MS Word Accessibility Tutorial



MS Word Accessibility TutorialRevision LogDateAuthorComments2/21/18Andrew KennedyInitial release3/27/18Andrew KennedyComments re: Text in ImagesContents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Revision Log PAGEREF _Toc506897176 \h 2Overview PAGEREF _Toc506897177 \h 4Examples PAGEREF _Toc506897178 \h 5Headings and Styles PAGEREF _Toc506897179 \h 5Use “Headings” to denote the levels of your text, instead of changing the font size. PAGEREF _Toc506897180 \h 5Use words like “important:” to denote important parts of your text, instead of relying on colors or bold/italics. PAGEREF _Toc506897183 \h 6Lists PAGEREF _Toc506897184 \h 7Images and WordArt: Using Alt text PAGEREF _Toc506897185 \h 8Provide Alt Text for images that provide meaningful information. PAGEREF _Toc506897186 \h 8Provide Alt Text for WordArt PAGEREF _Toc506897187 \h 13Links PAGEREF _Toc506897188 \h 14Tables PAGEREF _Toc506897189 \h 15Specify which parts of your tables are “headers” PAGEREF _Toc506897190 \h 15Always select “Repeat Header Rows,” in case your table gets split across multiple pages. PAGEREF _Toc506897191 \h 16Columns PAGEREF _Toc506897192 \h 18Table of Contents PAGEREF _Toc506897193 \h 20Running the Accessibility Checker PAGEREF _Toc506897194 \h 21Saving to PDF PAGEREF _Toc506897195 \h 22OverviewThe purpose of this document is to describe how to create accessible MS Word documents. As many people are already familiar with Word, creating accessible Word documents is a matter of adapting how we work rather than learning something entirely new. Microsoft includes a number of built-in accessibility features. In general, using the built- in features of the MS Word: inserting alternative text for images and creating titles, headings, and lists for example, goes a long way towards improving accessibility. These same techniques can be used for PowerPoint, and in general, the same is true when creating documents with other software, such as Google docs, for example – using built-in headings and lists will result in a more accessible document. Additionally, an accessible MS Word document that is saved correctly will usually convert to an accessible PDF. We will demonstrate how to do this and will also point out the cases where we believe that Word is not sufficient, and you may have to open up your Word document in Adobe Acrobat to create accessible PDFs from your Word document.We will discuss these built-in features as well as other recommended practices and then use the Word Accessibility checker. ExamplesHeadings and StylesAlways use the built-in headings and styles to distinguish the parts of your document, not by editing the text itself.Use “Headings” to denote the levels of your text, instead of changing the font size.It is still possible to change the way that headings look afterwards by modifying the document’s styles.Why:While sighted users are able to scan a document and look for specific sections based on the location of section headings, screen readers and other assistive technology users can navigate using a list of all of the headings in a document.When “headings” are created by changing the font directly, instead of using Word’s built-in headings, those sections are not included in the list and are inaccessible to users.Screenshots:Inaccessible:A Title (resized “Normal” text)A Sub-Title (resized “Normal” text)Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.Accessible:A Title (Heading 1)A Sub-Title (Heading 2)Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.Use words like “important:” to denote important parts of your text, instead of relying on colors or bold/italics.Why:Screen readers will not indicate the color of a text. Color-blind users may also be unable to discern changes in color. You should make sure that all of your information will be communicated even if the document is black-and-white. Inaccessible:Here are our assignments for the semester. Discussion days are in red.Week 11/12:pages 1-501/14:pages 52-70Week 21/19:pages 71-1001/21:pages 130-155Week 31/26:pages 155-2001/28:pages 200-221Week 42/2:pages 230-2672/4:pages 267-300Accessible:Here are our assignments for the semester. Important dates are indicated.Week 11/12:pages 1-501/14:pages 52-70Week 21/19:pages 71-1001/21:pages 130-155. Note: Discussion todayWeek 31/26:pages 155-2001/28:pages 200-221Week 42/2:pages 230-2672/4:pages 267-300. Note: Discussion todayListsUse the built-in bulleted/numbered list functions, instead of manual indentation, asterisks, or other symbols.Newer versions of Word may automatically convert asterisks (*) to bullets, but always make sure that you are using the proper formatting.Why:Lists structure information in a hierarchal order. Screen readers can present properly formatted lists in a way that is easier for users to navigate. If the list is created manually, it only provides a visual structure and does not translate to assistive technology.You should also consider that certain screen readers will read out each individual blank space and tab as the word “blank.”Screenshots:Inaccessible:+ Item #1+ Item #2- Item #2a- Item #2b+ Item #3Or1. Item #12. Item #23. Item #3Accessible:Item #1Item #2Item #2aItem #2bItem #3OrItem #1Item #2Item #3Images and WordArt: Using Alt textProvide Alt Text for images that provide meaningful information.Use the “Description” field under the image’s Alt Text section.Check the alt text for every image in the document and decide if it needs alt text or not: If you provide the description in the surrounding text of the image then you do not need alt textIf it is decorative it does not. Leave the description field blank.Alt text should explain the meaning that sighted users get from the image. Avoid descriptions that are irrelevant. The screen reader identifies all images, so avoid phrases such as “an image of…” as part of alt text. This is redundant for the user. Why:Images often convey non-verbal meaning. Without alternative text, screen readers have no way of presenting that meaning, and non-sighted users do not receive your entire message.Screenshots: Inaccessible:127028257500For this example, imagine that the following image is meant to demonstrate a student studying.This image has no Alt Text. The idea of a student studying is only received by sighted users. Or:0-3175This image has the following Alt Text: “A woman with a book titled “Moroccanoil”, a laptop, and an iPhone, wearing a blue shirt and glasses.”While that description is technically accurate, it does not convey the intended meaning of studying.127028829000Accessible: This image has the Alt Text “A student studying for an exam”. 1270283845Or:A student studying for an exam.This image has no Alt Text built in. Instead, the Alt Text is placed in the body of the document.If the image is purely decorative, simply leave the “Description” field completely blank.Why:Screen readers will read the Alt Text of every image in your document. Descriptions that are unrelated to your message can be distracting and take up time, or even confuse your audience.Inaccessible:This image is being used as a decorative border and has the Alt Text “Pretty vines”. When a screen reader says the words “pretty vines” in the middle of the document, it will be out of context and confusing.Accessible:This image is being used as a decorative border and has no Alt Text. When a screen reader reads the document, this image will not be read aloud.Caution: Newer versions of Word may automatically add Alt Text to images, which may be inaccurate. Always verify that your images’ Alt Text is appropriate and remove Alt Text from decorative images.Why:Accessibility checkers can determine if an image has Alt Text, but cannot determine if the Alt Text is actually appropriate. It is important to verify that you are providing the right information to both sighted and screen reader users.Inaccessible:01965This picture was inserted, and Word automatically added the following as Alt Text:“A close up of a personDescription generated with low confidence”Obviously, that is incorrect and does not provide a non-sighted user with the appropriate information.Caution: Never use images of text.If a picture includes over-laid text as a caption, that text should also be included as Alt text. Otherwise, you should include the text as a regular paragraph in your document instead.Why:While sighted users can identify text inside of an image, screen readers cannot. Images of text will therefore be ignored by screen readers.Inaccessible:Provide Alt Text for WordArtWordArt, Autoshapes, etc. will not be read by screen readers if you convert to PDF. It is best to add Alt Text for WordArt just in case.To add Alt Text to WordArt, you must right click on the border box of the WordArt. If you right click in the middle of the box, you will not see the correct menu. You will know when you can right click when the cursor changes to the one shown below.Simply copy all of the WordArt’s text, and place it in the Alt Text description.Why:WordArt is a unique type of text in Microsoft Office, and other software does not support it. Instead, the text is saved as an image. Like all other images, you must provide Alt Text for screen readers to read it out loud.Screenshots:0203230WordArtWordArtInaccessible:This WordArt reads fine in MS Word, but will not be read at all if converted to PDF because it has no Alt Text.Accessible:024765WordArt0WordArtThis WordArt has Alt Text that is identical to its body text. If it is converted to PDF, the image will keep the Alt Text.Shapes that convey meaning, such as arrows in flowcharts, may also need Alt Text. However, it is difficult to make flowcharts follow an accessible reading order, so you should consider alternate methods of conveying your information. This could mean supplementing a flowchart with an in-depth explanation.LinksUse descriptive text for links so that users can understand what the link points to.You should also avoid language such as “Click Here” because it does not provide meaningful context to the link.Why:As with headings, users can quickly navigate a document by cycling through its links. This method does not read the surrounding text, so users need to be able to understand each link without relying on context from the surrounding text.Inaccessible: Here for HHSAccessible:The School of Health and Human Sciences HomepageTablesSpecify which parts of your tables are “headers”Why:Tables divide data into a grid so that readers can easily see the relationship between the rows and columns. Screen readers can identify properly formatted headers to help their users understand these relationships as well. Screenshots:Inaccessible:ColorShapeObject 1BlueSquareObject 2RedCircleAccessible:ColorShapeObject 1BlueSquareObject 2RedCircleAlways select “Repeat Header Rows,” in case your table gets split across multiple pages.Even if you don’t split a table, another user’s computer may do this.Why:When a table is split across pages, it effectively becomes two tables: one with properly formatted headings, and one without. “Repeat Header Rows” ensures that each table is formatted properly. Screenshots:Accessible:Header Column 1Header Column 2AGBHCIDJEKFLColumnsUse the Columns function to divide the page layout, instead of spaces and tabs.Why:The Columns tool tells a screen reader to read the left-most column entirely first, and then move on to the next column. If you don’t use the columns tool, the screen reader will simply read text from the left of the page to the right of the page, ignoring your intended structure. Screenshots:Inaccessible:This text is divided using the tab key. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur Therefore, while a sighted person adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor may be able to recognize the proper incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut order to read this text in, there is no enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud internal code that tells a screen-exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea reader that the text is divided into commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in columns.reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.Accessible:This text is divided using Word’s “Columns” function. Therefore, a sighted person will be able to recognize the proper order to read this text in, and a screen-reader should be able to determine the proper reading order. However, always remember to double check your PDFs when using irregular layouts such as multi-column pages.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Table of ContentsConsider providing a Table of Contents for documents that are long or contain many sections.Why:Word’s Table of Contents tool compiles a list of each header in your document. This is why it’s also important to use built in headers.Each item is also a link that users can use to navigate through the document. This increases your document’s navigability and will carry over if you export it to PDF. Screenshots:Running the Accessibility CheckerRun the Accessibility checker to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.Why:Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker will help you identify accessibility issues that you may have missed, and also offers explanations and suggestions for fixing the issues.The checker also provides warnings and tips for parts of your document that are only potentially inaccessible and require your human judgement. You should check each individual item to ensure that your document is as accessible as possible. Screenshots:Saving to PDFSave to PDF using only the proper method.Why:There are multiple methods for creating a PDF from a Word document, and only some of those methods convert your hard work for Accessibility to the new file. On Windows, there are multiple methods to save as an accessible PDF. These are two methods that will work.The first method is: click “File” and select “Save As”Select “PDF (*.pdf)” as the filetypeclick on “More options…”make sure that "Optimize for:" is set to Standardclick on "Options..."make sure that "Document structure tags for accessibility" is checkedclick “Save”You may also have this second method available:click “File” and select “Save as Adobe PDF” instead of “Save” or “Save As”click on “Options”make sure that "Enable Accessibility and Reflow with tagged Adobe PDF" is checkedclick “Save”On Mac:click “File” and select “Save As”make sure that “File Format” is set to “PDF”make sure that “Best for Electronic distribution and accessibility” is selected ................
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