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How To: Document Accessibility

How-to guide on making Documents Accessible

Word Documents can be made accessible BEFORE and AFTER a document is created, it is much EASIER to create an accessible document then to fix a document after it has been created.

Main errors to watch for:

  • Unnecessary use of spacebar
  • Word can automatically create a table of contents
  • Make sure your document is formatted using styles and layout
  • Add ALT-Text to images, tables, and graphs
  • DO NOT use random lines, spaces, dots, shapes, etc. to create tables, just use the table tool.
  • Recommend using Word suggested margins. Sometimes custom margins have a difficult time adjust between PDF, Word, Pages, etc.

After checking accessibility, if your document needs work it may look like this:

The primary area to focus on first is Errors. Secondarily, Warnings. Lastly, Tips.