Microsoft Word Playbook

Make your Word documents accessible.

Overview

Electronic documents can be challenging for many assistive technology users. Accessible documents provide content with limited barriers, regardless of the method or technology used to access it. The good news is following these guidelines will make your content easier to read and understand for everyone.

When possible, provide information via the web. If the web isn't appropriate, Microsoft Word is the next best method. (Approximately 70% of assistive technology users prefer word to PDFs.)

One common way to reduce accessibility errors are to create and use accessible templates (build in accessibility from the beginning) and others include using Word features such as bulleted lists and headings.

Accessible Template

Accessible Word Template

Save a Word document as a template (Microsoft)

Accessibility best practices

Lists are used correctly

Overview

There are two kinds of lists; ordered (numbered) and unordered (bulleted).

Ordered lists

Begin with a number
Indicate an order or level of importance to each item

Accessibility tip:A screen reader would read this list as, "Ordered lists, list with three items. One, begin with a number. Two, Indicate an order or level of importance to each item"

Bulleted lists

Begin with bullets
Items have equal importance

Accessibility tip: A screen reader would read this list as, "Bulleted lists, list with two items. Bullet, begin with bullets Bullet, Items have equal importance"

Remember to

Decide which type of list is appropriate
If there's an order or importance to each item use a numbered list and list each item in order
Items are of equal importance; use a bulleted list
If there are multiple lists on a page, select the correct format for each list based on its contents
If there are multiple numbered lists, be sure to restart numbering for each new list of items

Accessibility tips

Use the built-in list formatting for each application to create the list so that screen readers will indicate it is a list
Web content creators and developers - these break the way that screen readers handle lists and shouldn't be used
- list-style-type: none;
- display : inline;

Relates to: WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships