In many cases, the easiest way to publish a handbook or form online is to produce a PDF from a Word document. Review the following checklist as you finalize your Word document, so you can ensure it can be easily viewed by people with a range of sight disabilities.
Headings
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Create headings by using built-in styles in Word. |
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Write short, concise headings that include keywords. |
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Write headings that give people good clues about the information that follows them. |
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Arrange headings in order – H3 headings under H2, H2 headings under H1, and so on. |
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Make sure each heading contains no more than 2-3 paragraphs of content. |
Why is this important?
- Most people just scan a page, so headings might be the only information that gets read.
- Screen readers and text-to-speech tools are programmed to find heading styles.
- People who are blind depend on headings for navigation.
- People who have any reading issues depend on headings to:
- Provide clues about the content.
- Organize content into groups of related ideas.
- Limit bursts of reading to a few paragraphs.
Images
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Description |
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Add Alternative Text (Alt Text) to images, diagrams, SmartArt, and tables. |
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Write Alt Text that describes what’s important in the image. |
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If you included an image for visual emphasis or decoration, write " " (Double quote –space – double quote) in the Alt Text title and description. This tells screen reader software to skip over the image, and not describe it for a blind person. |
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If the image contains text, repeat the text exactly in the Alt Text description or adjacent content. |
Lists
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Description |
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Create lists (bulleted and numbered) by using built-in features in Word. |
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Insert a lead phrase or sentence to introduce the list. |
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Make lists that contain related items. If you have to, make more than one list. |
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Use numbered lists if the order of items is important. |
Why is this important?
- Screen readers and text-to-speech tools are programmed to understand lists that you create with the built-in features. This is especially important for nested lists.
- People who use screen readers appreciate hearing that a list about to be read.
- It’s easier to remember list items if they are related to one another.
Links
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Description |
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Give every link meaningful display text. |
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Make sure the link display gives a clear idea of the destination and purpose of the link. |
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Avoid meaningless phrases such as Click here, and Learn more. |
Why is this important?
- If a link does not have meaningful display text, then screen readers read the link URL one character at a time. This can be extremely difficult or impossible to follow while listening.
- If you must use a phrase such as Click here, include some contextual information. For example, use “Click here to learn more about applying.”
- Check the destination site. If you can, learn its title and use that in the link display text.
Tables
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Description |
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Insert tables by using built-in features. |
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Use the Tab key to move through the table cells. Make sure the tab order of cells matches the table appearance. |
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Do not place a table within a table (nested table). |
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Do not leave a cell blank at the beginning of a column to simplify the visual format. |
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Make sure that the table has one header row. |
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Add column labels in the header row that describe their contents. |
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Fix any merged or split cells in the table. |
Why is this important?
- Screen readers and text-to-speech tools are programmed to understand how tables are organized, if you the table by using built-in features.
- Some screen readers can repeat column labels on request. This can be very helpful on large tables with lots of data.
- Screen readers keep track of their location in the table by counting table cells. If a cell is merged or split, then the screen reader loses count. It can’t provide helpful information to the listener any more.
Document as a whole
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Description |
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Save the file as a Word document (.docx). You can always go back and edit a Word document much more easily than a PDF. |
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Give the file a meaningful name. If saving for use on the web do not use spaces. |
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Make sure the filename gives a clue about the document contents. |
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Add the author’s name and the document title to the document properties. |
Why is this important?
- Meaningful file names help people locate the information that they want.
More tips for an accessible document
Fonts
- Sans Serif.
- Minimize the use of character formats like italics and bold.
Alignment
- Use left-aligned text whenever possible.
- Centered (justified) text creates uneven vertical lines that are very difficult for people with reading disabilities and people with low vision.
Colors
- Never use color alone to indicate information. People who are color-blind might not be able to see the point.
Writing style
- short, simple sentences.
- Avoid abbreviations except when the abbreviation is part of common language, like USA or NASA.
- Group related ideas under a heading.
- If possible, limit paragraphs to one idea.
- Check readability statistics.
White space and background
- Allow ample white space between lines and between paragraphs.
- Clearly separate text and background.
