Creating ADA Compliant Documents

Accessible content begins with clear, readable writing.

If you include elements that add personality to your document or content, use them thoughtfully.

• Emojis: Place emojis at the end of a social media post when possible. Use them sparingly, and if you include multiple emojis, place a space between each one.
• GIFs: Not all social platforms allow alt text for GIFs. If alt text isn’t available, include a short description of the GIF in brackets at the end of the post.
• Hashtags: Use camelCase or PascalCase for multi-word hashtags to help screen readers properly identify each word. Example: #GovernmentSocialMedia

Alt text allows people who use screen readers to understand the information conveyed in an image. Without alt text, people using assistive technology cannot access the content provided in images.

Best practices

• Include key information in your caption when possible.
• Keep alt text concise and descriptive.
• While 125 characters is common, it’s okay to go longer when necessary.
• Describe the relevant content of the image. The same photo can be used for two different posts because the alt text would convey information related to the content of the post.
• Avoid repeating information already included in the caption.
• There is no need to write “image of” or “picture of”.
• Logos should always include alt text.

Helpful resources

• • Section508.gov alt text guide
  • Sprout Social social media accessibility guide
  • Harvard digital accessibility image description guide

When designing graphics, consider the following accessibility elements:

• Color: Do not rely on color alone to communicate meaning. People with color blindness or low vision may not be able to distinguish certain color combinations.
• Contrast: WCAG recommends a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for small text and 3:1 for large text to ensure readability. Use a contrast checker tool like this to verify color combinations.
• Text: Limit text in a graphic as much as possible. If text is added, keep in mind that it will need to be described in the alt text area for the graphic.

Captions

Captions ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can understand spoken content in videos. They also help viewers who are watching without sound—something that happens frequently on social media. Captions should accurately reflect spoken dialogue and important sounds within the video.

• Open captions: Open captions are permanently embedded in the video and cannot be turned off by the viewer. Many government communicators choose open captions for social media because they are always visible regardless of platform settings.
• Closed captions: Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer. Most major social platforms support closed captions, though the editing tools vary by platform.
• Auto captions: Many platforms and third-party tools automatically generate captions. While these tools have improved, captions should always be reviewed and corrected by a human to ensure accuracy.

When adding captions to videos:

• Review all auto-generated captions before publishing.
• Ensure captions are easy to read and remain visible throughout the video.
• Maintain sufficient contrast between caption text and the background.
• Consider using a background or text box if the video makes captions difficult to read.

Sprout Social has a guide to editing closed captions on social media platforms.

Audio descriptions

Audio descriptions help people with visual disabilities understand visual elements that are not communicated through dialogue. If the audio already communicates the visual information, additional description may not be necessary.

To incorporate audio descriptions into your video:

• Ask speakers to verbally identify themselves instead of only displaying their name on screen.
• Describe important visual details that viewers need to understand the content.

For additional guidance, view the audio description resources available on Section508.gov.

Making your file names descriptive and standardized will make them easy to understand later.

These are some best practices to follow when it comes to naming files:

• When naming files for things like agendas or meeting minutes, stick with a file naming style and avoid deviation 
• Keep file names short, since long file names do not work well with all software and can cause backup problems
• Do not use spaces
  • To separate the elements in your file name use underscores and dashes
    • project_experiment-1_health-feature_sharon-sadvare
• If you have sequential numbers in your file name use leading zeroes so that they will sort appropriately
  •  001, 002, 003, …010, 011, 013, …100, 101, 102
• For dates, use the international standard YYYYMMDD
  • 20171208 or 2017-12-08
• Do NOT include special characters such as ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ` ; ? , [ ] { } ‘ “

Document Structure

Documents have hidden code called the Document Object Model (DOM). This platform-and languageneutral interface tells the program how to access and display content, structure, and style of the document. In addition, the DOM allows for easy navigation by keyboards and screen readers. Advantages for the author include self-generating table of contents, easy navigation within the document, and consistency in presentation.
We used to format text by manually changing individual attributes, creating variation within and between documents. Microsoft Styles (more on Styles later) gives the writer preset groups of styled fonts for various types of text. With the DOM, styles do more than look consistent; they provide necessary information to the end user’s computer. For example, Normal text and Headings made with Styles become computer-coded tags:

Normal text → <P>
Heading 1 → <H1>
Heading 2 → <H2>

Tagged headings allow users navigating with keyboards and/or screen readers to scan document headings to find the desired information. These headings also enable self-generating table of contents.

Title

All documents must have a title and subject. The title is the first thing read by a screen reader when the document is opened. Your agency may require something different from what is here. Check with your supervisor if you are unsure of your agency’s needs.

• Title: This should be the same as the document title in your document.
• Subject: The subject conveys the scope of the document. For some documents, the Title and Subject may be very similar or the same.
• Author: This field should contain your division and your name or initials. If the final document will be a PDF, there is no Company field. You should then start the Author field with your agency name or initials.
• Company: This should autopopulate with either your agency name.

Edit title and subject

1. On the File tab, select Info.
2. Select Properties and then choose Advanced Properties to open the dialog box.
3. Select the Summary tab.
4. Type the Title, Subject, Author, and Company in the text boxes.

It is important to understand and use headings properly. Headings provide the structure, or outline, to your document. They make it easy for everyone to find information contained within your document. Headings are found in the Styles group and panel. Almost all documents, even simple ones, need headings.

Headings must be used in the proper order. Only use Heading levels 1 – 6. Headings 7, 8, and 9 are not recognized by most types of assistive technology.

I. Heading 1: Main topic – can also be used for the document title
      A. Heading 2: Subtopic of Heading 1
           1. Heading 3: Subtopic of Heading 2
                a. Heading 4: Subtopic of Heading 3
                    i. Heading 5: Subtopic of Heading 4
                         1. Heading 6: Subtopic of Heading 5

You should never skip heading levels when going down. For example, do not go from a Heading 1 directly to a heading 4. You must go down in numerical order 1, 2, 3, etc… However, it is ok to skip levels to go back up. You can go directly from a heading 5 to a heading 2 to start discussing the next high-level topic in your document.

Common heading mistakes

There are four common mistakes seen with headings:

• Selecting the wrong heading level.
• Choosing a heading for the look of the font (size, color, etc.).
• Skipping a heading level in a pre-made template.
• Using a heading because they wanted the text to be large, bold, and colorful.

Always double check your heading levels. This is easily done by checking the structure of either the Navigation Pane or a Table of Contents.

The Styles group is a prominent feature of the Home tab in Microsoft Word. Proper use of Styles is a key component to making the document fully accessible. There are also distinct advantages for the author, including consistency throughout all documents and the auto-generated table of contents.

How to use styles

You can use the Styles found in the Styles group on the Home tab of the ribbon. However, you must open the styles group to access the different styles and it may not be convenient. It’s faster and easier to open the Styles Pane. Once opened, the Styles Pane remains open until you close it or close your document.

Open the styles pane

1. Click the Styles Dialog Launcher button at the bottom right of the Styles group (Alt+Ctrl+Shift+S). The Styles Pane opens up.
2. The style pane may be docked (attached) to the side of the screen . Click and hold the title bar of the pane and move it to the side until it is docked (some people prefer to leave it floating).

Format new text

1. Select the desired style in the Styles group or pane.
2. Type your content.

Format existing text

Titles, subtitles, and headings

1. Click anywhere in the line of text.
2. Select the desired style in the Style pane.

All other styles (except List Paragraphs)

1. Highlight the text you wish to change.
2. Select the desired style in the Style pane.

Modifying styles

There may be times when you need to change the attributes of a style for your document. The Modify Style dialog box allows you to change the following settings:

• Fonts
• Paragraphs
• Tabs
• Borders (and shading) 
• Languages Access the modify style dialog box 
• Frames
• Numbering 
• Shortcut keys
• Text Effects

1. Right-click the name of the style you wish to modify. You can right-click the style name in either the Styles group or the Styles pane.
2. Select Modify to open the Modify Styles dialog box.
3. The initial page allows you to change basic font attributes. For other changes, select Format, and then select the desired features.
4. After making desired format changes, click OK.
5. Click OK to close dialog box.

Modify a single section of text

There are times when you only want to modify a small portion of text, without changing the entire style. Perhaps you want a section to stand out by using bold or italics. You can use the available settings on the Font and Paragraph groups. For more advanced settings, use the Font and Paragraph Dialog Launcher on the Home tab.

• To modify font settings, click the Font Dialog Launcher (Ctrl+D).
• To modify paragraph settings, click the Paragraph Dialog Launcher (Alt+H+PG). More detailed instructions about paragraph settings are below in the Spacing and Tabs section of this document.

List paragraphs include both numbered and bulleted lists. When typing a numbered list, Microsoft Word automatically uses the List Paragraph style. This includes automatically making a Multilevel List when using the Tab key.

Bulleted lists

1. Highlight the information you want bulleted.
2. Click the Bullet List command button in the Paragraph group on the Home tab (Alt+H+U).
3. To change bullet styles, click the drop-down arrow on the Bullets button.
4. Choose the desired style.

Pictures should never be used in place of bullets.

If you wish to use an unusual graphic for a bulleted list, you must define the graphic as a bullet point.

1. Open the dropdown menu on the Bullet button and click Define New Bullet.
2. Click on Picture. Navigate to the image to use as a bullet and then click Insert.

Numbered or multilevel numbered lists

1. Highlight the text you wish to format.
2. Click the drop-down arrow for either the Numbering or the Multilevel List.
3. Choose the desired style.

The way we format columns is important. Screen readers “read” pages from left to right, top to bottom unless they are told otherwise. This is fine for most text. However, formatting a page using the tab key makes the information confusing for those using assistive technology.

A sighted person would easily understand a column layout. However, a screen reader reads columns like this: “Lydia space space space Allison space space space Sofia parens five five five parens dash two five one dash six zero four one parens five five five parens two five one dash….” You can see how confusing that would be to someone who cannot see the screen. Improperly formatted columns render the information almost useless for blind users. You can still use columns, but you must format them properly.

Format columns

1. Click the Page Layout tab and select the Columns button (Alt+P+J).
2. Choose a preset option or, to customize your columns settings, select More Columns. Specify Number of columns and Width and Spacing. For unequal column widths, uncheck Equal column width.
3. Click Apply to: to choose a specific section or the whole document, and then click OK.

Column brakes

When making columns, the text sometimes does not break where you want it to break. There are two ways of specifying where to break a column:

• Column break: This forces all text after the break to appear in the next column.
• Continuous break: This maintains an even amount of text in all your columns.

Apply a column break

1. Click on the location you want the break to start.
2. Click the Page Layout tab (Alt+P).
3. Select the Breaks button (B).
4. Select the desired type of break.

If you are in doubt whether something needs alt text, an easy way to decide is to look at the illustrations group on the Insert tab. If it is a Picture, Shape, Icon, SmartArt, Chart, or Screenshot, it most likely needs alt text. Exceptions: Tables are tabular information and do not need alt text. Divider lines and borders do not need alt text. 

Add Alt Text

1. After inserting your image, right-click on it, and choose Edit Alt Text. Alternately, you can open the Picture Tools, Format Tab, and then choose Alt Text.
2. Describe the image in the text field. Use a clear, concise description. If the image shows something that is not written out in the body of your document, you must describe it. If it is something that is fully described within your document, you can refer to the existing text description.

Decorative images

If you have an image that lends no information at all to the document, it can be marked as Decorative. Examples of decorative images include divider lines and borders, as well as page borders. This check box is located on the Alt Text pane directly under the text field.

Graphs are an excellent way of imparting a lot of information in a very little area. Because of this, they can be difficult to work with.

Add Alt Text

1. After inserting your chart, right-click on it, and choose Edit Alt Text. Alternately, you can open the Picture Tools, Format Tab, and then choose Alt Text.
2. Describe the chart in the text field. Use a clear, concise description. If the chart has information that is not written out in the body of your document, you must describe it. If the information is fully described within your document, you can refer to the existing text description.

Complex graphs and charts

Some charts are simple; therefore, the alt text is short and easily understood (pie charts are a good example). However, some charts include multiple graphs to compare a lot of information. There are several options to handle the alternate text of a complex chart:

• Put the original table above or below the graph.
• Put the full information on another page or in another document and link to it.
• Put the full information in the text on the same page. Use the alt text to refer to the document text.

Screen readers read tables from left to right, top to bottom. Sighted people can easily understand the layout of a table but imagine if you could only hear tabular information read aloud. Proper formatting of tables helps readers access and understand the information provided in a table. Format your table properly:

Meaningful title:

• Structured as a heading or caption, or;
• Introductory sentence defining the table, or;
• Bookmarked

No blank cells: Assistive technology may not recognize a cell exists if it is left blank. There are several ways to handle a blank cell:

• Add a dash (-), or;
• Add NA (Not Applicable or Not Available), or;
• Place a zero (0) – but only if the content should be a zero, or;
• Use the words “Blank” or “No Data.” Change the font color to white so it is not visible. Note: if you have a subheading followed by an entire row of blank cells, do not add the word “blank” or “no data”. To decide if the word “blank” is necessary, read the information out loud skipping the blank cells. Does the information make sense? If so, leave it out.

No merged or split cells unless it is absolutely necessary. Merging or splitting cells can become very confusing for a listener. If you must merge or split cells:

• Tab through your table and make sure all cells are read.
• Review the order that the cells are read.
• Make sure information makes sense when read left to right, top to bottom.

Use solid lines for borders. A screen reader may interpret dotted lines as a graphic.

Do not use tables for layout purposes. For example, if you need two columns of text, use the columns feature, and not a two-column table.

Do not use blank rows or columns as spacers. Adjust the line spacing instead.

Identify your header row

It is important to identify the header row of all tables for two reasons. First, it tells the computer how to code the background information. Second, if the table spans multiple pages, the header row repeats at the top of each page. This makes it easy for people to understand the information on long tables. You must still have the header rows identified for short tables that do not span multiple pages. There are two ways to identify the header row.

• Highlight the header row(s).
• Select the Layout tab on the Table Tools tab (Alt + JL) or:
• Select the Repeat Header Rows button (J).

Microsoft Office 365 has a built-in an accessibility checker to determine if your document is ready to publish or if it needs additional work.

1. Save your file as a “.docx”
2. On the File tab, select Check for Issues button and then choose Check Accessibility (Alt+F+I+I). Your document reopens with the Accessibility Checker dialog box.
3. There are three levels of results: Errors: Fix all errors to make your content accessible for AT users (Exceptions: Tables do not need alt text. Single cell tables used for formatting do not need header rows or alt text). Warnings: This is content that may pose a problem for people with disabilities to access or understand. You may need to fix these. Tips: Offers tips on how to make that area better organized or more user-friendly.
4. The bottom of the Accessibility Checker has an Additional Information dialog box that explains in further detail why and how a problem is fixed
5. Select each result; Word goes to the page with the problem and highlights the problem area.

Using Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word: A step-by-step guide

If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, there are multiple ways of saving a “.docx” as a PDF but only two of them create accessible documents. Do NOT use Save As and choose PDF from the drop-down menu. This does not produce an accessible document.

Create a PDF

1. Use the Acrobat tab. Select Preferences (Alt+B+S).
2. On the Settings tab, ensure these boxes are checked: • View Adobe PDF result • Prompt for Adobe PDF file name • Convert Document Information • Create Bookmarks • Add Links • Enable Accessibility and Reflow with tagged Adobe PDF Do not check Enable advanced tagging.
3. On the Security tab, ensure boxes labeled Enable copying of text, images, and other contents and Ensure text access for screen reader devices for the visually impaired is checked. Note: This box is grayed out but should be checked. If it is not, check Restore Defaults.
4. On the Word tab, leave the default settings checked: • Convert footnote and endnote links • Enable advanced tagging.
5. On the Bookmarks tab, leave the default settings checked: Convert Word Headings to Bookmarks.
6. Click Ok and then Create PDF on the Acrobat tab. (Alt+B+C)

Title

All Excel documents must have a title and subject. The title should clearly state the chart subject. Try to make the title and subject descriptive. While there is no length restriction for the title, keep it short and relevant.

Edit title and subject

1. On the File tab, select Info.
2. Select Properties and then choose Advanced Properties to open the dialog box.
3. Select the Summary tab.
4. Type the Title, Subject, Author, and Company in the text boxes.

Worksheets

All worksheets must have good, descriptive names to give users content information. Double-click the desired tab (or press Alt, O, H, R). Type the name of the sheet. 

Table Titles

The table title should start in cell A1. You may merge cells to center your title. This is the only time you should merge cells. There are two ways to merge cells and type the title:

• Highlight the cells you want merged. On the Home tab, select Merge & Center in the Alignment group.
• Type the title into the left cell. Highlight the rows you want merged. Right-click, choose Format Cells, Alignment tab, and select Merge Cells.

Headers

Every Column should have headers. Row headers are optional. Do not leave any header cells blank.

Merged or Split Cells

You should never merge or split cells in an Excel table. The only exceptions are when merging cells for the titles or charts. It is difficult for blind or low vision users to understand tables with merged/split cells. If cells must be merged/split, ensure all users, including those using assistive technology, can understand information.

Blank Cells

Sighted users can easily see where blank cells are and which headers the existing information belongs to. Users who rely on screen readers are not able to do that. Do not leave blank cells. There are several options for blank cells:

• Type NA (Not Available or Not Applicable), or;
• Place a zero (0) – but only if a zero applies in that particular situation, or;
• Type the word “Blank” or “No data.” If you do not wish it to be visible, match the text color to the background color. Assistive technologies such as screen readers and refreshable braille displays read white text on a white background.

Use Styles to format your text. While the dialog box looks different from Microsoft Word it works in a similar manner. To format text:

1. On the Home tab, select the Cell Styles button in the Styles group on the ribbon (Alt+H+ J).
2. Select the style you want.
3. If you want to modify a style, right-click the style you want changed and choose Modify.

Select Format in the Style dialog box. You can change:

• Number properties
• Alignment
• Font Properties
• Border properties
• Fill colors 

Charts and Graphs

Charts and graphs must have alternate text descriptions (alt text). As the table used to create the chart should be on the spreadsheet, start with the name and style of chart, followed by the starting cell of the table. If the chart is moved to a different tab than the table, add the Tab name to the alt text.

1.  After inserting your chart/graph, right-click on it, and choose Edit Alt Text. Alternately, select the chart, open the Chart Tools, Format tab, and then choose Alt Text.

2. Describe the chart in the text field in the Alt Text pane. Use a clear, concise description. If the chart shows something that is not written out in the body of your document, you must describe it. If it is something that is fully described within your document, you can refer to the existing text description.

Images

All images (with some exceptions) must have alternate text (alt text). This allows people who either cannot see the image, or have their computer set to not automatically download images know what they are.

1. After inserting your image, right-click on it, and choose Edit Alt Text. Alternately, you can open the Picture Tools, Format Tab, and then choose Alt Text.
2. Describe the image in the Description text box. Use a clear, concise description. If the image shows something that is not written out in the body of your document, you must describe it. If it is something that is fully described within your document, you can refer to the existing text description.
3. If the image has no information (a border, for example), then use the Mark as decorative check box on the Alt Text pane.

It is important to know exactly how your document will be used when it is completed. For example:

• Is this document an ongoing spreadsheet with lots of changes/updates?
• Is this document complete and going to be converted into a PDF and distributed on the web?
• Is this document going to be posted online in the Excel format?
• Are you taking the content and putting it into a Word document?

If your document will have ongoing changes and updates, it should be left as a spreadsheet. However, if you decide this document is complete, no more changes will be made, it is ready for final distribution, or you will be inserting it into Word, you may want to convert it from a spreadsheet into a table.

Format as a Table

1. Go to the Home tab and select Format as Table.
2. Choose a style for your table.
3. Check the correct data is selected inside the dashed line. If not, you can change it by either selecting the desired area on the spreadsheet (click and drag) or by changing the data within the Create Table dialog box.
4. Check the Table has headers checkbox and then select OK.
5. Open the Design tab. In the Properties group, type a descriptive name in the Table Name: field. Use the check boxes to finish the table layout.

Microsoft Excel has a built-in accessibility checker to assist you in ensuring your spreadsheet is accessible.

1. Save your file as a “.docx”
2. On the File tab, select Check for Issues button and then choose Check Accessibility (Alt+F+I+I). Your document reopens with the Accessibility Checker dialog box.
3. The Additional Information dialog box is located at the bottom of the Accessibility Checker. It explains why and how a problem is fixed.
4. Click on the results to see what the issue is and how to solve it.

If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, there are multiple ways of saving a PDF file. Do NOT use Save As and choose PDF from the drop-down menu. This does not produce an accessible document.

Create a PDF

1. Use the Acrobat tab. Select Preference.
2. On the Settings tab, ensure these boxes are checked: • View Adobe PDF result • Prompt for Adobe PDF file name • Convert Document Information • Create Bookmarks • Add Links • Enable Accessibility and Reflow with tagged Adobe PDF
3. Select PDF/A-3a from the PDF/A Compliance dropdown box.
4. On the Security tab, ensure the box labeled and Ensure text access for screen reader devices for the visually impaired is checked. Note: This box is grayed out but should be checked. If it is not, check Restore Defaults.
5. Click Ok and then Create PDF on the Acrobat tab. (Alt+B+C)