Accessible PDFs: What Texas Organizations Need to Know

You've probably heard about web accessibility—making sure your website works for everyone, including people who use screen readers or other assistive technologies. But here's the thing that catches a lot of organizations off guard: your PDFs need to be accessible, too.

And if you're a Texas state agency or public entity? This isn't optional anymore. New Texas legislation is making PDF accessibility a requirement, not a suggestion. Let's break down what this means for you.

The Texas Wake-Up Call: HB 5195

Texas House Bill 5195, which took effect September 1, 2025, is pushing state agencies to modernize their digital services—and that explicitly includes making PDFs accessible. The law requires agencies to assess their websites and digital portals for accessibility compliance under existing standards (specifically, Subchapter M of the Texas Government Code).

Here's what that means in plain English: if you're a Texas state agency, you need to inventory every PDF on your site, check whether it meets accessibility standards, and either fix it or provide an accessible alternative.

The HB 5195 Timeline:

• September 1, 2025 – Requirements take effect
• November 15, 2026 – DIR submits initial status report to legislature
• December 1, 2027 – First biennial review findings due
• Ongoing through 2031 – Biennial reviews continue

For Texas agencies, that November 2026 deadline means you need to be making visible progress now—not next year.

But here's the kicker—this isn't just about state agencies. Private businesses and organizations that care about compliance should be paying attention, too. Federal requirements under the ADA and Section 508 already apply to many entities, and the trend is clear: digital accessibility is becoming a baseline expectation across the board.

Why PDFs? Aren't Websites Enough?

Think about all the critical information your organization distributes as PDFs: application forms, legal notices, policy documents, annual reports, brochures, guides. If those PDFs aren't accessible—meaning they're missing proper tags, lack alt text for images, or are just scanned images without searchable text—then people who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies can't use them.

That's not just a bad user experience. It's a barrier that excludes people from accessing essential services and information. And increasingly, it's a compliance risk.

The sobering reality

According to recent research, 98.1% of homepages have detectable accessibility issues. PDFs are often even worse—a 2024 survey found that 67% of PDFs are either partially or completely unreadable by assistive technology. Think about that: two-thirds of PDFs are creating barriers for people with disabilities.

And it's not a hypothetical problem. In 2024 alone, 25% of all digital accessibility lawsuits explicitly cited inaccessible documents, PDFs, and downloadable content as barriers. These aren't just websites getting sued—it's the documents on those websites, too.

98.1% of homepages have detectable accessibility issues.

What Makes a PDF Accessible?

An accessible PDF isn't magic—it just needs to be structured properly so assistive technology can understand and navigate it. Here are the key requirements:

Proper tagging structure: Just like a webpage needs semantic HTML (headings, lists, etc.), a PDF needs proper tags so screen readers know what's a heading, what's a paragraph, and what's a list.

Alt text for images: Every image needs a text description so people who can't see the image understand what it conveys.

Searchable text: If you've scanned a paper document to PDF, the result is just a picture of text. Screen readers can't read it. You need actual text that can be selected and read aloud.

Logical reading order: Content needs to flow in the right sequence, especially for complex layouts with multiple columns or sidebars.

Form fields with labels: If your PDF has form fields, each one needs a proper label so users know what information to enter.

Color contrast: Text needs sufficient contrast against its background to be readable for people with low vision.

The Real Cost of Inaccessible PDFs

Let's be honest: fixing accessibility after the fact is expensive and time-consuming. If you have hundreds or thousands of PDFs on your website—and many organizations do—manually remediating all of them can feel overwhelming.

But here's the flip side: the cost of non-compliance can be even steeper.

The litigation landscape is accelerating fast:

• Over 4,000 digital accessibility lawsuits were filed in 2024
• 2025 is on track to surge nearly 20%, with over 2,000 cases filed in just the first half of the year
• 48% of lawsuits in 2024 were against companies that had already been sued before (repeat offenders)

The financial stakes are real:

• $75,000 maximum penalty for a first ADA violation
• $150,000 maximum for subsequent violations
• $25,000 average cost just to respond to an initial demand letter—before any settlement or litigation
• In California, the Unruh Civil Rights Act allows $4,000 in damages per inaccessible instance (meaning each inaccessible PDF could be a separate claim)

And that's not even accounting for the reputational damage and—most importantly—real people who can't access the information they need from you.

$25,000 average cost just to respond to an initial demand letter—before any settlement or litigation.

If you're subject to the new Texas requirements, you're also on a clock. Agencies need to show progress in their November 2026 reports, which means the time to start is now.

How Monkee-Boy Can Help

At Monkee-Boy, we understand that accessibility isn't just a checkbox—it's about creating inclusive digital experiences that work for everyone. We've been helping Texas organizations build accessible websites and digital services for years, and PDF accessibility is a natural extension of that work.

Here's how we can help:

PDF Accessibility Audit: We'll inventory your PDFs, test them against WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards (the benchmark for Texas and federal compliance), and give you a clear picture of where you stand.

Remediation Services: We can fix your existing PDFs to meet accessibility standards—adding proper tags, alt text, and structure so they work with assistive technology.

Accessible PDF Replacement: Sometimes the best solution isn't fixing a PDF—it's replacing it with an accessible web page or interactive form. We'll help you evaluate which approach makes sense for your content and create modern, accessible alternatives.

Ongoing Compliance Support: Accessibility isn't a one-time project. We provide ongoing monitoring and support to help you maintain compliance as your content evolves.

Looking ahead: In an upcoming blog post, we'll dive into best practices for creating accessible PDFs from the start—because preventing accessibility issues is always better (and cheaper) than fixing them after the fact. Stay tuned!

The Bottom Line

Whether you're a Texas state agency facing HB 5195 requirements, a higher education institution, or a private organization that wants to stay ahead of compliance requirements and serve all your users equally, accessible PDFs are now a requirement for ADA compliance.

The good news?

You don't have to tackle this alone. Monkee-Boy has the expertise, tools, and experience to help you audit, remediate, and replace your PDFs—and to build processes that keep you compliant going forward.

Ready to make sure your PDFs work for everyone? Let's chat. We'll help you navigate the requirements, prioritize your remediation efforts, and create a plan that fits your timeline and budget.

Let's Talk About Your PDFs

Accessibility might feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Whether you need to audit your existing PDFs, fix compliance issues, or build better processes for the future, Monkee-Boy is here to guide you through the digital jungle.

Contact us today to discuss your PDF accessibility needs and how we can help your organization create truly inclusive digital experiences.