In state and local government, tight budgets and limited staffing are a constant reality. With so many competing priorities, it’s easy to see digital accessibility, especially for PDFs, as just another checkbox or a compliance hurdle to be dealt with “later.” But leaving PDFs inaccessible comes at a cost. Inaccessible content causes frustrated constituents and exposes agencies to legal risk, especially with looming deadlines under Title II of the ADA.
The Hidden Time Sink
When a PDF form, meeting agenda, or program brochure isn’t accessible, someone needs to help the person who can’t use it. That might mean a staffer spending 30-60minutes walking a constituent through a form over the phone multiple times per year, or a full-time employee being pulled off other work to manually convert a document on demand.
Multiply that by dozens or hundreds of inaccessible documents, and it adds up quickly. Accessibility isn’t just about inclusion; it’s about efficiency. An accessible PDF works for everyone the first time, without requiring backup assistance.
And it’s not just about the agency’s time. When the constituent isn’t able to access a PDF, it takes away their independence, requiring them to rely on someone else to help them through the document. Waiting for help also wastes more of their time.
Frustrated Constituents = Lost Trust
Public trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. For people who use screen readers, rely on keyboard navigation, or have low vision, a poorly tagged PDF means more than just inconvenience. It means they’re being left out of important processes—whether it’s applying for housing assistance, reviewing public notices, or accessing emergency updates.
That kind of digital exclusion doesn’t just reflect poorly on the agency—it undermines the community’s faith in their local government. When residents feel like they’re not being served equally, they disengage.
Legal Exposure
The legal risks are real and growing. Under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), government agencies are required to provide accessible digital content, including PDFs. In recent years, several cities and counties across the U.S. have faced lawsuits or OCR complaints over inaccessible documents.
Even when settled out of court, these actions can cost agencies thousands in legal fees, not to mention the staff time required for audits, remediation plans, and public response. Then they have to actually make the PDFs accessible, and they will probably have a much tighter timeline in which to complete the task. The cost of proactively fixing PDFs is far lower than reacting to a formal complaint.
A Simple Cost-Benefit Example
The average state or local government agency spends around $53 per hour on staff time. If an inaccessible PDF results in 3-5 calls per month, each taking 30-60 minutes to resolve, that’s as many as 60 staff hours per year—roughly $3,200 in time costs for just one document. That doesn’t account for the potential legal risk of a lawsuit, which can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to resolve. With the right PDF accessibility tool, the content creator could have easily made their own documents accessible in just minutes, saving thousands of dollars and potentially saving thousands more by avoiding lawsuits.
Accessibility saves agencies money
When seen through the lens of long-term efficiency, equity, and compliance, PDF accessibility becomes a smart investment, not a budget burden. Local governments that prioritize accessible design from the start are saving time, reducing legal risk, and delivering better service to every member of their community.
It’s time to stop seeing accessibility as a “nice to have” and start treating it as what it really is: smart governance.
Nina Overdorff
Nina comes to Equidox with years of sales and marketing experience from a variety of industries and holds a BS in Language Arts Education. Nina has a passion for words, storytelling, and information, which she believes everyone should have access to regardless of ability. After spending time as a teacher with a blind student, she became much more aware of the limitations and abilities of web accessibility, and how essential it is to those experiencing disabilities. “Being able to access information equally ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity for education, employment, and success in life.”
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