Introduction
An accessible Word document possesses four primary traits, at a minimum:
- The document can be read by a screen reader and other assistive technologies.
- Section headings have applied styles.
- Graphic elements contain alternate text.
- Tables are used in place of tabs and include column heading styles.
Starting in the 2010 version of Word, Microsoft included a built-in automated accessibility checker. Instructions on using the checker are available on the Microsoft website. Please note that this is an automated tool and cannot identify all barriers, so it is not a substitute for knowing how to create accessible content in Word.
Testing for Accessibility
1. Readable (to a screen reader)
Since Word is commonly used for creating text, only a few actions will make these documents inaccessible. Inserting text boxes is one of the ways since text boxes hide text from screen readers.
2. Navigable - Heading Styles
Applying heading styles allows someone using a screen reader to navigate the document with greater efficiency. Once styles have been applied then a heading list can be summoned using a keyboard command and the user can go straight to the desired section.
Quick Tip: Select text of a section heading>apply keyboard shortcut- Ctrl+Alt+1 for Heading 1.
3. Explicative - Alternate Text
Screen reading software typically reads images as simply “graphic”. The solution is to create alternate text, (a hidden image description) that enables screen readers to read what’s behind the images. Alt Text should include one or two descriptive sentences for images that convey meaning.
Quick Tip Exercise: Right click on the image>Alt text
4. Structured - Tables Not Tabs
Avoid using tabs to create columns, because screen reading software will read the entire row from left to right as one line. You can actually achieve the same effect by using the Convert Text to Table function.
Quick Tip: Select text>Insert>Table>Convert text to table; Right click on table>Borders and Shading>None (to look like tabs instead of a bordered table).
Resources
- Creating Accessible Word Documents from WebAim
- Word Accessibility from the CSU
- Make your Word documents accessible from Microsoft
Introduction
An “accessible” PDF for starters is a Portable Document File that possesses the following essential attributes, at a minimum:
- The document can be read by a screen reader and other assistive technologies.
- The document’s graphic elements are tagged with alternate text.
- The document can be read in the intended order.
- The document passes Adobe’s built-in accessibility check.
Testing for Accessibility
1. Readable (to a screen reader)
Can a word be individually selected by double-clicking on it?
Yes: This is a good sign that a screen reader and other assistive technology can read the material. It means the page is defined as text instead of an image or scan.
No: If a block of text or the entire page is selected when clicking on a word, then the document is probably an image and needs optical character recognition performed.
Solution: Go to Document>OCR Text Recognition>Recognize Text. This step may require proofreading and further corrections.
2. Accurate and Meaningful
Does the Read Out Loud feature read every word and explanations (alt text) of images?
How: Go to View>Read Out Loud>Activate Read Out Loud> Then click on an area of text and listen. Try clicking on a few different areas of the document, including an image or graphic element, such as a logo or picture.
Yes: The author has ensured the proper treatment of text and has intentionally included alternate text for images and graphics.
No: You will need to correct the text or add alternate text. See resources below for assistance
3. Ordered
Does the text read in the intended order?
How: Go to File>Save As>Text Accessible (in “save as type” dropdown menu)
Open the text file. This is essentially what the screen reader reads and in the order. If the document contains columns or tables, you may want to pay attention to how they appear.
Yes: The conversion accurately captured the order.
No/How: You will need to correct the reading order. See resources below for assistance
4. Verified
Did the document pass the built-in accessibility check?
This built-in tool does not provide 100% accurate results every time, but short of performing user-testing with assistive technology, this is the best available tool to date. Note that this requires the full version of accessibility
How: Follow instructions for your version of Acrobat Pro
Yes: Adobe’s accessibility full check found no problems.
No: Follow the instructions for remediation using resources below
Resources
- PDF Accessibility from WebAim
- Verifying PDF Accessibility from Adobe
- Creating accessible PDFs with Microsoft Word by SF State
- Creating Accessible PDFs course by LinkedIn Learning (requires LinkedIn Learning subscription, free to SF State employees)
