By Janel MacIntyre, Educational Technology Development Specialist, EDC
杏吧原创 has a reputation for being .聽Instructors have an important role to play in making course content more accessible for their students and in removing barriers to education. One way to remove those barriers is by creating better-formatted learning materials. By following the five tips below, you can maximize the accessibility of your documents using Microsoft Word鈥檚 built-in formatting options and features.
Tip #1: Use alternative (alt) text for images
If your document will be read online and includes images or graphics, you can add accompanying alternative (alt) text descriptions to convey the meaning for individuals with visual impairments. Alt text is shown in place of images on screen readers or other devices that cannot load images.聽It should clearly and concisely describe the image to provide relevant context.
Learn more about.
Tip #2: Use heading styles
Microsoft Word鈥檚 heading styles feature enables your document headings to serve as navigational aids for screen readers or other adaptive devices. By applying heading styles to all headings and subheadings in your document, you can create an accessible, consistent content structure that is easily scrollable for all readers. Heading styles can also be used to generate an automatic table of contents for your document. When formatting heading text, make sure to choose a legible font with at least a 12pt font size.
Learn more about.
Tip #3: Use descriptive hyperlinks
Individuals using screen readers often rely on hyperlinks when navigating online content. Meaningful hyperlink descriptions should provide relevant context and clearly identify the聽destination of the link. When using hyperlinks in your documents, avoid text that is vague or undescriptive, such as 鈥渃lick here.鈥� If a document will be read in print format, you can include the full web address, but remove the hyperlink underlining to improve document readability.
Learn more about.
Tip #4: Use colour wisely
When adding colour to a document, make sure there is high contrast between the text/images and the background. High contrast enhances readability for all learners. If you are using colour for emphasis in text, ensure that emphasis is indicated in other ways as well (such as bolding or asterisk) for students who cannot perceive colour.
Try the to test the accessibility of the foreground and background colours in your document.
Tip #5: Use the accessibility checker
Most Microsoft Office applications include a built-in checker that can automatically detect any accessibility issues in your document. The accessibility checker provides feedback and tips on how to fix any inaccessible formatting elements.
Learn more about.
If you鈥檇 like to learn more strategies, tools and techniques for reducing barriers to education and for making your learning materials more accessible for your students, come to the EDC鈥檚 workshop on August 20: Accessibility and Inclusive Design.
We鈥檇 like to help you make your documents more accessible and ensure 杏吧原创 is Canada鈥檚 most accessible university!
Additional accessibility resources: