What Makes a PDF Accessible (and What Does Not)

Special Episode: Introduction to Real. Relevant. Required.

In this special episode, Becky Rehorn introduces her new book, Real. Relevant. Required.: A Practitioner's Guide to ADA Title II Digital Accessibility for State and Local Government. The book is written for the people within public agencies and AEC firms who are responsible for making digital accessibility happen, but have not had a resource on how their work is actually done. It covers what the DOJ's final rule requires, what conformance looks like for the specific content types agencies produce, how to build an internal accessibility program that lasts beyond the initial compliance push, and how to write procurement language that extends accessibility requirements to consultants and vendors. This is not a legal guide or a technical manual. It is a practitioner's guide, grounded in over 10 years of experience inside the AEC industry and built for the people doing the work. Available now on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H27D7ZJV Access Brief is produced by Accessible Organizations Group LLC.

IT Is Not the Owner of Your Content

Most content on a state DOT’s website was not produced by the agency. It was produced by AEC consulting firms under contracts written before the ADA Title II mandate existed. Those firms deliver exactly what was asked for, but what was asked for is no longer sufficient. In this episode, Becky Rehorn explains why assigning digital accessibility to IT misses the structural gap, why the deadline extension creates both opportunity and risk for the content pipeline, and what organizational model actually closes the gap between how work is scoped and what the law now requires. Read the full post and download the ADA Title II Readiness Checklist at aogaccess.com. Access Brief is produced by Accessible Organizations Group LLC.

The Deadline That Did Not Move

The DOJ extended the ADA Title II compliance deadlines. But there is another federal rule requiring the same WCAG 2.1 AA standard, and its deadline did not move. In this episode, Becky Rehorn breaks down the HHS Section 504 final rule, who it covers, how it overlaps with ADA Title II, and why the May 11, 2026 deadline still matters for any organization receiving federal financial assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services.   Resources mentioned in this episode: - HHS Section 504 Fact Sheet: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/disability/section-504-rehabilitation-act-of-1973/ocr-detailed-504-fact-sheet/index.html - ADA Title II Readiness Checklist: https://www.aogaccess.com/ada-title-ii-readiness-checklist - Full blog post: https://www.aogaccess.com/insights - Accessible Organizations Group: https://www.aogaccess.com Access Brief is produced by Accessible Organizations Group LLC.

What Makes a PDF Accessible (and What Does Not)

Most PDFs on state DOT websites do not meet WCAG 2.1 AA. The documents were produced in Word or InDesign, exported, and posted without an accessibility review. Now they are in scope under the DOJ’s ADA Title II final rule. In this episode, Becky Rehorn walks through the five PDF failures that appear most often in transportation agency documents: missing tag structure, visual formatting used in place of styles, missing or inadequate alt text, tables without header relationships, and incorrect reading order. Each failure is explained in plain language with the specific cause and the practical fix. Read the full post and download the ADA Title II Readiness Checklist at aogaccess.com. Access Brief is produced by Accessible Organizations Group LLC.

The DOJ Extended the ADA Title II Deadlines.

On April 20, 2026, the Department of Justice published an Interim Final Rule extending the ADA Title II digital accessibility compliance deadlines by one year. Large entities now have until April 26, 2027. Smaller entities and special districts have until April 26, 2028. In this episode, AOG founder Becky Rehorn breaks down what changed, what did not, and what public agencies and AEC firms should do with this information. She also shares findings from her recent review of public involvement documents across 20 state DOT websites, all of which failed PDF accessibility validation. The standard has not changed. WCAG 2.1 AA is still the requirement. The obligation under Title II has not changed. The deadline moved. The work did not. Resources mentioned in this episode: - DOJ Interim Final Rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/20/2026-07663/extension-of-compliance-dates-for-nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web - ADA Title II Readiness Checklist: https://www.aogaccess.com/ada-title-ii-readiness-checklist - Accessible Organizations Group: https://www.aogaccess.com Access Brief is produced by Accessible Organizations Group LLC.