Why Streamline Uses VeraPDF for Accessibility Scanning

At Streamline, we know how important it is for Special Districts to ensure their public documents are truly accessible to all members of the community. That’s why we’ve recently upgraded our built-in PDF scanner to use VeraPDF, an open-source validation tool that sets a new standard for accuracy, transparency, and alignment with accessibility best practices.

What Is VeraPDF?

VeraPDF is a powerful, internationally recognized PDF validation tool. It was developed as part of the EU-funded PREFORMA project to provide a reliable, standardized way of checking PDF compliance. Today, it’s trusted by governments, libraries, and accessibility professionals worldwide.

Unlike general-purpose tools like Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat, VeraPDF focuses specifically on ensuring that PDFs meet formal compliance standards, which is essential when publishing legally required documents like agendas, minutes, and reports.

Why Streamline Made the Change

We recently transitioned from CommonLook to VeraPDF as our scanning engine. Here’s why:

• Greater Stability and Speed – VeraPDF runs faster and with fewer errors, meaning your dashboard results are more reliable.

• Transparency for Customers – Results can be cross-checked with widely available tools such as PDFix’s free evaluation tool, so you can see exactly what needs to be fixed.

• Alignment with DocAccess – The same standards now power both Streamline’s built-in scanner and our DocAccess remediation platform, ensuring your scan results match your fixes without surprises.

• Updated Standards – VeraPDF validates against WCAG 2.2, the latest accessibility standard. This means your documents are tested to meet or exceed the U.S. legal requirement of WCAG 2.1. Passing 2.2 automatically covers 2.1.

What This Means for Your District

• Legal Confidence – Word and Adobe accessibility checkers are helpful, but they don’t certify compliance. Streamline’s VeraPDF-based scanner ensures your PDFs are validated against recognized standards.

• Future-Proofing – Because 2.2 builds on 2.1, your documents will already be in line with upcoming requirements.

• Consistency – Whether you’re scanning in your Streamline dashboard or remediating with DocAccess, the results are always aligned.

• No Need to Re-Scan Old Files – Previously accessible files remain accessible. We are not rescanning historical documents unless you replace them. (Note: if you replace a file, the newly added file will be rescanned) 

Key Takeaway

By moving to VeraPDF, Streamline ensures your public documents are checked with the most reliable, transparent, and forward-looking accessibility validation available. This change gives you more confidence that your agendas, minutes, and reports are truly accessible, legally compliant, and easy for your community to engage with.

✅ Next Step: Want to go beyond compliance?