Sometime ago I wrote a blog post about website accessibility. In this blog post I continue the theme by looking at accessible document production and provide ideas to help you make your documents more accessible. The post focuses on making Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents accessible but the ideas can be applied to other documents.
See ‘How to make your website accessible to all‘ on this website for information on how to make your website accessible.
Why is accessibility important
When you write with accessibility in mind you ensure your document can be read and understood by as wide an audience as possible, for example, people who are blind or visually impaired and use screen reading software to use a computer, people who are dyslexic or people who have learning difficulties.
Alternative formats
It is impossible to make anything 100% accessible to everyone, as making alterations in one way may make materials inaccessible in another, however it is important to try and it is also important to provide the information in alternative formats on request.
Documents do not need to be produced in alternative formats until a request has been received, however a document tagline will inform readers of how they can request another format for example ‘If you require this document in an alternative format, such as large print or a coloured background, please contact [insert name and contact details here].’
Note
It is a business that bears the cost of the providing an alternative format. The person requesting the information in an alternative format should not be asked to pay for it and it is illegal to ask them to do so.
How can I make my documents accessible
Not sure how to make your documents accessible? Read on.
Plain English
Write it like you would say it. By using simple language your message will reach more people. Using plain English benefits all users, including people with cognitive disabilities, low reading literacy, and people who are encountering an unknown topic or language. You can read more about plain English in the blog post titled Plainly Speaking on this website.
Page layout
Use a consistent page layout. Titles, headings and numbers should be located in the same place on all pages of a document and presented in the same style on each page. Documents should have a consistent look and feel throughout.
Proper headings
Heading are important because they help organise content and improve readability for everyone but they also make documents more accessible to those who may need a bit of additional help. If someone uses a screen reader for example, the use of headings allows them to listen to a list of all the headings and navigate their way around the document to the desired area on the page or document.
To add headings to your document, select styles on your toolbar and then select the appropriate heading. When using headings there is a level structure that should be followed so use the title heading for the document title, heading one for section headings, heading two for sub section headings and heading three for sub sub sections. The normal heading should be used for body text.
Alignment
Use left alignment. Do not use justified text as this makes the spaces between words uneven which can make it difficult for some individuals to read. By aligning to the left you ensure the spaces between words are equal. Left align everything including headings. And justified text is difficult for dyslexic people to read because if creates uneven spaces between words.
Line spacing and page breaks
Use 1.5 line spacing for readability and page breaks to move to the next page. Don’t use repeated returns (line breaks) as a screen reader will read every line break out to a visually impaired reader.
Bullet points
Use bullet points to break up large chunks of text but don’t use emojis instead of bullet points as a screen reader will read out every image description to a visually impaired reader. You can experience this for yourself below.
Images
If you are using images in your document don’t forget to include alt tags or captions. Alt tags help make documents accessible to people with visual impairments by describing the image to them. Alt tags should be meaningful so don’t use say ‘man’ or ‘woman’ but provide a description for example ‘A red headed woman wearing a pink dress and a red ribbon in her hair. She is holding a green telephone receiver in one hand and a sheet of white paper in the other. The woman has a bemused look on her face.’
Font size
The larger the font the easier it is to read for everyone. It is best practice to use font size 14 for online documents and size 16 for large print hard copies.
Font type
Avoid non sans-serif fonts such as Times New Roman. The more ornate the font, the fewer the number of individuals who will be able to read it.
The recommended fonts are:
- Arial (not Arial Narrow)
- Verdana
- Calibri
- Universe
- Helvetica
Capitals, bold, underlining and italics
Avoid blocks of capital letters, underlined or italicised text, as they are all harder to read. Continuous text should not be in capitals as capitals letters have no word shape. A couple of words in capitals is acceptable.
Use bold to emphasise a point, not italics or underling. Underlining when used on a website also makes the underlined words look like a web link.
Contrast and text colour
It is always best to use dark ink against a pale background as this is best for users with specific learning differences such as dyslexia, although some users with visual impairments may find a light font on a dark background easier.
It is important that there is sufficient contrast between the font colour and the background colour. For example, black font on a cream or yellow background is a good contrast. Backgrounds should always be plain and ideally an off white/pastel shade. Using the ‘automatic’ function to select body copy colour means that an emailed document will maintain the colour selected by the user without them having to alter anything.
Some individuals may require printed documents on different coloured paper as this can assist those with dyslexia and other specific learning differences.
The contrast of the type against the paper will have implications for its legibility. Black text on white or yellow paper is adequate for most visually impaired people. Avoid placing text over images as this can camouflage words and text wrapping around images.
Don’t use colour as the only way to convey information for example highlighting text to show emphasis.
Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks should be descriptive not ‘click here’ as someone reading the document with a screen reader could find themselves reading a list of links all of which read ‘click here’. Links should do what they say on the tin.
Paper type
Avoid glossy paper or laminated documents as these produce glare which can make them inaccessible. Choose paper with a matt finish where possible. In addition, make sure the paper is thick enough that print from one side of the paper does not show through to the other side. The Royal National Institute for the Blind recommend paper over 90gsm.
If you are folding the document, to place it in an envelope for example, make sure the fold lines do not cross over text as this makes it unreadable to scanners or screen magnifiers.
Page numbering
Visually impaired people often have difficulty distinguishing between the numbers 3, 5, 8 and 0. Use a font type that is easy to read and where practical, confirm numbers in words.
To ease accessibility (and usability) ensure all pages are numbered in the same place. Adding in contents and summaries can make longer documents easier to navigate.
Jargon and abbreviations
Avoid jargon and abbreviations. If you do need to use them always ensure you explain them fully the first time you use them for example HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Columns
Some visually impaired people prefer to read columns rather than long lines of text across a page. Leave enough space between columns and/or use a vertical line to distinguish between columns.
Forms
People who are visually impaired often have handwriting that is larger than average. Therefore the spaces available for the individual to complete or sign a document need to be bigger.
If you are creating a form, the larger you make the response areas the better, as this will make the document more accessible to individuals with physical dexterity impairments.
PowerPoint
Creating a PowerPoint presentation? Here are some additional points you need to consider.
- PowerPoint documents should ideally have no more than six to eight lines of text per slide.
- Titles should be between 36 – 44 font size and body text 24 – 28 font size.
- If the presentation is intended to be printed out include the full hyperlink as well as the descriptive one this is because a link cannot be clicked in a printed document so you need to explicitly state the web page address.
- Avoid animation and fancy slide transitions.
- Use PowerPoint slide layouts (not blank layouts) to ensure your slides have a title box at the top.
- Avoid using duplicate slide titles as screen reader users use slide titles to jump to where they need to be in the presentation.
- If you are using images and text dotted around the slide ensure your reading order matches that of the slide when presented visually.
Ending your document
At the end of your document type ‘End of document’ so screen reader users know they have reached the end.
Further information and sources
- AbilityNet: Creating accessible documents
- Harvard University: Design for readability
- Macular Society: Creating documents for visually impaired people
- Microsoft: Improve accessibility in your documents with the accessibility checker
- University of Edinburgh: Introduction to alternative formats
- University of York: Heading styles in Word
- WebAIM: Writing accessible electronic documents with Word
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