This section will cover how to create an accessible document in Microsoft Word using the built-in features, most of which are available in other text editors like Google Docs. In addition, it will cover how to save an accessible Word document to PDF and offer more information on file conversion software available to MTU staff and students.

Providing a linear, logical structure in your documents helps to make your content easier to understand and navigate, and also helps those using assistive technologies to better access the content. 

Define the structure of the document by using the styles within Word. By applying these styles to headings, paragraphs, and other text within your document you can ensure consistency in the formatting of your content and help users to navigate the document easily. These styles can be customised and used to quickly create indexes/ table of contents. 

When using headings, it’s important to follow a linear structure and not skip heading levels, for example moving from heading 2 to heading 4, as this will cause confusion for users. 

Do a quick check of your document structure using the navigation panel in Word, this can be accessed by clicking the View in the menu and then clicking the small check box next to Navigation Pane.

Use the page break feature to move content to the next page, avoid adding space with the enter key (to create line breaks) or the spacebar. 

Format lists using the bullet or list options in Word to help maintain your structure and consistency. 

Document titles are an important but often overlooked feature used to describe the purpose of the document. They are usually the first piece of content that is read by screen readers when the files opens and should be short, meaningful and easy to read. They are different to the document file name or the title style within the document and are added in the file information. 

On PC, click Info and add the title under the file Properties. On Mac, click Properties and select the Summary tab. 

Sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Helvetica and Calibri are recommended for accessible digital content as they typically offer improved readability. The minimum recommended font size for digital documents is 12 although this can vary with some fonts. Left-aligned text is preferable with 1.5 spacing. 

Avoid using italics as a means of adding emphasis to your digital document as the change of word shape can cause difficulties for some users. If using bold, try to limit this to two or three words at a time and apply the strong style in Word.

Colour is another important consideration for creating accessible documents. The contrast ratio should be at least 4.5:1 or above. This can be difficult to determine but there are free tools that can help ensure a good contrast such as WebAim Contrast Checker or Colour Contrast

Avoid using colour as the only way to highlight text as it can be easily missed by some users or by screen readers. 

Link text that offers a concise description or clearly identifies the destination of the link is more accessible than long URLs. This is because screen readers will read out every character of long URLs that do not have any meaningful text. For example:

It is useful to check if the text you use would make sense when read out of context of the surrounding text. For instance, text like “click here” and “read more” would not hold meaning if read out of context. 

If linking to a downloadable file, include this information in the link text. For example:

Another common issue is having broken or invalid links within your text but these can be difficult to identify. Accessibility checkers are quite useful for flagging these and speeding up the removal of the links. 

Ensure that tables are structured and labelled correctly, including identifying table headers. This can help screen readers to make sense of the information in a table. 

Avoid using invisible tables, where table borders are hidden, as a way to lay out or structure content in a document as it can cause confusion.  

Avoid using nested tables, tables within tables, as it can be difficult to comprehend the relationships between the content. In addition, merged cells can disrupt the flow of information when read row by row. 

Include alternative (alt) text for all tables to describe the information that is presented. This alt text should be clear and concise, 1-2 sentences max. 

Alternative or alt text should accompany any visual element such as an icon, photo, graph, etc. to describe the image to a screen reader. This alt text will also help users to identify whether an image is important or what it depicts in cases where the image is slow to load or fails to load. 

Alt text should be concise and clear, generally 1-2 sentences or 125 characters max and should describe the content and function of the image. In the case of complex images, graphs or tables, longer descriptions may be required. Alt text can be added close to the image in the document, as a longer description which you can link to, or by using the alt tag where it is saved with the image. If adding a caption or short description near the image, use the layout options to include it “In Line with Text” to ensure it is read in the correct order.

Word offers an alt text tool which can auto-generate descriptive text but it’s generally recommended to edit this and write your own. Avoid unnecessary information like “photo of” and focus on creating a meaningful description. If a photo is not important, or does not add meaning to the content, mark it as decorative in the alt text tool. This will indicate to the user or a screen reader that the image in not important and can be skipped.  

Finally, consider if your image relies on colour to convey key information or if any of this information would be lost if it was printed in black and white, for instance. This could affect users who are colour blind or who require different contrast levels.  

Use clear and consistent words throughout your content as it helps to reduce any possible sources of ambiguity. By keeping the language simple you’re ensuring that things can be quickly scanned and understood.

Avoid using jargon or overly technical terms that haven’t been introduced yet or perhaps considering adding a definition or glossary.  

Use active rather than passive voice to help retain focus on the content. Give clear instructions and consider using bullet points or numbered lists to identify steps or requirements. 

Accessibility checkers are built into many word processing or editing software packages and can be very beneficial. For instance, you can run a scan of your content before you finalise it, in the same way that you might check your spelling and grammar. 

Accessibility checkers generally offer guidance on the particular issues that are flagged so you don’t have to go searching for the information elsewhere. Often, the issue can also be fixed directly in the tool as well, or can be some way automated like generating a table of contents or list using the software’s built-in features. 

Accessibility checkers, although useful, are not guaranteed to find all accessibility issues. It is worth familiarising yourself with the basics of creating accessible digital files and media rather than relying on this software alone. 

If saving your accessible Word document as a PDF, you can ensure that it retains the document structure as well as creating bookmarks from the headings. 

To do this on PC:

To do this on Mac:

File conversion software, like Sensus Access, is available on the MTU Library website for staff and students. This can be used to convert files to formats that are more accessible or useful, such as MP3, ePub, etc.