CREATING ACCESSIBLE DOCUMENTS WITH MICROSOFT …



CREATING ACCESSIBLE DOCUMENTS WITH MICROSOFT WORD*Microsoft Word is a commonly-used application among individuals with a variety of disabilities and is reasonably accessible. The text within Word documents can be read by assistive technologies such as screen readers and Braille devices. Following the guidelines below will optimize your documents to make them accessible to users of assistive technologies.FontsUse Sans Serif fonts, when possible. Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana and Calibri are all common Sans Serif fonts.Use at least 12-point fonts, whenever possible.Heading StylesUsing good heading structure helps people without eyesight to understand how the document is organized. Screen reader and Braille users can also jump between headings, which makes navigation much more efficient than if there are no headings.Making text larger and bold does not make it a heading. To convert text to a heading in Microsoft Word, you must use the built-in Heading styles like “Heading 1” and “Heading 2”, available under Styles in the Home tab.ListsLists should be created using Word’s built-in tools for ordered (numbered) and unordered (bulleted) lists. Without using these tools, a list is not really a list, which makes the content more difficult for screen reader users to fully understand.Alternate Text for ImagesRecent versions of Word also have an Alt Text button on the Format tab on Picture Tools. (First select the picture.)In older versions of Word, you can enter alternate text by right clicking an image and selecting Format Picture. Within the Format Picture dialog, select Alt Text and enter information in the Description field.Images can also be marked as decorative with no alt text. This informs screen readers that the content of the picture is not important.*Material taken from accessibility guidelines published on the websites of Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College and the University of Washington.ColorsDo not use color to convey information.Use enough contrast for text and background colors.Tables Word has limitations in making tables accessible. Use tables to display data, if necessary. Do not use tables to control layout of a page.If the text in your page has to “snake” from the bottom of one column to the top of the next, use Columns to control the layout of the page.If your data is best presented in a table, try to keep the table simple. It the table is complex, consider whether you could divide it into multiple smaller tables with a heading above each.When using tables, mark row and column headings clearly. Identify the header row for screen readers and printers.HyperlinksYou should embed a hyperlink within other text. That is, instead of cutting and pasting the full text of a link, like this: the text you want to make into a hyperlink, right-click and select Hyperlink (or press CTRL+K). Include the URL in the Address field and click OK. The text should convey relevant information about the destination of the link. Good example: Check the Microsoft website for instructions on using the Accessibility Checker.Screen TipInclude a ScreenTip that explains what happens if you click the link.Exporting a Word Document to a PDFThe first step in creating an accessible PDF from Microsoft Word is to ensure that the original Word document is accessible.Starting with an accessible Word document, a goal when exporting to PDF is do so in a way that preserves the accessibility features of the Word document, including heading structure, alternate text for images, and markup that explicitly identifies lists, tables, document language, and other content that is important for accessibility.Do not print to PDF. This method of creating a PDF does not preserve the document’s accessibility features. The correct method of exporting to PDF depends on which version of Microsoft Office you’re using.Word’s Built-in Accessibility CheckerWord 365 Accessibility CheckerWord 365’s Accessibility Checker is a button on the Review tab of the ribbon.Word 2013 and 2016 Accessibility CheckerThe Accessibility Checker in Word 2013 and Word 2016 is on the file tab.Select File/Info, and click the Check for Issues button and select Check Accessibility from the drop-down.Accessibility PanelAfter running the Accessibility Checker, Word will display a list of errors, warnings, tips, and how-to-fix recommendations for each.Mount Holyoke College Library Research Guide EIT Accessibility and Standards ................
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