For creating accessible Word documents this is a checklist as well as detailed steps/explanations that can be followedThis article is intended for students, faculty, and staff who are interested in making Word documents accessible.
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title | Document Title & Author |
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Click on File found in the Word menu Click Info Under Properties, add the Title and Author if needed
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Use Styles found in the Home tab of the Ribbon Modify the heading format by right mouse clicking on the Heading in the Styles panel Emphasis style is for italics and Strong is for bold Tip: Turn on Navigation Pane in Word to see the structure. Click on View in the Ribbon and turn it on under Show section
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title | Alternative (Alt) Text |
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Do not start alt text with “picture of“ or “graphic of” Validate auto-generated alt text Include enough information for end user Exclude information found near the image (example: caption below image) Include alt text for images with hyperlink Tip: You can turn on/off the Automatic Alt Text setting found in File > Options > Accessibility
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title | Descriptive Hyperlinks |
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Write link text where it is going, for example IT Accessibility Do not use “click here”, “learn more”, “read more” Do not underline text that is not a link because keyboard users may think it is a link that is inaccessible
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Use only data for tables Designate top row as the header for each column Turn on Repeat Header Row (found under Layout menu item when table is highlighted) Add Alt Text to the table Cannot create accessible table if using split cells, merged cells, or nested tables in Word when exporting to PDF Tab through each cell to check for navigation (left to right and down)
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title | Avoid Justified (Centered) Formatting |
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Creates inconsistent spacing, which can force the reader’s eyes to “jump” when reading Becomes a serious issue with using assistive technologies (AT), for example screen magnifiers
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title | Accessibility Checkers |
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title | Creating PDFs from Copiers |
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