Best Practices in Accessibility

• Save all files with DOCUMENT PROPERTIES. At the very least, take a moment to enter appropriate and logical information in the Title and Keyword (Tags) metadata fields.

  • ​Learn to create document properties in Adobe Acrobat.

  • Learn to create document properties in Microsoft Office.
     

• Do not include any printing, copying, or editing restrictions on your files. And if you are working with a preexisting document, make sure to remove the restrictions before saving your changes. These security measures may interfere with other technologies’ ability to translate the full document for the end user.

  • ​Learn to view document properties, including security, in Adobe Acrobat.

  • Learn to prevent security settings from interfering with screen readers in Adobe Acrobat.

  • Learn to remove protections in Microsoft Office documents.
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• Use built-in editor tools to give a document proper STRUCTURE and FORMATTING. Document structure is the scaffolding that organizes the parts of a document (sections, paragraphs, bulleted lists, etc.) so that it appears a certain way and is easier to understand and navigate by both humans (end users) and technologies.

  • Use placeholders from layouts in a PowerPoint slide master (from a template or customized).

    • Learn about slide layouts and placeholders in Microsoft PowerPoint.

  • Use styles to insert descriptive headings to emphasize separate sections of a Word document.

    • Learn to add heading styles and lists in Microsoft Word.

  • Use shortcuts for bullets and numbered lists, increased/decreased indents, columns, etc., in all editors, even CoursePlus' rich text editors.

  • Use shortcuts to insert true headers and footers.

    • Learn to add headers and footers in Microsoft Word.

  • Do not use empty lines to space paragraphs or other blocks of text; instead use Line Spacing Options (e.g., "Add Space Before Paragraph"). 
     

• Verify your document’s READING ORDER. This is the order in which a document would be "read" (or translated) by any technologies, including screen readers. If you are creating a form, you will need to verify its "tab order." If you are working in Microsoft PowerPoint, you should start with slide layouts whose placeholders are already in the correct reading order, but you should also always verify the reading order after editing any slide.

  • Learn to set and verify the reading order in Microsoft PowerPoint.
     

• Include ALTERNATIVE TEXT anytime you include an image, graph, chart, complex table, or other nontext object that is not purely decorative. The alternative text is a brief statement that summarizes the nontext object, in context, to someone who cannot see nor otherwise understand the object.

  • Learn more about writing alt text for images using DIAGRAM Center’s Image Description Guidelines.

  • Learn to add alternative text in Adobe Acrobat.

  • Learn to add Alt Text to images and other objects in Microsoft Office.
     

• Never use COLOR ALONE to distinguish something or convey meaning. If you are creating a chart or other display of data, make certain something other than color, such as labels or shape variations, distinguishes the elements in the data.
   

• Check that the CONTRAST RATIO (light to dark) is sufficient for overlapping and adjacent items, including cell shading and the text in a table.

  • Check the contrast ratio to pass WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
     

• Only use MEANINGFUL TEXT FOR ALL HYPERLINKS, unless the URL (web address) is the meaningful text. A person should understand where the link navigates to without having to click on it. The end user should only see a web address when it is important to the context, such as in a citation. If an image serves as the linked object, make sure to indicate the purpose of the link in the Alt Text.

  • Learn some tips for writing meaningful links.
     

• Consider the CLARITY OF YOUR FONT and the methods you choose for emphasizing any text.

  • Avoid "fancy" fonts that may be difficult to discern and may not translate well across technologies. 

  • Limit the variation of font families in a single document. (Arial, Tahoma, and Calibri are common nondecorative, sans-serif fonts. Times New Roman is a safe, standard serif font.) 

  • Try to keep the font size to at least 12 points for documents that will be distributed or 24 points for files that will be projected (e.g., PowerPoint slides used in an in-person lecture).

  • Do not emphasize text using only color. Instead, consider combining color variations with text decoration such as italics, bold, or underline.

  • Learn more about font accessibility.
     

• Use your editor’s built-in tools to include PAGE NUMBERS (or SLIDE NUMBERS), consistent in appearance, for predictable navigation.

  • Learn to add page numbers in Microsoft Word.

  • Learn to add slide numbers to in Microsoft PowerPoint.
     

• Use UNIQUE SLIDE TITLES (in PowerPoint) and unique section titles (within a nested heading) toward clear navigation and understanding. Slides with the same title can be distinguished by adding, for example, a dash after the repeated title followed by a sequential number. And if a section title bears repeating, it should not be within the same nested hierarchy. For example, if “Group Members” is set to a “Heading 3” style, do not use those same words as a heading until there is a new “Heading 2” style in the same document.
   

• Use your editor’s built-in tools to insert TABLES, making certain of the following:

  • Insert tables only to logically present data. Never use tables to control the layout of a document.

    • Learn to insert a table in Microsoft Word.

    • Use a table placeholder in PowerPoint.

  • Always make sure to mark a header row and, if available, to repeat the header row across multiple pages.

    • Learn to repeat a header row across multiple pages in Microsoft Word.

  • Always make the cell borders (grid lines) of a table visible.

    • Learn to format a table in Microsoft Word.

    • Learn to format a table in Microsoft Excel.

    • Learn to change the look of a table in Microsoft PowerPoint.

  • Avoid empty, merged, and split cells. 
     

• Try to AVOID USING ONLY IMAGES OF A CHART, GRAPH, OR DATA. If you cannot embed or link the original data directly or if you must use the original image, then make certain to properly cite the original source, including a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if one is available.
   

• When writing equations in Microsoft programs, use the MICROSOFT EQUATION EDITOR. Outside of Microsoft, try to use programmatic formatting that can be easily converted to MathML, recognized as the most universally accessible format for math. LaTex, MathType, and the Microsoft Equation Editor are some of the recommended tools for this.

  • Learn to write an equation in Microsoft Office.
     

• Repeat any important information contained in a document’s header, footer, watermark, or background in the document’s main content. Many screen readers will not read a document's background or secondary information, so it is important to include this information elsewhere.

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To learn even more about making accessible materials, visit our page on Authoring Accessible Materials.