Case Study: Federal Policy Directive Remediation

Project Context: Departmental Regulation
Role: Accessibility Remediation Consultant
Document Type: 21-page policy directive in Microsoft Word, with 10 sections and 3 appendices
Tools: Microsoft Word, Word Accessibility Checker, Adobe Acrobat Pro, USDA MS Word Document Accessibility Checklist
Published Document: (To be published November 2026*)

About the images on this page: This case study has no screenshots. The remediation was performed for client and live screenshots of those systems and of work-in-progress files cannot be published. The finished document is public, so the final result on the agency website using the link above.

Challenge

A federal policy office needed a new Departmental Regulation certified as Section 508 conformant before it could be published on the agency’s public directives website. The document was long and deeply structured: 10 numbered sections, multiple levels of subsections, three appendices, and a header table identifying the regulation. Screen reader users needed to be able to navigate all 21 pages as easily as sighted readers.

Initial Accessibility Issues Identified

• Header table without a description – The regulation number, subject, date, office of primary interest, and expiration date had no title or description for screen readers
• Navigation structure unverified – Sections, subsections, and appendices had to appear correctly in the Word Navigation pane and carry into PDF bookmarks
• Multilevel numbered lists – Lists at three levels (1, a, and (1)) had to use list styles rather than typed numbers so screen readers announce their structure
• Long document navigation – The table of contents and Appendices A through C had to remain navigable after conversion

Remediation Process

Phase 1: Assessment Against Agency Standards

• Reviewed the document item by item against the agency’s published MS Word Document Accessibility Checklist
• Remediated in the Word source file, before conversion, so fixes would carry into the PDF automatically

Phase 2: Heading Structure

• Confirmed all 10 sections use Heading styles in logical order
• Structured subsections, such as the seven roles under Roles and Responsibilities, as the next heading level
• Verified Appendices A through C appear correctly in the Navigation pane

Phase 3: Header Table

• Added a table title and alternative text describing each row: regulation number, subject, date, office of primary interest, and expiration date

Phase 4: Lists

• Applied the document’s multilevel list styles (first, second, and third level) so screen readers announce list structure and nesting

Phase 5: Validation

• Ran the Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker until it reported Good to go
• Exported to PDF and ran the full Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker
• Manually reviewed reading order and color contrast, which Acrobat always leaves for a person to verify

Testing Performed:

• Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker: No issues (Good to go)
• Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker: Every automated check passed, including tagged PDF, title, primary language, bookmarks, alternate text, tables, lists, and heading nesting
• Reading order: Passed manual review
• Color contrast: Passed manual review

Before vs. After Comparison

Area	Before Remediation	After Remediation
Header table	No title or description	Titled, with each row described
Navigation	Structure unverified	10 sections, subsections, and 3 appendices navigable
Lists	Needed style-based numbering	Multilevel list styles announced correctly
Word Accessibility Checker	Not yet run	Good to go
Acrobat Accessibility Checker	Not yet run	All automated checks passed

Results & Impact

• Certified Section 508 conformant and returned to the policy office for publication
• Published on a major federal website – The agency’s site network receives tens of millions of visits each month, according to the GSA Digital Analytics Program.
• Completed in 2 days, from request to certification
• Navigable by screen reader users – Every section, appendix, and list level is announced and reachable by heading

Key Lesson: Fix It in the Source

A long policy document is best remediated in Word, before conversion. Heading styles, list styles, and table descriptions carry into the PDF automatically, so the exported file starts clean instead of needing hours of tag repair in Acrobat.

Compliance Standards Met

• Section 508 (federal accessibility standard, incorporating WCAG 2.0 Level AA)
• Agency MS Word Document Accessibility Checklist

Tools & Technologies

Primary Tools: Microsoft Word (Heading and List styles, Navigation pane, Alt Text), Adobe Acrobat Pro
Validation Tools: Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker, Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker
Standards: Section 508, WCAG 2.0 Level AA, agency Word accessibility checklist

Reflection

Policy directives are some of the most important documents an agency publishes, and some of the longest. Their value depends on readers being able to find the section that applies to them. By fixing structure at the source, I made sure every section, role, and appendix in this 21-page regulation can be reached by heading navigation, and that the published PDF needed no tag repair after conversion.