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.
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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
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