Digital Accessibility
Accessibility for all Documents on the Web Site

What is Digital Accessibility?

Digital accessibility means making websites, apps, and downloadable documents usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.

​It helps ensure that people who use assistive technology can access information.

​​​

Why? It's the law

The U.S. Department of Justice issued a final rule to revise the regulation implementing title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to adopt specific technical accessibility standards for all services, programs, and activities offered by State and local government entities to the public through web and mobile applications. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA is the technical standard for state and local governments’ web content.
​L​earn more visit ADA.gov

​The compliance date for North Carolina state government is April 26, 2026.
What State and Local Governments Need to Know​​

How? Help Guides, Training & Resources

YouTube Accessible Documents Videos 6 mins each

• Accessible PDFs​
  By watching this video, you will learn the basic steps to make a PDF accessible.​
• Accessible Microsoft Word Documents​​
  By watching this video, you will learn the basic steps to make a Word Document accessible.​
• Accessible Microsoft Excel Documents​
  By watching this video, you will learn the basic steps to make an Excel Document accessible.​
• Accessible Microsoft PowerPoint Documents
  By watching this video, you will learn the basic steps to make a PowerPoint Document accessible.​
• Accessible ​Microsoft Outlook​​
  This video walks users through how to use Microsoft Outlook's accessibility features to create accessible emails.​

Step by step instuctions on how to fix accessibility issues

• Word Accessibility Guide
  Setup Microsoft Word Accessibility Tools.​
• PowerPoint Accessibility Guide​
  This topic gives you step-by-step instructions and best practices for making your PowerPoint presentations accessible.​
• ​ Excel Accessibility Guide​
  This topic gives you step-by-step instructions and best practices for making your Excel spreadsheets accessible.​
• Outlook Email Accessibility Guide​
  This topic gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make your email messages accessible.


• ​ Resources for PDF Accessibility​
  
• ​Adobe Acrobat PDF Accessibility Guide​
  Adobe Acrobat PDF Accessibility Tools Overview.
• ​ ​PDF Accessibility Testing Checklist​​
  If your site is enabled for scanning PDFs, we run the following checks to generate your report.
• DIT PDF Accessibility Training
  NCDIT PDF Accessibility Training.
• DIT ​Strategy to Remediate a Large PDF Library
  This strategy helps you organize and prioritize your large collection of PDFs published on your state agency website in preparation for remediation to meet accessibility standards.
• ​ Common PDF Tags and Their Usage
  This guide helps document authors understand why and how each commonly used tag is used in making an accessible PDF.​
• Accessible Maps in PDF Documents​
  Making Maps Accessible In PDF Documents.​​
• Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker – Section 508 & WCAG Compliance Checklist​
  Required vs Recommend​​

NCDIT Accessibility Hub, ADA Site & NCDOT Policy web page

• ​​ NCDIT Accessibility Hub
  North Carolina is committed to the accessibility of information technology. These resources, checklists, and best practices help you learn and meet accessibility standards.
• NCDIT Digital Accessibility Resources​
  Resources to help you meet Digital Accessibility
• DIT Digital Accessibility Usability Standard
  This standard offers guidance for designing and delivering websites and digital services to prioritize a digital-first public experience. It outlines statutory requirements, clarifies mandates, and expands on best practices for the state's digital assets.
• ​​ ADA Fact Sheet​​​
  New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments.
• ​ Section ​508 Electronic Documents​​​​
  Federal and State agencies are mandated by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to ensure that all documents are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
• NCDOT: Accessibility Policy​​​​
  The N.C. Department of Transportation strives to ensure that websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities.​​