EIGHT STEPS TO
CREATING ACCESSIBLE
MICROSOFT WORD
DOCUMENTS
California State University Fullerton
Campus Information Technology Training
Timothy Benbow
ACCESSIBLE WORD DOCUMENTS
 This presentation is intended as an overview of creating
Accessible Microsoft Word documents
 After this presentation there will be videos on each of the
topics discussed here demonstrating how to use the tools.
STEP ONE: USING ST YLES
 Using Styles for format your content.
Use styles to identify what is a heading, body text, lists, etc.
Styles make it easy to control and update the formatting of
your document as well as make it easy for screen readers to
understand what the content is.
This is especially important for headings in your document. If
you document is converted into a PDF document, the heading
will automatically become PDF bookmarks.
STEP TWO: USE COLUMNS AND TABLES
 Use the columns tool.
If you document has columns, use the columns tool in Word.
Do not use tables to simulate columns of text.
 Use tables tool in Word to create tables of information.
Do not use tabs to setup tables. If you have existing tables
setup with tabs, Word has a tool to convert the tabbed content
into tables.
STEP THREE: NAVIGATION
 Use the tables of contents, indexing and notation tools.
These tools will easily create working and easy to update
navigation elements within your Word document.
Remember to use page numbers in the header or footer
STEP FOUR: USE HEADERS AND FOOTERS
 Use Headers and Footers.
Use the header and footer areas to place heading and footing
information. This will allow screen readers to skip this
content.
STEP FIVE: TEXT DESCRIPTIONS
 Alternative text descriptions for images.
Where the content is an image that conveys information to
the reader, an alternative text description should be used to
provide the information to the screen reader user.
For complex images that require an explanation of more than
255 characters, an appendix can be notated and used.
STEP SIX: WORKING LINKS
 Working Links
If your document contains links, for example to a website
(HTTP link) or to a location within the document (Anchor link),
the links must work.
This includes links in the table of contents for a document
and any foot or end notes you have used.
STEP SEVEN: COLOR AND CONTRAST
 Color
Color cannot be the only way information is conveyed to a
reader. For example, if you have a chart in your document, the
legend cannot simply have “red” as the color identifying a
column. There must be a second visual clue for the reader for
example using a “checkerboard” pattern on the column.
 Contrast
If you use background colors or images, there should be
ample contrast between the background and foreground text
STEP EIGHT: FONTS AND SPACING
 Fonts, Sizing and Spacing
Are the fonts you are using clear and legible? Avoid using
fancy fonts that are more decorative than functional.
The body text in your document should be big enough so that
it does not present a problem for individuals with limited
vision. Usually this means font sizes between 10 and 14
points
The spacing in the document should be enough to show
paragraph breaks clearly. Spacing between lines should be at
least 120% of the fonts size. The is the default in Word.
EIGHT ESSENTIALS FOR
CREATING ACCESSIBLE
WORD DOCUMENTS
California State University Fullerton
Campus Information Technology Training
Timothy Benbow