform controls.
Do you need a login to our website?
No. By default we send the fixed files and a list of where each one goes, and your staff or web company replaces them. A limited editor login is an option if you would rather we do it, and we then check that every file was replaced.
What if the deadline moves again?
It moved once already, in April 2026. Residents who use screen readers need the documents now, and the templates keep new documents accessible whatever the date.
Is this legal advice?
No. We fix documents and give you a record of the work. For questions about your legal obligations, talk to your municipal attorney.
Find out how many of your documents need work
Send us your website address. We will count the documents that fail and show you examples. There is no cost and no obligation.