Microsoft 365 Word
Overview
Many online documents are created using one of these Microsoft applications: Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Even PDFs start as one of these formats before being converted. Microsoft has strengthened the accessibility tools within their Office 365 applications, and they are very good in Microsoft Word. It is now much easier to create accessible documents.
Examples
The basic principles for web accessibility also apply to documents. These are outlined below along with document-specific notes. An example Word file with styles is provided (along with its resulting PDF) that can be used as the base to create a template.
- Accessible MS Word File
- Accessible PDF (from Word)
- Accessible MS Word File Alternate (with dark blue background header)
- Accessible PDF Alternate (from Word)
Accessibility Checker
Word includes a tool for checking accessibility in your document. It will indicate if there are any issues as well as the kind of issue it is. Access the tool through the Word menu: Tools > Check Accessibility. It will open in the side panel for you to use. Keep it running and visible while you work.
Title
The document should begin with its title and needs to be formatted using the Heading 1 style. This should be the only H1 in the document. Also make sure that you copy the title to the Title field of the document properties. Search engines will display this title, and it will help users find the document.
Styles
Leverage the power of styles to ensure that your document will be appropriately tagged when exported to a PDF.
- Customize the built-in Heading 1 through Heading 6 styles for the headers.
- Customize the built-in Normal style for standard paragraphs.
- Customize the built-in Hyperlink and FollowedHyperlink styles if needed.
- Customize the built-in Header and Footer styles for Header and Footer elements.
- Customize the built-in TOC 1 through TOC 6 styles if a Table of Contents is created.
- Do not use empty paragraphs for spacing. Add margin before and after to your styles to space out the content.
- Use character styles for applying accessible colors consistently to elements.
- Create a style to customize the look of table header rows.
Access the Styles panel through the Word menu Format > Style or by activating the Styles Pane via the Ribbon menu. Each will allow you to modify all the attributes of any style. The Styles Pane makes it easy to apply a style to a content element as you work.
Semantic Structure
The content of the document should follow a clear structure, utilizing the formatting options for their respective purpose. Headings are the primary way to define the structure of the document. The tags associated with these elements inform the screen reader of content type so that the content can be read back to the user appropriately (e.g. heading, paragraph, list, image, table).
Headings
Use the Heading styles 2 through 6 to define the structure (outline) of your content. The heading styles can be modified as needed. Using the heading styles will also make it easy for you to quickly generate a Table of Contents at the beginning of the document.
Paragraphs
Paragraphs are the basic content blocks of your document. Avoid using empty paragraphs wherever possible. Adjust the heading and paragraph styles to include space before and after to separate the elements.
Lists
Use the list styles based on their purpose. Use the number or letter style (ordered) when the order of the listed items is essential to the meaning (like the steps to a process). When the order is not important and the items are “unordered”, use the bullet style.
Color Contrast
Follow the WCAG guidelines for color contrast between foreground and background colors. The accessibility tool in MS Word will help identify and correct any issues. Green and orange are challenging colors to make accessible. If necessary, use accessible colors such as hex color #C32232 (accessible red) or hex color #004A99 (accessible blue) or #767676 (gray) for accessible text colors. Please note that red and blue colors are accessible with pale backgrounds, but the gray color is only accessible with a white background.
Since blue is often used as a text link color, limit its use.
Links
The text used for hyperlinks should always be descriptive, giving the reader a clear idea of what to expect when following the link. You should never use “click here” or “read more” for hyperlinks.
Images
Images that contain text must include that text as ALT text. Please note that there is a 140-character limit for ALT text that is read back via screen readers.
Images that are decorative and don’t really contribute to the meaning of the content can be marked as “decorative” by selecting the checkbox.
Note: To make sure a good reading order is maintained, images should be placed inline. Using the advanced positioning functions will separate the image from its text context.
Table of Contents
Including a table of contents is a great feature for documents of some length. When heading styles are used consistently, a TOC can be generated easily.
Tables
Tables should be limited to situations in which you need to present data by rows and columns; they should not be used for layout purposes. When a table is included, it should include a header row that defines the data in the columns. Avoid using complex tables with merged cells and multiple headers. The reading order of a table is critical to understanding the data, and complex tables are next to impossible to understand for those using assistive technology.
When the document contains multiple tables, a caption for each is recommended.
Use the Alt Text option in Table Properties to provide a title to the table for use by assistive technology.
| Apple Type | Created | Taste |
|---|---|---|
| Gala | 1930s | Sweet and easy eating |
| Granny Smith | 1860s | Incredibly tart, high acid, and subtle sweetness |
| Honeycrisp | 1960s | Juicy, sweet, and crunchy |
Creating PDFs
To maintain the meta data and accessibility elements that were defined when building a Microsoft Word document, you must use the Save As function to create a PDF. Using a Print to PDF function will strip away the accessibility elements, and tables may lose their left-to-right reading order.
Adobe Acrobat Tools
If the final format of your document is a PDF, Adobe Acrobat provides tools to further test and improve the accessibility of your document. However, it is recommended that any needed tweaks be made in the original document and a new PDF generated.