1. WORD DOCUMENT ACCESSIBILITY
Documents than everyone can read and understand.
Learning to use word the way it was intended. These tips are tools to make using word easier and the bonus is its also accessable.
Why it is important, color blindness, screen reader, dyslexic (there is special font, use less words), cognitive delay (easy to understand, bullets), organizational delay

2. What makes an accessible word document
Heading structure by using styles
List structure
Alternative text
Data table – basic
Appropriate link text

3. What makes an accessible document continued…
Color use
Color contrast
Document title
Plain Language and Fonts
Columns
Multimedia (audio and video)

4. Styles & Heading Structure
Styles create document structure
Styles menu can be accessed by
Home tab -> styles menu -> click on the icon in the bottom right corner.
Headings H1-H6
Not showing 6 headings? In the style menu click options in the bottom right corner and check “show next heading when previous level is used.”
*Styles or document structure allows for the document to be navigated by assistive technology in an efficient way.*

5. Lists and Columns Lists are ordered (numbered) or unordered (bulleted)
Columns help break up the layout of a page full of text

6. Alternative Text (Alt Text)
Alt Text describes the content or function of an image
Alt Text is necessary for anything that conveys information
Alt Text needs to be concise and meaningful
The following elements can hold Alt Text
Pictures
Illustrations
Images of text
Shapes
Charts
SmartArt
Embedded objects

7. Alt Text – capture meaning
Article about photography
“Close up, greyscale photography of a man outside, face in focus, unfocused background.”
Article about a TV-series
“Star of the show, Adam Lee, looking strained outside in the rain.”
If this image was featured in an article about photography, the alt-text could be something along the lines of:
If the image is on a website about a TV-series, an appropriate alt-text could be completely different:
Alt-texts: The Ultimate Guide - Axess Lab." 15 Oct. 2017,

8. Alternative Text in Word
To access the Alt Text in Word
Application Menu (right click on picture)
Format Picture (left click)
Layout and Properties (third icon)
Describe the image in the description box. Do not use the title box.
Add images for people to do alt text.

9. Data Table - BASIC Tables are used to display data in an organized way
When using tables in word make it simple
No merging or splitting cells
Always insert a table or use the graph paper to create your table
DO NOT draw a table
Table property settings
Right click on the table
Left click table properties
Under the row tab, uncheck “allow row to break across pages
Under the row tab, check “repeat as header on the top of each page”

10. Appropriate Link Text
Confusing Link Helpful Link Text Create a MonTECH account Bitly.com
For Print or non-digital text…use bitly, this will turn a webpage into a shorter link to type.
It is important to make links that describe the function, destination, or purpose
Typing a full URL can be confusing for users of assistive technology

11. Link Text To set appropriate link text
Go to the insert tab and click on hyperlink
Highlight the words you want linked (ex. Create a MonTECH account) and right click. Then click on hyperlink
Once you are in the hyperlink box enter the “text to display” and the “address” then click ok

12. Color Contrast
Color contrast is the difference in perceived brightness between two colors
The terms typically used are foreground and background
The minimum color contrast is 4.5:1
Tool: Colour Contrast Analyzer
Logos are exempt from color contrast

13. Colour Contrast Analyser
You can use the dropper to pick up the color or the number of the color. It will tell you the contrast ratio and if it passes or fails.

14. 18:1 The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog 4.5:1 2.8.1 1.5:1
The top one is great quality
Second is minimum quality
The last 2 should not be used

15. Only Color Conveying Meaning
Ask about excel tables in word
This could be hard for someone who is color blind to see or even someone in the back of the room.

16. If you couldn’t see color or were sitting too far away you may see this. There are no distinguishing factors to know which lines mean what. The lines all virtually look the same.

17. Same line chart but again in color, now with blue line plus triangle shapes, red plus diamonds and green plus squares. Shapes also distinguish lines.

18. Same chart as in last slide in black and white
Same chart as in last slide in black and white. Lines still distinguished by shapes.

19. Adding Title in Word
Go to File, Info and then click on “add a title” Title easy way to search and use a different identifier.

20. Plain Language
Before
When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area.
After
If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away.

21. Sans serif means without the decorative line
USE THIS
NOT THAT
Arial
Verdana
Tahoma
Calibri
Courier
New Century Schoolbook
Palatino
Times New Roman
Sans has a curl at the bottom sans serif does not

22. Built in Microsoft Accessibility Checker
Microsoft Word has a tool that will help you check the basic accessibility of your word document 
The accessibility checker is a place to start - it is not always right and can make the novice worry about things that are unnecessary

23. This tool checks against three sets of possible issues
Word – Built in Checker
This tool checks against three sets of possible issues
Errors – Content in the file makes it very difficult or impossible for someone with a disability to use
Warnings - Content that in most (but not all) cases makes the document difficult to understand for people with disabilities 
Tips - Content that people with disabilities can understand but that could be presented in a different way to improve the user’s experience

24. File…Save As…PDF Click File, Save as and then PDF Save as type is PDF
Do not save in print