As one of the most widely distributed texts, Microsoft Word documents will be used by a number of individuals with accessibility needs. Word has built in features to accommodate many accessibility solutions for those with sighted disabilities. Word also comes equipped with a Check Accessibility review item that will identify any issues you may have missed when checking for accessibility.
Heading structures not only organize writing into digestible sections for sighted users, but it is important for those with screen readers and other assistive technologies to understand the hierarchal structure and reading order of the content. Word comes with a Styles Plane located on the right side of the toolbar in the Home tab. This feature will help you label the document's title, level headings, body text, and other forms of structural content.
Headings are used to denote the hierarchy of the page's content as follows:
You may modify the headings to any font, size, and style you desire, but this is only for sighted users. Those with screen readers or other assistive technologies will only understand the hierarchy of the page's content.
Lists add important hierarchical structure to a document. While this provides visual structure for sighted users, it does not provide the document structure needed for assistive technology users. There are two types of lists: ordered and unordered.
Ordered (numbered) lists are used to identify a group of items that follow a sequence checklist.
Example:
Unordered (bullet) lists are used for a group of items without a sequence.
Example:
Hyperlinks in Word documents allow users to visit web pages, navigate to Wordheadings, and open email links. Sighted users can readily identify links because of their blue color or by hovering over them, but users requiring assistive technology scan documents looking for alternate text. These links should convey clear information of where the link takes them.
Word will automatically create hyperlinks when you paste a URL into a document and hit Enter or Tab. The created link will display the URL as the display text (e.g., http://auburn.edu/eaccessibility ), but you will need to edit Word's default link text so users with sight disabilities can access them.
To create accessible links:
Images are useful visuals for sighted users to grasp larger concepts or to show examples. For those with accessibility needs, you will need to write alternative text for images to provide a non-visual means of representing the image's content or purpose. When alt text is added correctly to an image, screen reading software can read it in a Word, PDF, or HTML file.
Image types in Word documents that can be given Alternative Text include:
To write Alternative Text:
Tips for writing Alternative Text:
Videos and audio files can also be inserted into Word documents without having the user leave the document to view it. The steps for including these files in your document are shown here for different versions of Word.
To insert a video or audio file in Word 2016:
Color is an important accessibility item to consider. Users with sighted disabilities need proper contrast so the text can be legible and readable. If you need to check for your document's color contrast, reference the WebAim Color Contrast Checker or enter your website's URL in the WAVE Web Accessibility Tool.
The purpose of data tables is to present information in a grid, or matrix, and to have columns or rows that show the meaning of the information in the grid.
Sighted users scan a table to make associations between data in the table and their appropriate row and/or column headers. Screen reader users make these same associations with tables in web pages and PDF files. Unfortunately support for table headers is limited in Word. You can add properties to Word documents so that column headers (headers in the first row of the table) are identified by a screen reader and read and when exported to PDF. Unfortunately, row headers (headers in the first column of the table) do not have the same level of support.
The first step in creating a PowerPoint presentation is choosing a slide theme or template. When choosing a slide theme or template structure, you must consider the contrast between the slide text and the background. If the contrast is poor or if the background is busy, this make it hard for accessibility users to read the document. You'll need to select a slide theme with excellent contrast and simple backgrounds.
One of the most effective ways to build a PowerPoint presentation for accessibility users is to use a Master Slide Template. This will ensure screen readers can follow the hierarchal structure of the text. It will also ensure the reading order from slide-to-slide is consistent. To check or change the reading order, navigate to Home > Arrange > Selection Pane. This pane will show text, images, or other visual information as objects. Highlighting an object in the pane will also highlight it in the slide.
The reading order for the elements in this page is bottom to top. The first (bottom most) object on the slide will be read first. If another object is added to the page on top of the this first object, it will be read next by a screen reader. Click and drag the objects to rearrange the reading order. You may also select one of four options to bring objects forward or backwards to adjust the reading order.
Just like Word documents, PowerPoint presentations require alternative text for images. To add alternative text in PowerPoint:
PowerPoint allows you to identify a single row of column headers and a single column of row headers to make contents of the table more accessible to screen reader users. To identify the headers in a table:
Most screen readers will not identify table headers in PowerPoint, but it is still recommended to perform this function. Additionally, these headers will be transferred when saving/export to PDF.
Just like Word, PowerPoint automatically creates a hyperlink a full URL is pasted onto a slide and Enter or Space are hit. You'll need to add descriptive text to the link for accessibility purposes. To change the descriptive text for the link, right-click it and select Edit Hyperlink and enter a descriptive line in the Text to Display field.
PowerPoint also includes a tool that will identify many common accessibility issues. The accessibility checker is basically the same in Windows and Mac, but the steps to start the check are different.
To run the accessibility checker in Windows, selectFile > Info. Select theCheck for Issuesbutton and chooseCheck Accessibility.
To start the accessibility checker in Mac, select theReviewtab, and then chooseCheck Accessibility.
In Windows and Mac, theAccessibility Checkersidebar will appear to the right. The checker presents accessibility errors (e.g., images with no alternative text), warnings (e.g., unclear link text) and tips (e.g., check slide reading order for slides with custom content). Selecting an item in the report will highlight the issue within the slide. Information about the issue, and instructions on how to repair it, will also appear at the bottom of the sidebar.
Just like Word, PowerPoint automatically creates a hyperlink a full URL is pasted onto a slide and Enter or Space are hit. You'll need to add descriptive text to the link for accessibility purposes. To change the descriptive text for the link, right-click it and select Edit Hyperlink and enter a descriptive line in the Text to Display field.
PowerPoint is great for in-person presentations, but it is not the best format for dissemination on the web. PDF is often a better format to present PowerPoint presentations electronically, and if users don't have the most updated version of PowerPoint. If you successfully checked the PowerPoint for accessibility issues, they will be transferred when converting it into a PDF file.
PDFs are a convenient way to preserve formatting and accessibility information, assuming the file is converted and accessibility is reviewed correctly from Word. Many users may access PDFs through Adobe Acrobat, though, not all PDFs are created in Acrobat.
Things to remember when converting Word to PDF:
Sighted users can make associations between headings, rows, columns, and other data. However, these entries are difficult if not impossible for accessibility users. Adobe Acrobat has a number of functions to identify the reading order of these entries under Accessibility in Tools.
Adobe also has an extensive tutorial for how to list the reading order: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/touch-reading-order-tool-pdfs.html
Last Updated: April 16, 2018
