Everyday Accessibility.
Maximise accessibility using
Microsoft® Word, PowerPoint,
and PDFs.
Andrew Costello (Disability Service).
Trinity College Dublin.
Everyday Accessibility.
• Print accessibility – Word / PowerPoint/ PDF
• Online resources
• TIC evaluation tool
What is the accessible
information policy about ?
Being accessible is being smart.
I can make my documents
• Easier to navigate,
• Easier to read,
• Easier to transform,
• More engaging and user-friendly.
I can make my presentations
• A more effective learning resource.
• Suitable for a variety of media platforms.
• More interactive and collaborative.
Accessible tips in Microsoft Word.
Font Style & Size:
• Your font should have clearly defined letters and
spacing between letters.
• Research found a majority of users prefer a sanserif font over a serif font.
• Sans-serif fonts look good at most sizes, unlike
serif fonts.
Accessible tips in Microsoft Word
Font Style & Size:
• Use Sans Serif fonts (e.g. Verdana, Arial,
Calibri).
• Use at least 12 point.
• Avoid:
• underlining,
• italics,
• BLOCK CAPITALS;
• Use bold for emphasis.
Accessible tips in Microsoft Word.
• Left align text: justified text can lead to 'rivers
of white space’
River effect:
Accessible tips in Microsoft Word.
Styles & structure:
Why ?
Ease of navigation and access (especially
users with low vision or vision impairment) .
The use of headings and style structures
enable effective navigation.
Use of Styles and Formatting.
Demo:
• Open both of the attached word documents
Unstructured document
Structured document
If you take away just One thing today –use
heading styles in all Word documents!!
This one action could make a vast difference.
Alternative text :
• Alternative text is to give a textual
description of an image used in a word
document / website.
• This text/tag allows visually impaired
users to read relevant information from
the image.
Example of Alternative Text
Colour Contrast :
No universal ‘best practice’. Depends on
user preferences.
Colour contrast settings may affect the
view of the document on-screen.
Also consider black and white printers.
Example of Colour Contrast issues
Screen tips for images:
Screen tips can provide 'pop-up'
information on different parts of an image
allowing more specific information to be
presented without cluttering the image .
These can be very useful when annotating
a diagram.
Example of Screen Tips enabling
interpretation
Line spacing.
1.5 spacing is recommended.
• For some people text can appear too close
together. Letters can merge, making it
difficult to read words.
Accessibility tips for PDFs.
Basic requirements :
• You must install Adobe Acrobat
Professional version 8.0 to properly
convert Word documents to PDF format.
• You must upgrade to version 8.0.
Acrobat no long supports version 7.0.
Accessibility tips for PDFs.
If Adobe Acrobat Professional is installed,
“Adobe PDF” will appear in the top menu bar.
Adding Tags and Structure to PDFs :
Navigate to Advanced > Accessibility >
TouchUp Reading Order
Accessibility tips of PDFs.
Bookmarks
Allows faster navigation through the
document.
View > Navigation Panels
> Bookmarks
Use the 'Select Tool' to select
text within the PDF and click on
the New Book mark icon.
The Accessibility Check.
• In-built Accessibility Check allows you
to check and address accessibility
issues in the document.
• This will not guarantee accessibility but
it will highlight any major issues (e.g.
incorrect reading order, images with no
alternative text, problems with
structure).
E-mails Accessibility.
E-mails should be in plain text format and
use a sans serif font of 12pt.
Defaulting for Accessible E-mails:
• Select 'Tools‘, 'Options' and then the 'Mail
Format' tab
• In the 'Compose in this message
format’ select 'Plain Text'
Defaulting E-mails for
Accessibility.
• In the ‘Stationery and Fonts’ section
click on ‘Fonts’ and select 12pt Arial or
Verdana for all three boxes.
• Navigate to Advanced > Accessibility >
Full check.
• In Adobe Reader > Document >
Accessibility checker.
Web Accessibility.
Good practice for MS Word is good
practice for the Web. For example:
•Use of Alt Text
•Heading styles.
Web Accessibility.
The Web Office ensures style sheets are
accessible (e.g. fonts, colours). Leaving you
to look after content.
Avoid using ‘click here’ on hyperlinks. Make
hyperlinks descriptive. e.g from the Web
Office:
Accessible tips in MS
PowerPoint.
Ensure font size is appropriate for
the room.
Example A:
This is Times New Roman, size 14. Smaller font sizes, and serif fonts are harder to read. Fully
justified text removes the shape of the text and can create a river effect. FINALLY, BLOCK
CAPITALS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW AS BLOCK CAPITALS REMOVE THE
NATURAL SHAPE OF WORDS, TURNING THEM INTO BLOCKS.
Example B:
This is Arial, size 24 with 1.5 spacing. Larger font
sizes and sans serif fonts are easier to read. Left
aligned text gives the body of the text a specific
shape and avoids the river effect. Using colour on
PowerPoint allows information to stand out.
Avoid Over cluttering.
• As a rule avoid over cluttering the slide by only
adding as much information as you would have on a
postcard. (hint – this slide overdoes it by about a
third!)
• In a dark room use a dark background with light text.
Embolden this text for enhanced accessibility.
• In a light room use a light coloured background with
dark text.
• Ensure there is a decent contrast between
background colour and text colour. Dark Blue and
cream have been shown to be a good combination.
• Ensure images and animations are not distracting
from the messages of the text.
ART!
100
50
0
1st
Qtr
3rd
Qtr
East
West
North
Even with well chosen colours, overcrowding
can distort the message!
And word art can be difficult to read (see
below)
Unlocking Potential
Example One
Low Contrast
This is hard to read as the words
and background blend in!
Example Two
Red and Green
These are the same if you are
colour blind!
Example Three
Black on White
Can cause glare, eyestrain and
headaches
Notes in MS Powerpoint
• Notes Field can also act as an aide
memoir for presenters.
• This function can only be used if you
are presenting using more than one
monitor.
• The notes field can also act as a useful
resource when your presentation
doubles up as a handout for students.
For more information :
• http://www.tcd.ie/CAPSL/TIC/accessible-info/
Thank you for attending.
Any questions ?
For further feedback please contact :
acostel@tcd.ie