Word Accessibility

Whether you are making a Word document or preparing a PDF, the easiest way is to make the document accessible when you create it. Here's how:

1. Title - Set a Title.
   • Click File, Info, look under Properties, and enter a clear, meaningful Title.
2. Headings - Use "Styles" for headings.
   • Find "Styles" on the Home menu. Right-click a style and use "Update to Match Selection" or "Modify..." to customize it's appearance.
   • Use Heading 1 for the title of the document, Heading 2 for main section headings, Heading 3 for sub-section headings, etc.
   • Check "Navigation Pane" on the View menu to see the headings in your document.
3. Lists - Use "Bullets" or "Numbering" for lists.
   • Don't insert blank lines between list items.
   • Go to Paragraph settings, uncheck "Don't add space between paragraphs of same style," and change before/after spacing if needed.
4. Columns - Use "Columns" for columns.
   • Find "Columns" on the Layout menu. Don't use spaces, tabs, or tables to make columns.
   • Insert "Column Breaks" to control where new columns start.
5. Pictures - Add "Alt Text" to Pictures (and Shapes, Smart Art, etc.)
   • Right click a picture, select View Alt Text, and enter the Alt Text (for older versions, select Format Picture, Alt Text).
   • Don't describe the picture; enter alt text that communicates what the picture communicates:
     • If there are words in the picture, put them in the alt text.
     • If the picture doesn't communicate anything, check "Mark as decorative".
   • Position pictures "In Line with Text." (Decorative pictures may be positioned "Behind text" or "In front of text").
6. Tables - Use "Table" for tables.
   • Find "Table" on the Insert menu. Don't use spaces, tabs, or columns to make tables.
   • Keep tables simple, with column headers in the first row and row headers in the first column.
   • Don't merge cells or use blank cells for spacing; adjust border styles and/or cell margins instead.
   • When pasting a table from Excel, paste it as a table rather than an image, link, or object.
   • For tables that run on to additional pages, set "Repeat Header Rows" on the Table Layout menu.
7. Text Boxes & WordArt - Avoid using them.
   • Use Paragraph indents, spacing, and borders instead of text boxes.
   • Copy WordArt, paste as "Picture", and add Alt Text.
8. Check Accessibility - Use Word's accessibility checker.
   • Find "Check Accessibility" on the Review menu. Click the bottom half of the button to show its menu:
     • Check Accessibility - review and fix any errors and warnings the accessibility checker finds. 
     • Alt Text - with the Alt Text pane showing, click on each image in the document to check (and if necessary correct) its alt text.
     • Navigation Pane - check that all the headings in your document show in the Navigation pane at the correct level.
   • Be aware that the Accessibility Checker can find many but not all accessibility issues and sometimes makes mistakes.
9. Check Color Contrast - See our guide on Color Contrast.
   • Check that all text/background color combinations "Pass (AA)".

• WebAIM: Microsoft Word - more instructions for making Word documents accessible.
• Microsoft: Make your Word Documents Accessible - best practices from Microsoft.
• Microsoft: Accessibility Checker - how to use Word's built-in accessibility checker (which can find many, but not all, accessibility errors).
• Word Accessibility Exercise - an exercise to try your own Word accessibility skills!