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Chelan County Launches DocAccess to Make 943 Public Documents Searchable, Translatable, and More Accessible

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2026

New platform helps Chelan County meet federal accessibility requirements while improving transparency for residents across the county.

Chelan County, WA — April 15, 2026 — Chelan County has adopted DocAccess by CivicPlus to make its public documents easier to read, search, translate, and access on any device. The county’s rollout includes 943 documents totaling 20,623 pages, including archived and legacy materials that are often the hardest for residents to use.

The effort comes as counties across the country prepare to meet the U.S. Department of Justice’s ADA Title II rule, 28 CFR Part 35, which sets a compliance deadline of April 24, 2026 for public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more. For Chelan County, this is about more than checking a box — it is about responding to public interest in transparency and ensuring residents can access the information they need, when they need it.

DocAccess is built on WCAG 2.1 AA standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It transforms PDF documents into searchable, translatable HTML, making public information usable for residents whether they are reviewing board and council meeting agendas, minutes, budgets, strategic plans, or older scanned records from county archives. The platform also makes documents easier to view on mobile devices, including older, handwritten, or scanned files that have traditionally been difficult to navigate.

“Our county serves a diverse community, and people expect to be able to find public information quickly and independently,” said Shon Smith, Chairman of the Board. “We knew this work mattered for compliance, but it also matters because it respects our residents’ time, their language needs, and their right to access public records in a practical way.”

Chelan County’s adoption of DocAccess supports a community where multilingual access is especially important. According to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates, roughly a quarter to nearly a third of residents speak a language other than English at home, with Spanish the predominant non-English language. Through DocAccess, residents can instantly translate documents in 250+ languages and even ask questions about those documents in their preferred language.

The platform also includes AI-powered search and Q&A that helps residents find information in plain language, plus 24/7 live visual interpretation through Aira.io at no cost to the public. DocAccess also partners with Aira.io, an award-winning visual interpreting service trusted by many, and provides both internal human-in-the-loop review and external accessibility expert support in English and Spanish. Complimentary assistance time is available to any community member who needs help navigating documents, filling out forms, or understanding content.

DocAccess also gives Chelan County new analytics tools that show which documents generate the most interest, what questions residents are asking, and which languages are being used. Those insights help the county take a more data-informed approach to transparency while protecting privacy. Customer content is not used to train AI models, and only aggregated, de-identified usage data is collected — with no IP tracking, no behavioral profiling, and no cross-site tracking.

About DocAccess by CivicPlus

DocAccess, a CivicPlus solution, transforms PDF documents into WCAG-aligned, searchable, and translatable formats, helping public-sector organizations meet ADA compliance requirements while improving transparency and access for all residents. Learn more at docaccess.com.

Last Updated: 04/15/2026 10:48 AM

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