H.R. 3417 Could Redefine Digital Accessibility—Here’s How to Get Ahead

What Is H.R. 3417 and Why It Matters

Introduced on May 14, 2025 by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), H.R. 3417 aims to establish uniform federal accessibility standards for websites, applications, and electronic documents used by employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, public accommodations, and other entities. This bill receives bipartisan support and is backed by leading disability rights organizations, including the National Federation of the Blind.

H.R. 3417 closes the long-standing legal gray area where businesses could question whether the ADA applies to digital services. It clarifies that it does—and that accessibility isn’t optional.

What Makes H.R. 3417 Different from Past Efforts

Digital accessibility has been a legal concern for decades, but what makes H.R. 3417 stand out is its clarity and scope. Previous accessibility enforcement, such as DOJ guidance under the ADA or Section 508 requirements for federal agencies, left gaps and inconsistencies that created uncertainty for private businesses. For example, the ADA was passed in 1990, well before the internet became central to commerce, which meant courts and regulators had to interpret whether digital services were covered. As a result, rulings varied widely depending on jurisdiction, leaving many companies unclear about compliance requirements.

H.R. 3417 takes a different approach. It explicitly extends accessibility obligations to websites, software applications, and digital documents, for all organizations, public or private, removing any ambiguity about coverage. It also establishes a uniform federal standard, which is to be updated every three years, so businesses no longer have to rely on a patchwork of court decisions or voluntary guidelines like WCAG to understand what compliance means. 

Perhaps most importantly, the bill recognizes the resource gap between large and small organizations, requiring the government to provide technical assistance and support to make compliance achievable for all.

This comprehensive, proactive framework is unlike any previous U.S. law on digital accessibility—and it’s why businesses should prepare now. 

Why Businesses Should Start Making PDFs Accessible Now

Although H.R. 3417 is still pending, the reality is that inaccessible digital content already exposes businesses to significant legal risk. Courts have broadly interpreted Title III of the ADA to include websites and apps. Many consent decrees and litigation reference the internationally accepted Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). And even though the DOJ hasn’t formalized standards yet, it has issued guidance suggesting that businesses should follow WCAG standards.

PDFs are a critical part of many businesses’ digital presence—used for forms, reports, manuals, and marketing collateral. Yet, PDFs are notoriously inaccessible when poorly structured: missing alt text, poorly tagged headings, inaccessible form fields, lack of navigable tables, and more. 

By proactively making PDFs accessible now, businesses can:

1. Mitigate legal risk, building a track record of good-faith compliance that could serve as a de facto defense.
2. Demonstrate leadership in inclusion, appealing to a broader base of customers and stakeholders.

3. Simplify future compliance, since once a format like PDF is structured accessibly, ongoing updates are more manageable than backtracking past content.

Practical Steps to Get Started

While awaiting formal rules, businesses should take concrete actions based on recognized best practices:

• Adopt the WCAG 2.2 AA standard for new and existing digital content, including PDFs.
• Use a three-pronged accessibility audit: automated scanning tools, manual code/content review, and real-user testing with individuals with disabilities.
• Tag PDFs properly—structure documents with headings, include alt text for images, label form elements clearly, and ensure reading order is logical. 
  • Equidox PDF Accessibility Software makes it fast and simple. Instead of wrestling with complex tagging tools, Equidox automatically detects document structure and provides intuitive controls to quickly add headings, alt text, and properly tag tables or forms. Even people without technical expertise can remediate PDFs in just minutes.
• Establish protocols, such as:
  • Publishing an accessibility statement on your site, with contact info for reporting accessibility issues.
  • Assigning an accessibility coordinator to oversee compliance across departments.
  • Training staff on accessible design and compliance expectations. Using easy, efficient tools like Equidox means any content creator can easily make their PDFs accessible.

These steps considerably reduce uncertainty and readiness, even before formal mandates take effect.

Clear rules for a clear business strategy

H.R. 3417 marks a pivotal moment. It signals that Congress is poised to crystallize digital accessibility expectations across the public and private sectors. For businesses, this rises to a strategic imperative—one that intersects legal responsibility, ethical inclusion, customer experience, and brand reputation. Now is the time to make accessibility a priority.

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.”