Accessible Information - MS Word 2007 - Best Practice

Making Information Accessible: Tips for MS Word

In this post I want to share with you a few thoughts on document accessibility, to point out some of the things to be mindful of when you are working in MS Word.

Inclusion is all about asking questions. So, I hope that this little table of information pointers can encourage you to think about creating more flexible content. The aim of this table is to highlight some of the main areas, both broad and specific, that may require more careful consideration and discussion.

This list is my own selection, one that I have topped and tailed over time, so I don't claim it to be in any way exhaustive. But, if it can give you a bit of a steer in some areas and help you to form and ask some of those inclusion questions - even if it is just for you - then it's done its job.

I put the list in table format and it is a living document so I'll come back here every now and again and update it:

Feature/Function	Implication	Notes/Technique
Autocorrect	·        Special characters may be inserted automatically in your typing. For example, the fraction 1/2 (3 characters) may be reformatted to a 1 character version.	·        Check all your auto correct and auto format settings in MS Word - be aware of these automatic changes and the impact they may have (Braille output for example).
Bookmarks	·        The use of bookmarks is not always apparent to a reader. ·        Using the Bookmarks option carries an assumption of ability.	·        Readers need to be aware this feature is active and that the document has a range of bookmarks. ·        Ensure that created bookmarks have proper descriptions. ·        With long documents, ensure that ease of navigation is not solely reliant on a single approach.
Character set	·        Only ASCII and ANSI character sets are fully verbalised by screen readers	·        Type all text directly from keyboard. You can test this by pasting any text into a text editor such as Notepad. Characters that turn into squares are not ASCII or ANSI.
Colour	·        Coloured text may conflict with high contrast or per user custom colour interface settings. For example, setting text to black in high contrast themes will result in black text on a black background.	·        Avoid setting specific colours for text if at all possible. Leave the default setting of Automatic active.
Comments	·        Screen reader users are not automatically informed when this feature is active. ·        Using the Comments option exclusively carries an assumption of ability.	·        Readers need to be made aware that the Comments feature is active. ·        Where possible, allow for a choice of different routes for feedback. Always aim to remove any dependency on one method.
Exporting	·        Certain export formats may be more natively accessible than others. For example, Word documents "printed" to PDF will result in a graphic only PDF and will not be accessible.	·        Consult appropriate sources for guidance on output formats. For example, with a PDF use the extra Save options to ensure a more natively accessible file.
Fonts	·        Certain font types may be difficult to read for some users. ·        Some fonts perform poorly when magnified.	·        Ensure all text created complies with any established or internal standard. For example, RNIB clear print is set at Arial 14 point regular style.
Footnotes	·        Screen reader users may not be automatically informed/aware when this feature is active	·        Make readers aware that the document contains footnotes.
Forms	·        Form controls such as "combo boxes" and "checkboxes" embedded in a Word document may be inaccessible to a screen reader. ·        Labels for such controls may not be programmatically associated with them. ·        Labels and controls may be positioned awkwardly. For example, a label at the left margin with the corresponding control over at the right margin. ·        Some AT may not work with these kinds of forms at all.	·        Consider an alternative method for gathering the data, such as an accessible web form or accessible PDF form. ·        If the results must be in MS Word, consider alternative non-form control methods of gathering the data.
Headers and footers	·        Text typed into headers or footers is not automatically read by screen readers. ·        Header and footer text and styling may impact on readability.	·        All important information to be read should reside in the main body of the document. Do not use the header and footer areas for important text.
Heading Styles/Paragraph Styles	·        Without heading styles, documents lack a hierarchy and a formal structure. ·        From a speech point of view, documents without useful heading styles are considerably slower to navigate.	·        Ensure that meaningful paragraph styles are followed and adopted. ·        Embed styles in the existing Normal.dotm template in MS Word.
Images	·        Content in images is not accessible to screen readers. ·        The image object itself may even be skipped and thus be "invisible" to a screenreader user. ·        Poor quality images will be even worse when magnified. ·        Specific types and styles of image may be visually confusing, especially when magnified. ·        Colours present in images may be difficult for some viewers/readers - images will not inherit custom colour settings.	·        Add ALT text and/or a Caption to describe image contents. ·        Never use images solely to convey information. ·        Images should be set in the text layer of the document (eg. occupying their own paragraph with no wrapping text) ·        Ensure that images used are high quality and purposeful - without extremes of contrast. ·        Use images sparingly/only when absolutely necessary. ·        Ensure that all relevant images have equivalent informative text
Paste	·        The ordinary Paste function will carry over content AND formatting (which is not always obvious). For example, when copying from a web page.	·        Use the Paste Special option and choose Unformatted Text. Doing this pastes the content only.
Save As…	·        Meaningless or coded filenames make finding/locating documents difficult. ·        Saving into a different format (e.g. PDF) may change the level of accessibility.	·        Keep filenames descriptive, consistent and concise. ·        For any series of documents with long and similar names, aim to have the changing letters or numbers at the beginning of the name - not the end. ·        Ensure that you are fully aware of the accessibility level of any saved non-native formats.
Tab Table Layouts	·        Tab spacing can be tricky to navigate via the keyboard and the screenreader echo may not be meaningful. ·        Tabbed areas can be adversely affected by incorrect keyboard navigation. ·        Tabbed areas rely on white space for visual sense and may be confusing when magnified.	·        Avoid tab tables if possible. Create formal uniform tables using the appropriate Table tools.
Tables	·        Tables created using spaces and tabs are not easily accessed/navigated. ·        Merged cells can disrupt logical reading order for screenreader users. ·        Don’t use cell borders to convey important information - unless this information is also conveyed in the body text.	·        Use Table menu, Insert or toolbar icon to create a table ·        Organise data so merging cells is not necessary ·        Break down data sets into separate tables if required ·        Locate the table heading above the table grid itself and format as a left aligned heading level
Text boxes (not Borders)	·        Text boxes behave like walls around text in the page and may be inaccessible to screenreader users. ·        Text boxes in a page may negatively impact on a keyboard users ability to navigate.	·        Avoid text boxes and consider an alternative method of presenting your information. ·        If you still need a box guide, test a border around the text.
Track Changes	·        Screen reader users may be unaware that Track Changes is active. ·        Usage of this facility relies on an assumption of ability in the reader. ·        The Track Changes feature can be unpredictable when used across different versions of MS Word (2003/2007/2010 etc)	·        Include a note at the start of the document (or with any accompanying information) to inform users that the tracked changes feature is active. ·        Where possible, consider multiple alternative strategies for gathering comments and feedback.