Making Accessibility Seamless: How CivicPlus is Transforming Agenda Management

In today’s digital-first world, accessibility isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s a cornerstone of inclusive governance. The Department of Justice’s recent mandate requires state and local governments to meet WCAG 2.1 standards, and the earliest deadline is rapidly approaching.

This means that the many PDFs linked to public meetings must also be accessible. But for municipal clerks, IT officers, legal teams, and communications staff, this is easier said than done.

The Agenda Accessibility Challenge

Manually checking each agenda attachment PDF for alignment to WCAG 2.2, PDF/UA, and Section 508 standards is not only time-consuming—it’s also highly technical. Often, clerks do not possess a deep knowledge of digital accessibility requirements or technical PDF components, which can cause non-compliant documents to be unintentionally released to the public. It can also cause significant stress and anxiety for clerks as they overextend themselves into technical work that isn’t matched to their backgrounds.

The stakes are high: inaccessible documents can exclude residents with disabilities, erode public trust, and expose municipalities to legal risk. Without the right tools and processes in place, delivering an inclusive digital experience for all residents becomes overwhelming and costly.

Enter CivicPlus: A Seamless Integration Between Agenda and Meeting Management and Allyant’s CommonLook Clarity Scanning

Only CivicPlus offers an agenda, meeting, and minutes management solution with built-in PDF compliance scanning embedded directly into their agenda management workflows. With the integration between CivicPlus Agenda and Meeting Management and Allyant‘s CommonLook Clarity scanning tool, clerks can eliminate the guesswork of PDF compliance, with WCAG 2.2 PDF compliance scans embedded into agenda management workflows.

Tailored Benefits for Every Role

Whether you’re managing agendas, overseeing compliance, mitigating legal risk, or engaging the public, this integration delivers meaningful improvements across departments.

For Municipal Clerks

• Eliminate manual PDF checks.
• Receive real-time scan results and compliance reports within your workflow.
• Focus on governance, not technical remediation.

For IT and Compliance Officers

• Centralize accessibility status monitoring.
• Proactively mitigate risk with instant scan results.
• Streamline accessibility oversight without chasing updates.

For Legal Teams

• Generate a defensible compliance process with automated scans.
• Create a permanent and traceable record of compliance efforts.
• Reduce exposure to lawsuits and regulatory penalties.

For Communications and Public Engagement Staff

• Deliver inclusive public messaging from the start.
• Remove digital access barriers to foster civic participation.
• Avoid post-publication complaints and reputational harm.

Fact Sheet

Learn More about the Integration

Download Now

Why It Matters

Beyond supporting legal compliance, an emphasis on accessibility shows your commitment to inclusivity. By embedding accessibility checks into the agenda creation process, CivicPlus empowers municipalities to deliver transparent services to the whole community.

This integration is more than a feature—it’s a commitment to making civic engagement accessible to all.

Tips to Maximize the Integration

1. Attach Early, Scan Often
   Don’t wait until the agenda is finalized—attach PDFs to agenda items as early as possible. This triggers the CommonLook Clarity scan immediately, giving clerks and compliance teams more time to review and remediate issues before publishing.
2. Use the Compliance Reports as a Training Tool
   The visual WCAG compliance reports generated by the integration are great for educating staff. Share them during team meetings or onboarding to build internal awareness of accessibility standards and best practices.
3. Document Everything for Legal Defense
   Always download and archive the scan reports for each agenda item attachment. These reports serve as a defensible record of your accessibility efforts and can be critical in demonstrating good-faith compliance during audits or legal reviews.

Ready to Strengthen Accessibility and Reduce Risk?

Start transforming your agenda workflows today and accelerate your preparedness for the upcoming ADA compliance deadlines. Get in touch to learn more.