The purpose of this document is to provide general guidelines around creating a document that is accessible and can easily pass and meet the criteria of the most current accessibility standards. 


This document applies to:

  • Microsoft Word
  • Google Docs 
  • Microsoft Power Point 
  • Google Slides


Document Structure

Layout

Left alignment is the best option. Stay away from fully justified alignment.
Format document using the Layout menu option for spacing and paragraph options. 

Use the columns feature for creating columns of text within a document.

Headers and footers are ignored in screen readers.

Don't use color as the only way of conveying information.

You can be creative if you want to use borders or boxes. Be aware of contrast and coloring.


Avoid:

  • using tables for formatting
  • background color on pages
  • using spaces, tabs and returns for formatting

Headings

Headings allow screen readers to assist people in understanding structure and hierarchy of the content. Do not rely on style elements like colors or bold text alone.
All documents require a title. Use the Heading feature to identify your title as a Heading 1 (H1). Use subsequent headings as Heading 2, Heading 3 etc.

Normal text should be used for text body.

Font

Font size should be 12 point or larger for text body.
Font should be readable. Sans-Serif fonts work best. These are fonts without a tail, more block like. Examples: Arial, Calibri, Verdana.


Avoid: 

  • writing in all capital letters
  • excessive bold
  • long spans of underlined text
  • excessive italics
  • vertical or angled text

Text Body

Clear and simple language. A key principle to making content accessible is to make it readable and understandable. Abbreviations and acronyms should be defined one time, in parenthesis, next to the first occurrence.

Hyperlinks

Link text is critical for people who rely on screen readers to provide proper context and help decide whether clicking on the link is relevant to them. When you add a link to your content, make sure the link text clearly indicates to readers what they are clicking on. For example, “Learn more about how our services can help you” is a meaningful link text, “click here” isn’t.


To properly create a hyperlink in Word, type the text you’d like to hyperlink, right-click, choose Hyperlink. In the address field, enter the URL.

 

If you want the link to open an email, go to a different file, or go to a different location in the same document, choose the appropriate functionality when creating the link.


Images and Graphics

Text boxes and sidebars are not recommended.

Images, graphics, and other “non-textual” content require Alternative (Alt) text.  Alt text is what screen readers and other assistive technologies use to convey the information in the image to the reader.


To add Alt text to images and graphics in Word (and PowerPoint), select the image or graphic and then navigate to the Alt Text pane. Add or edit the Alt text as needed.


Images that are displayed purely for decorative reasons should not have alt text added to them. 


Colors and Contrast

Create content that is accessible for people with low vision or color blindness.
Use sufficient color contrast between text and background. A minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for text and images of text. Contrast ratio should be at least 3:1 for text with at least 18 point font or bold text with at least 14 point font.

Check the contrast of your content using color checker tools such as WebAim or Colour Contrast Checker. 


Checking your Document

To ensure your content is accessibility compliant you must use a compliance check tool and create a report.


Compliance Tools: 

  • Grackle - for Google Docs
  • Common Look Office - for Word
  • Common Look PDF - for Adobe
  • Adobe Accessibility - for Adobe