Table of contents

  • Tip 1: Add a document title
  • Tip 2: Ensure the document uses headings
  • Tip 3: Mark table headers
  • Tip 4: Add alt text to images
  • Tip 5: Lists should use list items
  • Tip 6: Use helpful link text
  • Tip 7: Ensure the text has good color contrast
  • Tip 8: Accessibility Checker
  • How to export a Word Document to PDF for accessibility

Before you begin, ensure the Word document is saved as a .docx extension.

Tip 1: Add a document Title UNDER “FILE PROPERTIES”:

The file properties for every document should include a brief and accurate title. The document title is the first thing a screen reader will read aloud.

Add a "Title" on Mac:

  1. Go to the top menu and choose "File > Properties..."
  2. In that dialog box go to the "Summary" tab.
  3. Fill in the "Title" field.

Add a "Title" on Windows:

  1. Go to the top Ribbon menu and choose "File". It will slide out a new page.
  2. Look on the right under the Properties heading for the word "Title".
  3. Click the area to the right of the "Title" which says "Add a title".
  4. Fill in the "Title" field.

Tip 2: Ensure the document uses headings:

Headings make a document navigable for screen reader users. They use headings to jump to different parts of the document. Large bold text is not a truly accessible heading. You must use the "Styles" pane to create accessible headings.

  1. In the top Ribbon, Choose "View" and select the "Navigation Pane" checkbox.
  2. If the "Navigation Pane" is empty, we need to add headings. See the video below for instructions.
  3. If it does have headings, we need to check them for accuracy.

Note: Do not skip heading levels. Screen reader users need an accurate structure to understand the outline of the document.  Using different headings just to force a visual look is not compliant.

See a demo on how to check for and use headings in Word below.

Tip 3: MARK TABLE HEADERS:

NOTE: First consider whether a table is necessary. Tables should be reserved for data; they should not be used just to organize text or achieve a certain layout. If applicable, move text out of tables, and use columns instead. See instructions from Microsoft on how to use columns in Word here.

It is important to know which rows of a table are the headers and which ones are the data. For screen reader users, we need to explicitly tell the table how to do this. Providing this information will allow screen reader users to navigate the table data.

  1. Don't merge cells.
  2. Hover over the table and select the small square. Right-click and go to “Table Properties” and select the checkbox “Repeat as header row at top of each page”.
  3. Hover over the table and select the small square. When selected you will see a “Table Design” tab show up in the top Ribbon. Click on that. Then choose one or two appropriate headers.
  4. Captions (if necessary): Hover over the table, right‐click the square icon and choose “Insert Caption”.

See a video on how to make accessible tables below.

Tip 4: ADD ALT TEXT TO IMAGES: 

Alt text is a short description of an image. It ensures that images are accessible to screen reader users. 

Right-click on an image. Select "View Alt Text...". ...". (This may be “Edit Alt Text” in other versions of Word.) Describe what is important about this image in the context of the text that surrounds it.

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screenshot of Microsoft Word right-click image with View Alt Text selected

Learn more about writing good image descriptions on our alt text page

Tip 5: Lists should use list items:

Create lists using Word’s “list item” buttons (as opposed to typing in dashes or asterisks). List items help screen readers recognize the information as a list rather than a string of sentences. For example, if a list is created with list items, screen readers can announce the total number of items in the list and indicate what number on the list is currently being read to the user.

Example of list items buttons in Word.

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List item buttons in word

Bad example of using dashes instead of list items.

- This
- Is
- Using
- Dashes

Good example of using list items.

  • This 
  • Is
  • Using 
  • List items

Tip 6: Use helpful link text:

It is important that links describe what they do and where they will take the user.

Bad link text:

  • Using "Read more" or "Learn more" are a bad habit because it does not indicate where it will take the user.
  • Using full URLs like "https://biglongurl.org/foobar/43245" is bad because it does not mean anything to screen readers. It's just a bunch of letters and numbers. It does not indicate what the link is for.

Learn more on our hyperlink explanation page.

Doing this on Mac and Windows looks a little different.

On Mac

1. Highlight the entire URL, then right-click and choose "Hyperlink".

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screenshot of Word right-click contextual menu with hyperlink selected

2. Change the "Text to Display" to a short description of the link's destination. This is the text that will be hyperlinked.

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Screenshot of Word Insert Hyperlink dialog box with Text to Display selected

On Windows:

1. Highlight the entire URL, then right-click and choose "Link".

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Screenshot of Word URL right-clicked and Link highlighted

2. Change the "Text to Display" to a short description of the link's destination. This is the text that will be hyperlinked.

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Screenshot of Word Link dialog box with Text to Display highlighted

Tip 7: Ensure the text has good color contrast:

It is important for people to be able to easily read the text on your page. Avoid colors like yellow or light grey. Read more about it on our color contrast page.

Tip 8: Accessibility Checker:

There is a built-in Accessibility Checker on most Microsoft Office products. Note that not all of the issues it flags are barriers to access; if you follow the previous seven tips listed here, your document should be in good shape. When you select an issue in the accessibility checker, it provides tips on why it might be a problem and steps to fix the issue.

To open it:

1. In the top Ribbon, click the "Review" tab.
2. Select the "Accessibility Checker" button.

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Screenshot of Word Review tab open with Accessibility Checker selected

3. This will open a panel to the right of the document. Review the issues.

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Sceenshot of Word Accessibility Panel with Errors and Warnings

 


 

Important note 1:  You can leave it as a Word document (preferred), or save it as a PDF.

Important note 2: If you are saving it as a PDF, follow the instructions below. You must export it correctly to preserve the document’s accessibility features. 

How to export a Word Document to PDF for accessibility

This is different between a Mac and PC.

Save as PDF on Mac

Choose "File > Save a Copy...".

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Screenshot of Word File menu with Save a Copy selectec

Expand the "File format" dropdown and select "PDF".

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Screenshot of Word Save menu with PDF selected

Save PDF on Windows:

Choose "File > Save As...", then "Browse".

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Screenshot of Word File menu with Save As selected

From the"Save as type" dropdown menu, choose "PDF".

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Screenshot Word save as type PDF selected

Note: If you have a "Save as Adobe PDF" button, you can use that instead. They produce slightly different results. One is not necessarily better than the other.

If it passed the Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker, it is probably in good shape as it is. Feel free to do an accessibility check in Adobe Acrobat Pro also.

For more comprehensive training watch LinkedIn Learning Creating Accessible PDFs. It is free when you log in using your Duke email address.