Title: Guidelines for Accessible MSWord Documents
Course: Web Accessibility MOOC for Educators > Section: Creating Accessible MSOffice and PDF Materials

Microsoft Word is one of the most common word processors available today. There are several guidelines that can be observed to make content created in Word more accessible.

Headings

A good heading structure is the most important accessibility consideration for Word documents (WebAIM). Proper headings allow screen readers to navigate through the page easily. Changing the font of text or making it bold, does not make a heading. To change a block of text to a heading, select it and click on the appropriate style. An added benefit of using headings is that you can easily create a table of contents for your document. Use the ‘Title’ style to designate the document title. Heading level 1 should be used for main body headings, followed by heading levels 2 and on for subheadings within Heading 1.

Watch the Headings demo with closed captions options

Proper Hyperlinks (Meaningful)

Make the hyperlinks that you use in your document descriptive so that a visually impaired person using screen reading technology knows where the link will take them.

Correct: Read more about Arapahoe Community College

Incorrect: To read more about Arapahoe Community College, click here

Incorrect: Read more about Arapahoe Community College: http://www.arapahoe.edu/about-acc

To create a proper hyperlink, select the text in the document, choose the Insert tab on the toolbar and select Hyperlink.

Provide a meaningful description of the hyperlink in the Text to display box and then add the URL in the Address box. Select Ok when you are done.

Watch the Hyperlink insertion demo with closed captions option

Images and Objects

Do not copy and paste images into your document. Provide an alternative text description (ALT text) for each image. The ALT text should describe the non-text content so that the person using a screen reader can understand what the image means and how it is important. The ALT text Title option is limited to 100 characters. For complicated images or objects, include a detailed description in the Description box.

Alt text should be included for any of the following objects in your presentation:

- Pictures
- Clip Art
- Charts
- Tables
- Shapes (that don’t contain text and are not in groups)
- SmartArt graphics
- Groups (all objects in this list, with the exception of shapes, should also have alt text when in groups)
- Embedded objects

Use the Insert tab and the Pictures option to select and insert your image.

Browse for your image and select Insert.

Right-click on the inserted image and choose Format Picture. A pane will appear on the right side of the document. Choose the third icon (Layout & Properties) from the pane and then select ALT TEXT. Choose a title for the image in the Title box and a Description if needed.

Watch the Picture Format Allternative tag and description Demo with closed caption option

Tables

Screen readers read tables from left to right through each row and from the top row to the bottom row. Do not merge or split cells in the table. Keep the tables in your document small and simple. Do not use the Draw Table tool in Word to create tables. Indicate header rows for tables and provide ALT text for your tables.

View examples of good and bad tables

Select the Header Row checkbox from the Design tab.

Select the header row in your document and from the Layout tab, select Repeat Header Rows (used for long tables that span more than one page).

Right-click anywhere in the table and select Table Properties. A new window appears. Select the Alt Text tab and enter ALT text to give a summary of what the table is about. Enter this in the Title box and add a Description if needed (recommended for complicated tables that need more than just a title).

Watch the Table accessiblility alternative tag and description demo with closed capitons option

Use of Color and Contrast

For everyone and especially for learners with visual impairments and color deficiencies, there should be strong visual contrast between the text presented in a document and the background. Color should also not be used to convey meaning as learners with color deficiencies will not understand it. This, however, does not mean that you cannot use colors. Do not use colors alone to convey meaning in your document.

Bad examples of the use of color:

The following items in red are mandatory, items in green are optional:

Calculus textbook

Student Solutions Manual

TI 84 Calculator

Graph Paper

Colored Pencils

Click on the Green box to continue or the Red box to go back.

Bad example of the use of contrast with the phrase: Welcome to Spring 2013! Our first day of class is January 20, 2013

Good exampl of the use of contrast with the same phrase:  Welcome to Spring 2013! Our first day of class is January 20, 2013.

Tip: Starting with Microsoft Office 2010 a new tool for PowerPoint, Word, and Excel called the Accessibility Checker is available that you can use to check your PowerPoint presentations for any issues that might make it challenging for a user with a disability.

Save As PDF Settings

Select the File tab,

Select Save As.

Select PDF from the Save as type: pull down menu.

Select the Options button and make sure that the Document structure tags for accessibility checkbox is marked then select OK.

Edit the File name and select the destination folder if necessary then select Save.

"Arapahoe Community College Competency Based Syllabus" by Lee Christopher, Arapahoe Community College is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and "MSWord Images" by Brenda M. Perea, CHAMP, Colorado Community College Systemis licensed under CC BY 4.0