How to make accessible documents

When publishing documents to the web, consider the format which is the easiest to read. Documents such as Microsoft Word and PDFs can be made accessible. However, this does not happen automatically, and care should be taken to ensure that accessibility is considered in all stages of the document's development.

To start with, all downloadable documents should have a summary provided in HTML, as well as details on the document’s format and file size.

To make a document accessible does not require specific software. It simply requires you to take into account certain considerations (like font size and colour contrast) when developing your document. This will make documents easier to read and understand by the public – particularly members of the public who use assistive technologies like screen reader software.

The following guidance is provided to help make documents easier to use, access and understand.

A good heading structure is probably the most important accessibility consideration in most Microsoft Word documents.

Many people do not use true heading styles in Microsoft Word. For example, when creating a heading, they simply change the font, increase the font size, and make it bold. The problem with this is that screen readers navigate through the headings function and do not recognise the body text as a heading. So essentially, it does not recognise any structure in the text.

In Microsoft Word, the correct way to provide structure is to use ‘Word styles’ found under the ‘Home’ tab.

Use pre-set formats such as bullet points, numbering and tables to format and structure your document. This structure will then be carried over into other formats such as PDF, making it easier to navigate.

For documents over 10 pages, provide a table of contents. This will make specific information easier to find. Additionally, by using the previously mentioned heading styles, it makes creating a table of contents far easier.

When images are unavailable (for example, if the device is not capable of displaying the image or if the person has visual difficulties), equivalent information must be supplied. Alt Text should serve the same purpose and convey the same meaning as the image.

It should be provided for all images.

Alt Text should be as brief as possible and be easy to understand.

Fill out document properties (author, title, subject and keywords). A link should also be provided back to the website in the comments field if there is not a link in the body of the document.

Save or export your document to PDF. Do this by using the ‘Save As’ option and selecting ‘PDF’ in the ‘Save as type’ drop down section. Do not use the print-to-PDF function.

Ensure accessibility features such as tagging are turned on when saving.

If possible, use PDF editing software that supports accessibility to check the accessibility of your PDF file.