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Word Accessibility Issues (Remediation Instructions)
This tutorial has given examples of the most common errors encountered when creating a word
document. A sample word document that is non-compliant and Instructions on how to make this
document compliant are provided on the website. In this example the document was remediated
using Microsoft Word 2013.
To create an accessible word document, just create your document like you normally would
and then use the remediation procedure below to resolve any issues.
How to Remediate a Word Document in 10 easy steps:
1. Word Accessibility Issues ................................................................................................................ 1
2. Inspecting a Document .................................................................................................................... 2
3. Check for Issues .............................................................................................................................. 3
4. Style and Appearance ..................................................................................................................... 4
Color to Convey Meaning, Color Contrast, To Much Bold, Italic or Underlining makes text harder
to read, Strike-through, Drop Cap, Symbols and Special Characters, Symbols and Special
Characters, Word Art, Text Effects & Text Boxes
5. Structural Elements ......................................................................................................................... 6
Document Titles, Headings and Font Styles, Acronyms, Abbreviations, Page Numbers, Math &
Equations
6. Alternative Text .............................................................................................................................. 10
Wrapping Text, Long Descriptions, Watermarks & Backgrounds, Shapes and Smart Art
7. Table Structure .............................................................................................................................. 12
Adding ALT Text to Tables, Table Headers
8. Hyperlink Text ................................................................................................................................ 13
9. Repeated Blank Characters ........................................................................................................... 15
10. Re-Check for Issues ...................................................................................................................... 16
Exporting the Word document to PDF ............................................................................................ 16
Additional Resources .......................................................................................................................... 17
Any further questions please refer to this QR code reader or this URL.
http://ada.nv.gov/Training/document_remediation/
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Inspecting a Document
All documents should be checked for ADA compliance and this is how to check using Microsoft Word.
A. Select “File” in the top left of your document
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Check for Issues
All documents can be checked for issues and the check accessibility will run a scan on documents.
All errors will be listed for remediation.
1. Click on check for issues.
2. Select “check accessibility”.
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Style and Appearance
Color to Convey Meaning
If color is used to convey information, it MUST be accompanied by a text alternative.
The text alternative for information conveyed by color MUST accurately convey the same information
without color.
If color is used to convey information, it MUST be accompanied by a visible alternative (text, image,
graph, etc.) that does not depend on color for meaning.
Highlighting
Under normal circumstances, screen readers do not convey any information about highlighting to
blind users.
Here are a couple of ideas of ways to draw attention to text in Word for blind users:
• Write the word "important" (or similar): The most reliable way in Word to "highlight" text for
blind users is to write some text in the document that draws attention to the content. You could
put the word "Important" (or "Warning" or "Attention," etc.) before the important content, for
example.
• Hidden text: If you don't want to add any visual words to the document, you could add some
hidden text just for screen reader users. In HTML, and there are multiple techniques (add the
text via aria-label, hide the text with the CSS clipping technique, hide the text offscreen, etc.).
Though there are not as many techniques in Word, it is possible to hide content. To add
hidden text in Word, you can set the color of the text to the same color of the background, then
shrink the text size very small. The big danger of this technique is that the text might get
accidentally deleted, moved, or altered, especially if the final format of the document is MS
Word format. If the final format is PDF or EPUB or some other read-only format, the risk is
lower.
Despite the weakness of highlighting for blind users, highlighting can be effective for visual users,
because it draws their attention to important parts of the document. This can actually be an
accessibility benefit for sighted users, especially users with reading disorders or cognitive disabilities.
Use highlighting where appropriate. Just be sure to supplement it with text that conveys the same
meaning, for the benefit of blind users.
Color Contrast
Small text and images of small text (under 18 point regular font or 14 point bold font) MUST have a
contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 with the background.
Large text and images of large text (at or over 18 point or 14 point bold) MUST have a contrast ratio
of at least 3 to 1 with the background.
Applying a heading via Cell Styles does not work like applying a header row in a table. It is more for
visual effect and not for semantics or structure. A screen reader can identify the font formatting (such
as bold, size, etc.) if the user has turned on the appropriate settings to do so, but the cell would not
be recognized as part of a table header. Additionally, when you export to pdf, it is not tagged as a
table header.
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Be careful with color contrast in some predesigned styles, especially the styles labeled as "Good,"
"Bad," and "Neutral" in the default Excel style menu. While they meet the minimum contrast
guidelines, they are still a bit difficult to read, especially if a user has vision impairments.
To Much Bold, Italic or Underlining makes text harder to read
Unfortunately, screen readers ignore all text formatting of this type, unless the user has explicitly
changed the settings in the screen reader to read visual formatting. Hardly anybody does this though,
and if they do, they usually do it only temporarily. So, under all but the rarest conditions, screen
readers simply read the text normally, no matter what the visual styling looks like.
With this in mind, don't rely on visual formatting to convey reading to screen reader users. To a
certain degree, you could say that the extra emphasis is an optional enhancement, and that may be
true in a lot of cases. If the emphasis is critically important, though, you'll need to write text to convey
the emphasis, such as by adding the word "Important" or "Note" before the emphasized content.
Use bold, italic, and underline sparingly. Too much bold or italic text can make a document difficult to
read, especially for someone who already has a hard time reading, such as someone with a reading
disability. Use underline sparingly. These days, in our web-saturated world, users may think the text
is a link. Best practice is to avoid underlining anything that is not a link.
Strike-through
Screen readers don’t read strike-through accurately. They read it as regular text unless the user
changes their settings in the reader, and hardly anybody changes those particular settings. This
oversight is particularly bad because legal documents consistently convey important meaning with its
use. The only thing you can do is give instructions to screen reader users to turn on their font styles
in their screen reader to ensure that strikeout text will be read accurately or omit using strikeouts
altogether.
Drop Cap
Avoid the use of Drop Cap effects because it is not read out the same by screen readers as sighted
users. Where the word below is read by sighted users as Once upon a time…, a screen reader reads
it as ‘O’, then ‘nce’ which doesn’t make sense.
Symbols and Special Characters
Some common symbols are accessible to screen readers and are read correctly. Examples include:
$ ¢ £ ¥ € © ® & ½ ¾
The vast majority of other symbols are not read correctly. Best to avoid their use whenever possible
or provide a text explanation for the benefit of screen reader users.
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Word Art, Text Effects & Text Boxes
Word Art, Text Effects and Text Boxes should be avoided because they remove text from the flow of
the document, they are not announced to screen reader users and they make the text difficult to read,
especially for people with low vision.
Math & Equations
There is a built-in equation editor in Word, but the editor currently does not render math in a format
that is accessible to screen readers. It does not create MathML (Math Markup Language), and most
kinds of math content created by the Equation Editor cannot be read intelligently (or at all) by screen
readers. Or, if you do use the built-in Equation Editor, add a good text description of the equation in
the document.
Method 1 - Use MathType to Create MathML in Word
One of the best tools for creating accessible math is the MathType Equation Editor by Design
Science. MathType creates MathML, which can be read intelligently by screen readers, allowing
users to either read the whole equation, or pause and zoom in on parts of the equation to read them
separately. MathType is not free. At the time this was written, it cost $97 for a license ($57 with
education discount), but it is the most complete solution currently available.
Method 2 - Use MathML Cloud to Create a PNG Image with Good Alt Text
If you don't have access to MathType, you could use MathML Cloud to generate an equation as a
PNG image with good alt text, and insert the image in your Word document. You will need to insert
the image then add the alt text yourself (in Word 2013: right-click on the image > Format Picture >
Layout & Properties > Alt Text). MathML Cloud generates intelligent alt text that works well for math
equations, using words and phrasing that you might not consider if you were writing the alt text
yourself. Generally, we recommend that you not edit the alt text generated by MathML Cloud unless
you are sure you can improve it for a specific equation.
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There are two main disadvantages of using this method:
• You have to write the equation in ASCII text, MathML, or LaTex. If you're not familiar with writing
math using those methods, you'll have to learn.
• Even good math alt text is not as effective as MathML, because users navigate math equations
written as alt text in the same way they can navigate math equations in MathML.
Even with these disadvantages, an image with good alt text is better than the built-in Equation Editor.
Structural Elements
Document Title
Set the document title in all Microsoft Word documents.
File > Title. This title should describe the document in as few words as possible
Styles (Headings and Font)
The font styles Arial and Verdana are the most commonly recommended due to both their readability
and availability across a variety of computer operating systems. Generally, sans-serif fonts work best
as screens with low resolution make serif fonts more difficult to read.
No matter whether you choose Arial or Verdana, a minimum standard font size is 12 pixels.
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Headings
Use Word Styles to create real headings. Do not use Big Bold Text as it does not count and is not
read out to screen readers with any emphasis.
Verify that the Headings Show in the Navigation Pane
(Document Map Sidebar) To check your work and make sure your headings create a good, logical
outline of the content, verify that all of the headings show in the headings list in the Navigation Pane.
Press CTRL _ F on the keyboard to open the Navigation Pane.
Introduce Acronyms and Spell out Abbreviations
Providing an explanation of acronyms and abbreviations in the document might help people who:
• have difficulty decoding words
• use screen readers
• have limited memory
• have difficulty using context to aid understanding
Page Numbers Provide Structural Context
Numbering the pages of your document helps those reading and editing your document effectively
navigate and reference its content. For users of assistive technologies, it provides a valuable point of
reference within the document. But remember to place the word page in front of the number so it has
meaning. The page number by itself is meaningless.
Wrapping Text
When adding an image or graphic always set the wrapping style to “image or object not inline”. Text that wraps
around an image or graphic often will confuse a screen reader, making it difficult for the user to understand.
In Word 2007 and later right-click the image and select Text Wrapping, then choose inline with text. In later
versions, right-click the image and select edit alt text.
Long Descriptions
Sometimes you need to use complex image like pie charts or bar graphs. Most types of objects in Word allow
writers to add alt text, but alt text is generally meant to be short. Plus, if the chart or graph is inserted as an
object in Word's drawing layer, instead of in the natural flow of the text, some users won't be able to access the
alt text anyway, or they may not know how to access the alt text.
There are several creative ways to provide long descriptive alternate text for complex graphics and objects.
• Describe the complex image in text below the image.
• Add a text link below the image to a textual description in an appendix.
• Provide an equivalent data table below the image.
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Watermarks & Backgrounds
The basic accessibility principles for background images and watermarks are:
• Don't use background images or watermarks to convey information, because there is no way to provide
alt text for background images (unless you also describe the background in the regular text of the
document).
• Avoid watermarks that interfere with the readability of the text. If you have to indicate a DRAFT use the
words in the title of the document instead of a watermark.
Shapes & Smart Art
The "Shapes" tool in Word (Insert > Shapes) can be an easy way to superimpose illustrations and shapes on
top of the text in the document. You can draw arrows, diagrams, and create simple artwork. This may be great
for document authors, but it's not so great for screen reader users because all of the content is floating in the
drawing layer, making it inaccessible to many screen readers.
The Smart Art tool in Word can be used to create diagrams, flow charts, illustrations, hierarchical organization
charts, and other similar types of diagrams. It's a useful tool for simple drawings.
Unfortunately, Smart Art is not directly accessible to screen reader users. The object would not be read when
the user reads the document top to bottom. Therefore, it is not recommended to use Smart Art.
If you want to use objects made as Smart Art, you can either describe the Smart Art in the context of the text or
convert the shapes to a single graphic and add alt text. The easiest way to convert them into a single image is
to use the Snipping Tool that is included with Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems. You can perform
a search in Windows for "Snipping Tool" to find the Snipping Tool.
REMINDER: All Floating Objects Decrease Accessibility
Some types of objects (text boxes, word art, etc.) in Word are not part of the document's normal
structure. They are on a separate "Drawing Layer" in Word that is unavailable to screen readers in
the normal document flow. Text wrap also moves objects out of the text layer into the drawing layer.
JAWS users can use Control + Shift + O to access a list of floating objects, and JAWS 16 can read
floating objects at their "anchor" or insertion point, but when the objects are out of the normal flow,
they may not make sense out of context. It may not be apparent where in the document these objects
belong, making it difficult for users to understand the meaning of the document and/or the floating
objects.
NVDA currently does not read objects in the drawing layer. It only reads inline objects in the text
layer.
Examples of objects that may be floating in the Drawing Layer:
• Text boxes (Insert > Text Box)
• "Shapes" (Insert > Shapes)
• Smart Art (Insert > SmartArt)
• Charts (Insert > Chart)
• Word Art (Insert > WordArt)
• Miscellaneous objects (Insert > Object)
Inline Objects Are More Easily Accessible
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Alternative Text
Alternative text should be provided with all visual content: images, pictures and clip art.
A. Right-click on photo.
B. Select “Format Picture”.
Adding ATL Text cont.
Adding ALT text to each image in your document will give a description of your image and give a non-
sighted user and better understanding of your document.
A. Select the “layout properties”.
B. Select “ALT Text”.
C. Add a title to the image.
D. Give a description of the image.
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Table Structure
Tables need ALT Text to give it a description. Tables must also be structured with a specified column
header.
A. Right-click on the “Table options”.
B. Select “Table Options”.
Adding ALT text to Tables
Adding ALT text to each image in your document will give a description of your image and give a non-
sighted user and better understanding of your document.
A. Select the “ALT text” tab.
B. Enter a descriptive title.
C. Give the table a brief description.
D. Select “OK” to save the changes.
Table Header
A Table requires a column header to identify the structure of a table for screen reader technologies.
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A. Highlight the row or column of cells that you designate to be the header.
B. Select the “Layout” tab.
C. Select “Repeat Header Rows”.
Hyperlink Text
Hyperlink text should provide a clear description of the link destination. One of the ways a
person who uses Assistive Technologies can navigate a document is by skipping from hyperlink to
hyperlink, or they can also pull up a list of all the links in a document (Insert + F7). Since both of these
methods of navigation do not include any of the surrounding text, the hyperlink text by itself needs to
provide sufficient meaning.
For this reason, using phrases like, ‘Click Here’, or ‘Visit’ are not sufficient as they by themselves do
not provide enough meaning.
A. Right-click on “Hyperlink”.
B. Select “Edit Hyperlink”.
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Hyperlink Text cont.
A. Select the “screenTip” tab.
B. Give the Hyperlink a description.
C. Select “OK” in the “Set Hyperlink ScreenTip” dialog box and again in the “Edit Hyperlink” dialog
box to save changes.
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Repeated Blank Characters
One of the most common errors that you will encounter in a word document is repeated blank
characters. To fix this issue, follow these steps.
A. Place the cursor at the end of the sentence or paragraph.
B. Select this “Icon” and it will open paragraph settings.
C. Add the spacing that is preferred for your document.
D. Click “OK” to save your changes.
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Re-Check for Issues
All documents should be re-checked for ADA compliance every time information is added or
removed. All errors will be listed for remediation.
1. Click on check for issues.
2. Select “check accessibility”.
3. Repeat the steps in this procedure until there are no accessibility issues reported.
Exporting the Word document to PDF
Ensure the document is accessibility issue free before exporting to PDF.
Go to the:
File Menu > select Export > select Create PDF/XPS Document, then select > Create PDF/XPS
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Additional Resources
If your word document needs to include any of the following elements, please refer to the guide
below:
Document Headers
If creating letterhead or a document that
needs a document header refer to
Creating Document Headers guide
Contrast-Ratio (Use Color
Appropriately)
If you need to check contrast-ratio in the
document refer to
Word Documents – Use Color
Appropriately guide
Tables of Contents
If you need to add a table of contents
refer to
Microsoft Word Accessible Table of
Contents
