MS Word Accessibility

This page provides the basics on what items to check in Word and where to find/how to use the accessibility tools in Word documents.

Word Doc Accessibility

The criteria below include recommendations for formatting Microsoft Word documents for general accessibility criteria.

Text Formatting

Ariel, Tahoma, Helvetica. Font Size 12.
Lists are formatted using bullets or numbers
Use of heading styles. Use of other styles like left, center, and right.
Link purpose is clear; avoid “click here”
Acceptable color contrast (4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text)
Remove text boxes, SmartArt, WordArt, Shapes, Strikethrough.

Non-text Content

Images have alternate text: keep short and capture the essence. Describe the image in the narrative
Charts/Graphs: alternate text must accurately represent meaningful data. Recommended: a data table or a detailed description underneath.
Tables: use for data and not for formatting. Table row and column headers applied. Repeat as header row is applied. No merging/nesting.

Document Properties

Passes the accessibility checker
Enhanced tagging enabled

Math & STEM Content

Use MathType to enter Inline equations. NOTE: Equations will fail the Microsoft word accessibility check. This is OK.

Page Layout

Page numbers at top of the page outside of headers/footers area
Use proper formatting tools. Do not use spacebar or TAB spacing to organize content visually

The accessibility of a document depends on how the end-user is interacting with the document. One person might need a different style of document for their specific needs. This document is meant to serve as a starting point for developing accessible word documents and specialized alternate formats.

Word Accessibility How-To

Apply Heading Styles in Word

To effectively convey major topics and how they are related, it is important to use descriptive heading text to introduce topics and sub-topics in order. This provides an opportunity to emphasize or restate primary points you want your students to take away.

Highlight the text that you want to make into a heading.
Select the Home tab.
In the Styles group, choose the appropriate heading level.
Note: The default heading style n MS Word uses a light blue font color that has insufficient color contrast. Make sure to change those headings to a darker color. You can customize these headings as much as you like.

Applying styles to an MS Word document

Keyboard shortcuts for headings

CTRL + ALT + 1 applies the Heading 1 style (with your cursor placed in word)
CTRL + ALT + 2 applies the Heading 2 style (with your cursor placed in word)
CTRL + ALT + 3 applies the Heading 3 style (with your cursor placed in word)

Applying Lists in Word

Select some text you want in a list
Use the list feature on the Paragraph Tab on the Home ribbon.

Applying Table Headers in Word

Select your table (this will open a new option)
Select Table Design
Select the Header Row check box

The multi-page table

If you have a multipage table, be sure to set the following options.
Right Click the table
Select table properties
Select the row tab
Ensure both checkboxes under options are set

Setting the "Allow row to break across pages" option in MS Word

Applying Alternate Text to Images in Word

Right-click the image
Select Edit Alt Text
Fill out the box

How to add alt text in ms word

Making Links Accessible in Word

Select some text that you want to make a link
Right-click it, and select Edit Hyperlink
Edit the text to display area
Insert hyperlink In Address

Keyboard shortcuts for links

Highlight the descriptive hyperlink phrase.
For Windows, on the keyboard select CTRL and K.
For MAC, on the keyboard select CMD and K.

Word Accessibility Checker

Running the Accessibility Checker in Word

On the ribbon, select the Review tab.
Select Check Accessibility.
Review your results. You'll see a list of errors, warnings, and tips with how-to-fix recommendations for each.

Human Eyes – Accessibility Checker

Human eyes are still needed in order to verify accessibility on some elements. These elements cannot be adequately reviewed by machines because they require an understanding of the content or context of the item.

Alt text

Although the Accessibility Checker can comb through a Word Doc and generate a thorough list of all accessibility errors, the Accessibility Checker cannot identify meaningful alternate text based on the slide's context. That is where you come in. For example, if the alternate text of a picture in MS Doc is "image1.jpg", the Accessibility Checker will mark that picture accessible even though it is not descriptive enough.It is still effective practice to individually check images for appropriate alternate text based on the context of the slide.

Reading Order

Screen readers for blind and visually impaired students will read content in a particular order, often called the logical reading order of the document. All document content that is considered inline will be read in a sequential manner. Content that is not inline, such as text boxes or floating content, will not be read in a logical and sequential manner. Manually verifying the order in which the document content is organized ensures the information makes sense when read aloud.

Color Contrast

An important aspect of color on the Web and in documents for both low vision and colorblind users is ensuring enough contrast between the foreground (text or graphics) and the background. Unfortunately, the Accessibility Checker cannot automatically determine which content has enough contrast.

Word Resources

Word Handout

Download the Word Accessibility Handout

MS Word Accessibility handout