How to Write an Accessible Job Posting for Government Agencies (ADA Title II Guide)

Government HR departments create inaccessible content every day. Not because anyone is being careless. Because nobody ever told them that job postings, application systems, and hiring communications carry the same ADA accessibility obligations as permit applications and payment portals.

They do.

Under ADA Title II, the equal access obligation extends to every program, service, and activity a public agency delivers — including employment. When a qualified applicant with a disability cannot read a job posting because it was published as an untagged PDF, cannot complete an online application because the form is not keyboard accessible, or cannot participate in a video interview because no captions are available, the agency has created an accessibility barrier in one of the most consequential contexts possible: someone's ability to pursue public employment.

The legal exposure is real. The fix is straightforward. And the content creators who need this guide are in HR, not IT — which is why this guide is written for them.

The Accessibility Problems That Live Inside Government Hiring

Before getting into the how-to, here is what the problem actually looks like across the hiring process.

The job posting as a PDF. Many agencies publish job announcements as formatted PDF documents — a Word template exported without accessibility settings and uploaded to the careers page. No heading structure. No alt text for agency logos or decorative graphics. No tagged document structure. A screen reader navigating this document reads it as a single undifferentiated block of text with no way to jump between the job title, requirements, responsibilities, and application instructions.

The application form. Online job application systems are among the most consistently inaccessible interactive systems in the public sector. Custom dropdown menus for department selection. Date fields for availability. File upload components for resumes and cover letters. Multi-step flows with progress indicators that are not announced to screen readers. Every one of these is a potential barrier that stops a qualified applicant from completing their application.

The selection document. Interview scoring rubrics, candidate comparison matrices, and reference check forms circulated as PDFs or Word documents without accessibility consideration. When a hiring panel member who is blind or has a visual impairment participates in the selection process, inaccessible internal documents create barriers within the agency's own workforce.

The offer and onboarding materials. Offer letters, benefits enrollment documents, policy handbooks, and onboarding checklists published without accessibility structure. A new employee who is blind receives a stack of inaccessible PDFs on their first day.

This guide covers the outward-facing piece: how to write and publish accessible job postings and how to ensure the application process is accessible. The internal HR document accessibility follows the same PDF principles covered in the PDF accessibility guide.

Part 1: Writing the Job Posting for Accessibility

An accessible job posting starts before you think about the technical format. It starts with how the content itself is structured and written.

Use a Logical, Consistent Structure

Every job posting should follow the same structural outline. Consistency matters for accessibility because screen reader users navigating multiple job listings benefit from knowing where to find each category of information without having to search through the full document.

Recommended structure for every government job posting:

1. Job title (H1)
2. Department and location (H2)
3. Salary range and employment type (H2)
4. Application deadline and instructions (H2)
5. Position summary (H2)
6. Essential duties and responsibilities (H2)
7. Minimum qualifications (H2)
8. Preferred qualifications (H2)
9. Physical requirements (H2)
10. Benefits overview (H2)
11. How to apply (H2)
12. Equal opportunity statement (H2)
13. Accommodation request information (H2)

When this structure is consistent across all your job postings, a screen reader user applying to multiple positions can navigate directly to the section they need rather than reading every posting from the beginning every time.

Write Plain Language Descriptions

Accessible writing is not just about structure. It is about clarity. Government job postings are notorious for jargon, bureaucratic phrasing, and qualification language that obscures what the job actually involves.

Before (inaccessible language): "Incumbent will effectuate programmatic objectives through coordination with cross-functional stakeholder groups and will demonstrate proficiency in the execution of deliverables consistent with departmental mandates."

After (accessible language): "You will coordinate with staff across multiple departments to complete assigned projects on time and in line with department guidelines."

Plain language reduces cognitive load for all readers — not just those with cognitive disabilities — and produces job postings that communicate more effectively with the qualified candidates you are trying to reach.

Write Inclusive Physical Requirement Language

The physical requirements section is where job postings most commonly create unnecessary barriers. Requirements should reflect what the job actually requires — not a generic template that lists every possible physical activity regardless of relevance.

Before (overbroad): "Must be able to lift 50 pounds, stand for extended periods, operate motor vehicles, and perform manual labor."

After reading this, a qualified candidate who uses a wheelchair self-selects out of a data analyst position that involves none of these activities.

After (accurate): "This position primarily involves desk-based computer work. Occasional lifting of documents or office supplies up to 10 pounds may be required. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified individuals with disabilities."

The "reasonable accommodations" language is not just good practice — it is the signal to candidates with disabilities that the agency is prepared to engage with accommodation requests, which directly affects whether they apply.

Include an Accommodation Request Statement in Every Posting

Every job posting should include explicit language inviting applicants who need accommodations to request them — and telling them how.

Standard accommodation statement:

"[Agency Name] is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal access to the application and hiring process. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any phase of the application or selection process, please contact [HR contact name or title] at [email] or [phone number] to request assistance. Accommodation requests are kept confidential and do not affect the evaluation of your application."

This statement does three things. It signals that the agency is prepared to provide accommodations. It gives applicants the specific contact for making a request. And it addresses the concern many applicants have about whether requesting an accommodation will affect how they are evaluated.

Part 2: Publishing the Job Posting Accessibly

Writing an accessible job posting is half the work. Publishing it in an accessible format is the other half.

Option A: Publish as an Accessible HTML Page

The most accessible way to publish a job posting is as a standard HTML web page — not a PDF, not a Word document, a webpage. HTML with proper semantic structure is the most reliably accessible format for this type of content and is the easiest to update when position details change.

For agencies using a government CMS, this means creating a job posting page using the built-in page editor with proper heading structure applied through the editor's formatting options — not manual bold or font size adjustments.

What accessible HTML markup looks like for a job posting:

The job title is an H1. Department and salary information are introduced with H2 headings. Lists of responsibilities and qualifications use bulleted or numbered lists, not paragraphs with manual dashes or asterisks. The application deadline is presented as text, not embedded in a graphic or callout box that loses structure when read by a screen reader.

Option B: Publish as an Accessible PDF

If your agency publishes job postings as PDFs — which is common — follow the PDF accessibility process from the companion guide.

The most common failure here is using a Word template that was created years ago with manual formatting rather than heading styles, exporting it to PDF without accessibility settings, and uploading it to the careers page without checking the output.

The accessible PDF job posting workflow:

1. Open the job posting in Word
2. Apply Heading styles — not bold formatting — to every section title
3. Use built-in bullet list formatting, not manual hyphens or asterisks
4. Add alt text to the agency logo and any other images
5. Run the Word accessibility checker and fix all errors
6. Export using File > Save As > PDF with "Document structure tags for accessibility" checked
7. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or PAC 2021 and run the accessibility checker
8. Fix any failures before uploading

Side-by-side comparison: inaccessible vs. accessible PDF job posting structure

Inaccessible version — what the tag tree shows:

P: City of Springfield

P: POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

P: Job Title: Senior Permit Technician

P: Department: Community Development

P: Salary: $52,000 - $68,000 annually

P: ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

P: • Reviews permit applications for completeness

P: • Coordinates with inspectors and contractors

Every element is tagged as a paragraph. No headings. No list structure. Screen reader reads the entire document as continuous text with no navigation points.

Accessible version — what the tag tree shows:

H1: Senior Permit Technician

H2: Department and Location

P: Community Development | Springfield City Hall

H2: Salary and Employment Type

P: $52,000 - $68,000 annually | Full-time, benefited

H2: Essential Duties and Responsibilities

L (List):

  LI: Reviews permit applications for completeness

  LI: Coordinates with inspectors and contractors

Structured hierarchy. Screen reader user can jump directly to Essential Duties, skip to Minimum Qualifications, or navigate to How to Apply without reading the entire document.

Part 3: Making the Online Application System Accessible

The job posting gets applicants to the door. The application system is where the actual barrier most often lives.

Most public agencies use a third-party applicant tracking system (ATS) — NeoGov, Governmentjobs.com (NEOGOV), Workday, Taleo, or a similar platform. The accessibility of the application experience depends heavily on how the platform is configured and whether it meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

What to Evaluate in Your Application System

Keyboard navigation through the full application flow. Open your agency's online job application and attempt to complete it using only a keyboard. Tab through every field. Navigate every dropdown. Upload a test resume file. Submit the form. If any step cannot be completed without a mouse, that step is a barrier.

Common keyboard navigation failures in government ATS platforms:

• Dropdown menus for department or position category that require mouse interaction
• Date availability fields with calendar widgets that cannot be navigated via keyboard
• Resume upload components that trigger a file browser that loses keyboard focus
• Captcha systems with no audio alternative
• Multi-step progress bars that are not announced when advancing to the next step

Form field label associations. Every field in the application must have a programmatic label that is announced when a screen reader user focuses on the field. "Edit text" is not a useful announcement. "Legal first name, required" is.

Error handling. Submit the application with intentional errors — leave required fields empty, enter an invalid email format. When errors appear, confirm they are announced to a screen reader, that they identify which field failed, and that the guidance for correction is specific.

Confirmation accessibility. When an application is successfully submitted, the confirmation message must be visible and announced to assistive technology. A confirmation that appears visually but fires no announcement leaves screen reader users uncertain whether their application went through.

Requesting an Accessible Alternative

If your agency's ATS has accessibility failures that cannot be immediately remediated, you must provide an accessible alternative pathway for applicants who cannot use the standard system.

The accommodation statement in your job posting is the trigger for this. When an applicant requests an accommodation for the application process, the response may include an accessible application format — a tagged PDF, a Word document, or a phone-based application process with a named HR contact.

Document every accommodation request and response in the agency's complaint intake log. Pattern analysis of accommodation requests related to the application system is how you build the business case for platform improvements or procurement of a more accessible ATS.

What to Ask Your ATS Vendor

Request the VPAT for your current applicant tracking system. Evaluate it against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria. Identify known gaps. If the VPAT does not exist or is more than 18 months old, treat the accessibility status of the platform as unknown.

Questions to ask your vendor:

• What WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria does your platform not currently meet?
• What is your roadmap for addressing known accessibility gaps?
• Have your application flows been tested with actual screen reader users?
• What accessible alternative formats can you provide for applicants who cannot use the standard interface?
• What notification will we receive when platform updates affect accessibility conformance?

Part 4: The Full Accessible Job Posting — Before and After

Here is the same job posting written two ways. Read through both and you will immediately understand the difference. Four tabs showing the most common accessibility failures in government job postings — with the exact language fixes that make each element work for every applicant. 

The differences between these two versions are not subtle. The accessible version uses structured headings that allow screen reader navigation. It uses plain language that communicates what the job actually involves. It includes specific application instructions rather than vague directives. It lists what the agency offers alongside what it requires. It explicitly invites accommodation requests with a named contact and a confidentiality statement. And it eliminates the overbroad physical requirement that would cause qualified candidates who use wheelchairs to self-select out of a primarily desk-based position.

Both postings describe the same job. One communicates it accessibly. The other creates unnecessary barriers before a qualified applicant has even started the process.

The HR Accessibility Checklist

Before publishing any job posting or distributing any hiring document, run through this checklist.

Job Posting Content

• Consistent section structure with heading styles applied (not bold formatting)
• Plain language descriptions free of bureaucratic jargon
• Physical requirements that accurately reflect the job rather than generic templates
• Accommodation request statement with specific contact information
• Salary range included (required in an increasing number of jurisdictions and best practice everywhere)

Job Posting Format

• Published as HTML page or tagged PDF (not untagged PDF or image scan)
• If PDF: heading structure, list tags, alt text, and correct export settings verified
• If PDF: accessibility checker passed before upload
• Document language set correctly

Application System

• Full application flow tested with keyboard-only navigation
• All form fields tested with screen reader for label announcements
• Error states tested and confirmed accessible
• Submission confirmation accessible
• VPAT requested from ATS vendor and on file

Accommodation Process

• Accommodation contact information monitored and responsive
• Accessible alternative application format available for applicants who request it
• Accommodation requests logged in the compliance record

FAQ: Accessible Job Postings for Government Agencies

Are government job postings required to be accessible under ADA Title II? 

Yes. ADA Title II requires state and local governments to provide equal access to all programs, services, and activities — including employment. Job postings, online application systems, and hiring communications are part of the agency's public-facing services and carry the same accessibility obligations as permit applications and payment portals. An inaccessible job posting that prevents a qualified applicant with a disability from applying for a public position creates the same type of access barrier as an inaccessible government service.

What is the most common accessibility failure in government job postings? 

The most common failure is publishing job announcements as untagged PDFs — documents exported from Word without accessibility settings, with no heading structure, no list tags, and no document hierarchy. Screen readers read these documents as a single block of undifferentiated text with no navigation points. The fix is straightforward: apply heading styles in Word, run the accessibility checker, and export with document structure tags enabled. The second most common failure is publishing physical requirement language that is overbroad and causes qualified candidates with disabilities to self-select out of positions that do not actually require the listed physical capabilities.

Does the online job application system need to be accessible? 

Yes. The application system is the most consequential accessibility surface in the hiring process. An applicant who can read the job posting but cannot complete the application has been effectively denied access to employment. Government applicant tracking systems should be tested for keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and accessible error handling. VPATs should be requested from ATS vendors and gaps documented. For systems with known accessibility failures, an accessible alternative application pathway must be available for applicants who request an accommodation.

What should a government accommodation request statement include? 

An accommodation request statement should include: a clear statement that the agency provides reasonable accommodations, the specific phase of the process where accommodations are available (application, testing, interview, onboarding), the contact method for requesting an accommodation (name or title, email, and phone), a statement that accommodation requests are kept confidential, and a statement that requesting an accommodation does not affect the evaluation of the application. Generic EEO boilerplate that does not include specific contact information or confidentiality language is less effective at reaching applicants who need accommodations.

How do we make our online application form accessible if we use a third-party ATS? 

Start by requesting the VPAT for your ATS platform and evaluating it against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria. Test the application flow using keyboard-only navigation and a screen reader to identify specific failures. Contact your vendor with specific accessibility issues and request a remediation timeline. Add accessibility requirements to the vendor contract at renewal. For gaps that cannot be immediately remediated, ensure an accessible alternative application pathway is available and communicated in all job postings. Document all vendor accessibility issues and remediation steps in your agency's compliance record.

Do we need to make internal HR documents accessible too? 

Yes. Internal HR documents — offer letters, benefits enrollment materials, policy handbooks, onboarding checklists, selection rubrics — should meet the same accessibility standards as public-facing documents. This is particularly important for agencies with employees who have disabilities, where inaccessible internal documents create barriers within the workplace itself. The same PDF accessibility principles that apply to public documents apply to internal HR materials. Prioritize documents that every employee must access — offer letters, benefits materials, policy handbooks — and apply accessible creation standards to all new HR documents going forward.