Creating an accessible document in a word processor

When creating word documents that will later be turned into PDF’s use the accessibility checker to check through content and follow the tips presented. Practice the advice below and use the checker which can be set to auto-check documents.

Images and tables

Add alt text in the format image area or format table area.
Do not use text overlaid on an image.
Use simple table structures and specify column header information by using table headers.

Hyperlinks

Add meaningful hyperlink text.
Use underline and compassion green colour to make links stand out.
Do not use words like “Click Here” as the word link. Use descriptive words that tell the user what they will be taken to. e.g "read more about good husbandry practices"

Styles

San Serif fonts such as Frutiger or Montserrat make for easier reading on digital devices. Reference CIWF style guide.
Ensure there is sufficient contrast between text colour and background. Use accessible text colour. Reference the CIWF style guide.
Include headings and subheads to make copy content navigable. Apply built-in heading styles.
Don’t skip heading levels. There should only be one H1 on the cover page/top of page 1. Then an H2, H3 in order. You can have H2 then and H3 and then go back to H2 and another H2 then an H2 and an H3, H4 for example.
Make content easy to scan for information. Used frequently with screen readers. - Use bullets or ordered lists from the list styles in the toolbar.

Review the accessibility of your Word document

Once your document has been created following the guidelines above check the document for any areas of accessibility improvements. To do this, in the toolbar along the top, click on Review / Check Accessibility.

A pop out toolbar will appear on the right-hand side listing areas that need attention. Check the box "Keep accessibility checker running while I work" for prompts as you work in your document.

Saving your document

Select export to or save as PDF. DO NOT select “Print To PDF” this removes alt tags, formatting, etc, and turns the document into an image. This link shows different saving options for different versions of word.
Newer versions of Word allow you to use Acrobat Ribbon which has a preference setting of “enable accessibility” which you would want to be turned on.

When saving your document to PDF format open the document in a Desktop application, don't open it in the browser.

Check the pdf document is accessible

Accessible PDFS will have the following features:

Contain tags: alt text on images and tables, figures, and hyperlinks
Contain searchable text: a document that consists of scanned images of text is not accessible and will not be able to be read by screen readers. Use OCR to convert scanned images of text into a readable document.
Reading order and document structure: apply styles, tags, and headings to tables to allow screen readings to make sense of the content.
Searchable and navigable content: using lists, headings, bookmarks, linked table of contents.
Specified language: specify the document language so screen readers know what language to read the document in.
Correct security settings: check security restrictions don’t interfere with the assistive technology

Acrobat

It is recommended practice to use Acrobat to create, convert or check accessible PDF’s making use of the accessibility tools and following the principles outlined above.

Creating Accessible PDF Documents