Tips to help make documents and files accessible
MS Word
- Use true headings and a table of contents to create structure for users of assistive technology.
- Format your text using the built-in named styles to add meaning and consistency.
- Provide context for any hyperlinks included in the document.
- Use the indentation and spacing option in the paragraph pane to create whitespace.
- Start a new page by clicking the Page break button.
- Position all objects “in line with text” to avoid floating objects.
- Use the true bulleted and numbered lists.
- Number your pages to allow for easy navigation.
Converting a Word document to an accessible PDF
- With your Word document open, click the “Acrobat” tab in the tool bar.
- Select “Create PDF”.
- In the “Save” box select the “Options” button.
- Select the “Enable Accessibility” and “Reflow with Tagged Adobe PDF” options.
- Name the file as desired, select a destination folder, and click “Save”.
MS PowerPoint
- Guarantee that your slides will be read by screen readers in a logical order by starting with a built-in slide layout.
- Change your slide templates through the master slide view to keep consistency.
- Set the tab order manually to any custom slides.
- Expand on the contents of a slide in the slide notes.
- Avoid any transitions or animations.
MS Excel
- Provide structure, meaning and ease of navigation with named styles.
- Give all your tabs a descriptive name to make navigating through your workbook easy.
- Keep tables simple by avoiding merged cells and dividing complex data into separate tables.
- Remove any unnecessary blank cells within a table.
- Specify clear and concise table headers.
- Add a title and axis labels to charts.
- Use more than just colour to distinguish between the different bars or lines. Use shape, texture and different types of lines as well.
General Tips
Format text:
- Use font between 12 to 18 points for body text.
- Choose Sans serif fonts (such as Veranda, Arial and Helvetica) rather than serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond).
- Avoid large amounts of text in bold, italics, underlined or all caps, as these can make deciphering text more difficult for those with cognitive disabilities.
- Avoid animated text.
Ensure a contrast ratio of at least 4:5:1. Check the contrast of any text or image using the colour contrast tool.
Avoid using colour as a distinguishing feature. For example:
- Track any changes using the “Track Changes” feature, rather than simply changing the colour.
- Label images with a figure number and use that as a reference rather than referring to their appearances.
Avoid using images of text.