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What is Accessibility?
Wikipedia defines accessibility as being the degree to which a product, device, service or environment is
available to as many people as possible. Microsoft defines accessibility as making something that can be usable
by anyone including those with disabilities. Since it is difficult to find out specifics about our audience, we
need to create documents that are as accessible as possible for everyone.
3. Lesson titles with a Chili Pepper indicate a hot topic a required guideline
4. Have fun!
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Microsoft Office Tools to Check for Accessibility
The Accessibility Checker offered by Microsoft is an easy to use tool that will review your document and identify
content that might be difficult for people to view or use. The tool provides a rationale for fixing issues that have
been identified and instructions for fixing them.
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Graphics & Pictures: Add Alt Text
Alternative text, also known as alt text, helps people who use screen readers to recognize the presence of
graphics and pictures in a document and understand their meaning.
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Graphics & Pictures: Floating Objects
Images that are not in line with text make it difficult for a screen reader to communicate their meaning to a
person. Setting text-wrapping around pictures to being In line with Text will help screen readers follow the
structure of your document.
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Tables: Add Alt Text
Like images, tables are objects that also need Alt text to screen readers to recognize their presence and
communicate their meaning to people.
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Tables: Create a Simple Table Structure for Presenting Data
Screen Readers navigate tables, reading one cell at a time, and across - top to bottom. Tables must be designed
using a simple structure so that they can be easily read. Blank table cells must be avoided; otherwise, a person
using a screen reader could be misled into thinking that there is no more information on the table.
1. Go to Table 2 located at the top of the page, select the Painting cell, and then right click.
2. Select Split Cells
3. From the Split Cell dialog box, type 1 for Number of columns, and 2 for number of rows, and then select OK.
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Hands-on exercise: Define a Header Row for a Data Table
Row and Column Headers distinguish the heading text from the data area of the table and can help provide
context and assist the navigation of the tables contents. Sighted users can visually scan a table and make visual
associations between data in the table and their associated row and/or column headers. People that cannot see
a table cannot make these visual associations and may depend on a screen reader to do the job for them.
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Charts and Graphs: Add Alt Text
Data can be made understandable for some people through the use of charts and it is important that they are
made as accessible as possible. Since screen readers cannot read chart data, alt text will be required to depict a
brief summary of the data that is represented.
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Charts and Graphs: Add a Caption
Charts and graphs may require longer explanations than simple images. Beside the use of alt text to provide the
details, a short caption is needed in order to provide a simple summary of the chart.
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Equations & Scientific Notation: Ensure Accessibility
Mathematical equations or scientific notation beyond basic operations such as addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division, must be in an accessible MathML format. Unfortunately, Microsoft Words built in
equation editor does not produce Math ML format. Furthermore, the equation editor in Microsoft Word is not
accessible and will be interpreted by a screen reader as a graphic and not an actual equation.
http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathtype/?utm_nooverride=1&gclid=CJDv9PGl5LkCFZOe4AodWE8AmQ
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Hyperlinks: Add Meaningful Links
Screen readers announce the presence of hyperlinks on a Word document. Hyperlinks need to be formatted
and described so that they will not only be clear to a screen reader, but to end users who will need to know
where they will be directed after they select the link.
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Blank Characters: Remove Repeated Blank Characters
To format a document, some people rely on continually pressing the space bar or enter key to add extra space.
When screen readers encounter repeated blank spaces, they will be read as blank. After hearing too many
blanks in succession, people may easily think that they have reached the end of information on a document.
The Accessibility Checker flags blank spaces and makes recommendations on how to fix them using easy to use
Word formatting tools.
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Add Closed Captioning for Audio and Video
Captioning videos or providing transcripts for audio files are essential components of multimedia access for
people with hearing loss or auditory processing issues. Microsoft Word enables you to insert an Object which is
a video. If the video does not already have a caption, a tool will have to be identified and used in order to create
the caption for the video. If a tool cannot be readily identified, a transcript of the video can be used that should
indicate who is talking along with other sounds in the video such as music or voices. Try not to embed link out
elsewhere.
Resources
Visit the Accessibility Web site, ACCESS, at Colorado State University at http://
accessproject.colostate.edu/udl/modules/multimedia/tut_video_transcript.php
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Paragraph Headings: Their Purpose
Paragraph headings provide a visual cue to the major topics that are within a document. Headings that are
individually formatted through the use of Bold, Italic, Underline, and Font Size are not understood by screen
readers making it difficult for a person to navigate through a document. Word includes built-in pre-formatted
Heading Styles that are recognized by screen readers. Individual styles can be applied to paragraph headings
based upon their hierarchy within a document.
3. For the heading style that has been updated, text will automatically be updated throughout your
document having that text style.
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View and Navigate Heading Structure
Once paragraph styles have been applied, a person will be able to use Words Navigation Pane to take a birds-
eye view of the heading structure of the document and navigate to specific locations within the document based
upon the heading levels that were assigned. Screen readers will let users hear an outline of a documents main
ideas, and backtrack to read the parts that best interest them.
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List Items: Formatting for Accessibility
A screen reader will announce the presence of lists that are formatted through Words Bullet or Number lists
tools. Group items in numbered if they are sequential or bulleted if they are related.
Finance 101
Introduction to Marketing
Business 101
Or
1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3
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Specify the Document Language
In order for screen readers to be able to accurately read a document, it is important to set the natural language
of the document. If another natural language is used for a paragraph or selected text, the language needs to be
set as well.
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Saving Word Documents
Microsoft Office and Rich Text files are easily processed by screen readers or other tools used to provide
materials in alternate formats. Before you make your Word document available, please be sure to follow these
best practices:
Make sure that the document is saved in .doc or .docx or RTF format.
If the permissions of the document are set to prevent editing, provide an additional copy of document
as an accessible PDF or HTML (web page). Students with poor visual acuity and those with certain
learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, may need to alter text with poor contrast, small type, or fonts with
serifs.
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