Documents accessibility guidance:
These set of pages help content creators create accessible
documents.
If you require more information about what is meant by content
being accessible and why it’s important to create accessible
content please view the following accessibility guidance document
on the intranet.
This document focuses on how to create accessible documents
using the Microsoft Office platform.
How can you make accessible content?
Firstly there are some really helpful tools in the Microsoft
Office products that guide you on creating accessible content.
Please read how to use the Office accessibility checker on
Microsoft’s website.
In this document we will use the acronym SCULPT to help explain
areas of accessibility:
Structure (headings and styles).
Colour and contrast.
Use of images.
Links (hyperlinks).
Plain English.
Table structure.
Structure:
Why?
People use headings to identify content that they want to read,
this structure can provide navigation so people can get to the
content they need without scrolling or reading everything. People
using a screenreader will often use the headings and subheadings to
navigate directly to sections of the content.
How:
Try to use the in-built styles in applications like Microsoft
Word which allows you to automatically generate Tables of Contents
aiding navigation and enabling the creation of accessible
alternatives including PDFs, large print and Braille formats:
Some readers can find lengthy text with little breaks difficult
to read, add further structure by using bulleted or numbered lists
to break up large paragraphs of information.
Colour and contrast:
Why?
Colours are displayed differently on different devices due to
brightness settings, size and resolution, whether the document is
being viewed on a screen or printed onto paper. Colours can also
look different in bright sunlight or when they are on top of
coloured backgrounds.
Approximately 3 million people in the UK are colour blind and
tired eyes have to work harder when colour contrast is poor.
You cannot guarantee that the audience will see the same colour
as you when you create content.
How:
Where possible, use the default light background with dark text
that you get with Office documents.
If you are creating content that uses colour, you can use the
following tool in order to see if the contrast between background
and foreground is acceptable based upon the WCAG 2.1 guidelines:
https://contrast-checker.glitch.me/
Use of images:
Why?
People with visual impairment may not be able to see meaning
conveyed in the image.
How:
Adding alternative text to an image allows you to add text that
describes what’s happening in the image to readers who are unable
to see it. You can do this in word by following these steps:
1) Right click on the image, choose format picture:
2) In the right hand panel, click the layout and properties
icon:
3) Expand alt text and enter the alt text title and
description:
Links (Hyperlinks):
Why?
Links aid navigation to other content within the same document
or externally, some screen readers group all links together at the
end to provide action on where the user wants to go after they’ve
viewed the content. The link text that is displayed on the page
should be descriptive and not just ‘click here’.
How:
Highlight the text you want to create a hyperlink for and use
the standard Office hyperlink options in the ribbon to enter the
URL of the page you want to link to:
You can also add screen tips which add further information to
your links:
Plain English:
Why?:
Documents containing unexplained acronyms, jargon or long overly
complex language can be difficult to read for some people,
particularly when English is not their first language or they are
using a translating service.
How:
Write clearly with the reader in mind with the right tone of
voice using language that is clear and concise. The Plain English
Campaign (opens in a new window) have guides and resources to help
with writing in plain English.
Table structure:
Why?
Just like other content, tables should be well structured so
that people using screen readers or tabbing through the content do
not have difficulty.
How:
Tables can be added to pages in both Contensis and Umbraco, when
you add a table you should make sure you follow these rules to make
the content accessible to the widest audience possible:
· The first row should contain table headings
· Make sure that you don’t leave any empty cells, for example
adding a blank column to space out the data.
· Only use tables for tabular data that you would normally put
in excel, not for laying out content or images.
· Avoid merging cells, splitting cells or putting one table
inside another.
Acknowledgements:
SCULPT for Accessibility by Worcestershire Council
Gov.UK Making your service accessible