Accessible Microsoft Word documents

Session 2 - Accessible Microsoft Word (Recording, transcript, PPT)

• Estimates suggest that 1 billion people use office products worldwide (Microsoft). Accordingly, persons with disabilities who might be using the products estimated to be 10 or 15 million persons

• Many documents have hidden obstacles that can make it difficult for people with disabilities to access them.

• Making word file accessible

  • Add file properties (file names, author, tags). This can be done by

    • When saving the file filling in the metadata fields; or Open file menu > info > properties and adding information

  • Identify the document structure by applying ‘Styles’

    • Select the title by dragging. Open home tab > styles > click ‘Heading 1’ for the title.

    • Use the Heading 1 to Heading 6 styles to mark your document’s different sections.

    • You can also change the styles by pressing CTRL+Shift+S to open the “apply style dialogue box”

  • Pages, line spacing, and indentation tips

    • Insert page numbers under ‘Insert’ tab. This will be transferred to other types of files such as PDFs.

    • Use 1.5 line spacing

    • Avoid using enter keys multiple times to add a page, and use ‘Insert page break’ instead.

    • Avoid using Tab keys for indentation; instead use the indentation buttons under the Home > Paragraph

  • Color use tips

    • Avoid using color as the only means to distinguish information, try using underline, bold, italics if you have some information that you would like to stand out.

    • Avoid using low color contrast between the back ground and the foreground colors. The color contrast ratio required by the WCAG 2.1 is 4.5-1 for normal text, and 3-0 for images or large texts

    • Limit the color pallet in your document to 4 colors maximum

  • Images

    • Images carrying information (that are not decorative) should have Alt-Text.

    • Images should be in line with the text, otherwise it will not be read

  • For hyperlinks, keep the most important keyword first

  • Tables should not be used only for layout purposes. Keep tables simple with max 5 columns in word documents.

  • Accessibility Checker

    • Run accessibility checker (Under the review tab > check accessibility)

    • The results will show errors and warnings.

    • Errors: These are issues that make it extremely difficult or even impossible for individuals with disabilities to comprehend the content.

    • Warnings: Warnings indicate that the content may pose challenges for people with disabilities in understanding it.

  • Manual testing can be done by using Microsoft Narrator

    • Open Microsoft narrator by pressing CTRL +windows +enter or entering in the search bar in your desktop ‘Narrator’