Digital Document Accessibility

What are Key Principles of Accessible Excel Workbook Design?

Excel workbooks require some special considerations and by nature are difficult documents to make fully access. When creating accessible Excel workbooks, consider key elements such as tables, color choices, and naming conventions to ensure usability.

1. Use Clear Structure and Organization

• Place one dataset per worksheet whenever possible to reduce complexity.
• Use descriptive sheet names (e.g., “Fall Enrollment Data” instead of “Sheet1”).
• Keep related data grouped together logically.
• Avoid excessive blank rows or columns, which can confuse screen readers.

3. Provide Meaningful Headers

4. Use Color and Formatting Accessibly

• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning (e.g., red/green for status).
• Use text labels, symbols, or patterns in addition to color.
• Maintain sufficient contrast between text and background.
• Increase row height and column width to improve readability. 

5. Avoid Images or Charts Without Alternatives

• If images, icons, or charts are included, provide descriptive alt text explaining their purpose and key takeaway.
• For complex charts, include a text summary of the main findings within the worksheet or a nearby cell.

6. Support Keyboard and Screen Reader Navigation

• Ensure logical left‑to‑right, top‑to‑bottom reading order.
• Avoid using blank cells solely for visual spacing.
• Use Excel’s Name Box or defined names to label important data ranges when appropriate.

7. Run the Excel Accessibility Checker

• Use Review → Check Accessibility before sharing the file.
• Address flagged issues such as missing headers, unclear sheet names, or low contrast.
• Treat the checker as a starting point, not the final step

What are best practices for sharing accessible Excel workbooks? 

• Save and share files in .xlsx format whenever possible.
• Avoid exporting to PDF unless you can ensure the PDF is also accessible.
• Provide context or instructions in a README worksheet for complex workbooks.
• Test navigation using only the keyboard to identify potential barriers.

Excel Accessibility Resources

• Accessibility Best Practices with Excel Spreadsheets (Microsoft Support)
• Learn How to Create Accessible Spreadsheets (Section 508 Standards)

What is a PDF? 

PDF stands for "Portable Document Format." PDFs are a convenient way to preserve formatting across devices, browsers, or applications. For a PDF to be accessible to assistive technology users, it should be "tagged" with structural informatoin such as headings, paragraph text, and graphics.

Should I create a PDF for digital course materials?

• The best practice for accessible digital course content is to publish the content as a web page (e.g. a Canvas page).
• Yes, if the PDF is made for print usage as a handout in a face-to-face class.

What are the different types and standards of PDF files?

• PDF Full Text and Graphics - This type of PDF includes both text, graphics and images and was originally standardized to make PDFs that can be rendered at the best possible resolution. For a PDF to comply with this standard, you must have text as text, graphics as graphics, lines as lines, and only use an image when it is necessary.

• PDF Image Only - This type of PDF is made up of images only. It is commonly used for sharing photographs or scanned documents. These files can be easily shared and read on a variety of devices, but they are not as accessible as other types of PDFs. These PDFs are images without any text, and therefore they are not visible to screen readers.

• Searchable/OCR PDFs - These documents usually originate from a PDF Image Only file that has been converted to this format using OCR (optical character recognition) software. Searchable / OCR PDF documents are essentially composed of two different layers. A JPEG or bitmap on top (to ensure that the document will look the same to the user) and a layer containing text beneath which has been created using OCR (optical character recognition) software to be able to determine the contents of the document. This allows people to highlight and search for text in the document, and use it more normally compared to an Image Only PDF, however, despite being an improvement, it is not fully accessible due to it lacking landmarks to add semantic meaning to the page.

• PDF Universal Accessibility - This standard is intended for creating PDFs that are accessible and requires things such as PDFs being tagged, in order to correctly represent to document's structures (tables, headings, lists, etc.), have a logical reading order, alternate text, embedded fonts and much more.

What is the guidance to make accessible PDFs? 

• Always attempt to create PDFs from source files/media. 
• Avoid scanning something using a scanner to make it a PDF as this produces a document that is inaccessible. 
• Ensure that PDF files have proper semantic headings to ensure logical reading order and that all images have alternate text.
• Use the Adobe Pro built-in accessibility checker. 
  • All tools --> Prepare for Accessibility --> Automatically tag PDF to add tags to the PDF
  • All tools --> Prepare for Accessibility --> Check for Accessibility to check the document for accessiblity issues.
• Read accessiblity report and troubleshoot the "failed" issues. 
• Set PDF file properties
  • Add Title and Author (File --> Properties --> Description tab)
  • Set Document Title to Display (Properties --> Initial View tab --> Reading Options --> Language)  

PDF Accessibility Resources:

• Creating Accessible PDFs
• Advanced Accessible PDFs

What are the components for PowerPoint accessiblity? 

1. Choose a slide theme or template
   • Ensure template has readable fonts and adequate color contrast between slide text and the background.
2. Content should be well-structured and logical
3. All slides should have a unique, meaningful slide title
   • ​If multiple slides in a row have the same title, add a number at the end to distinguish them.
4. Ensure the reading order of content on each slide is correct.
5. Ensure all text is in a readable font, sized large enough to read easily, and surrounded by sufficient white space.
6. Ensure all meaningful content has adequate color contrast ​
   • Measure color contrast with the WebAIM checker or Colour Contrast Analyzer.
7. Do not use style alone to convey meaning
   • Do not use color, font style, font face, visual arrangement, animation, or any other visual attribute as the only method of conveying meaning.
   • For example, do not say “the item in red is the most important” or “define all the underlined words below”. 
8. Use the list buttons to create lists
   • Don’t just use “*” or “-” to manually make a 'fake list'.
   • Check that you're in a 'real list': hitting Enter should cause a new bullet point or number to appear on the new line.
9. Use informative link titles​
   • Avoid pasting the full URL for a website in your slides unless it is intended to be memorized.
   • Use hyperlink text that provides a meaningful description of the destination.
   • “Click Here” is not a meaningful label out of context. A label like “College Application Information” tells someone exactly what they will find if they click on it.
   • If a link takes the user to a file type besides an HTML web page, indicate the file type at the end of the link, like “College Org Chart [pdf]”.
10. Add alternative text to all images
    • Alt text should be shorter than a sentence and describe the meaningful content of the image.
    • Some versions of PowerPoint have a “Title” and “Description” field. If so, ignore the “Title” field and add alt text to the “Description” field.
    • If a graphic is entirely decorative, such as an image used as a slide border or content divider, it should be marked as decorative. This tells screen readers to ignore the image. 
    • Some versions of PowerPoint don’t allow you to mark an image as decorative. If so, type “decorative” in the alt text field.
11. Insert long descriptions for complex graphics where appropriate
    • If a complex graphic requires more than a sentence to describe, add a short description in the alt text field and insert a longer description in a content placeholder on the slide.
    • You can position the long description off-screen so it won’t appear during a presentation but will be available to screen reader users.
12. Add table column and/or row headers as appropriate
    • “Header Row” should be selected if the header cells describe the columns below them.
    • “First Column” should be selected if the header cells describe the rows to the right of themselves. 
13. Animations
    • If animations convey meaning, that information needs to also appear in written form.
    • This can happen either on or off-screen; see "Insert long descriptions for complex graphics" above for an example of off-screen content.
    • If an animation does not convey meaning, consider not using it, since it may be distracting or induce nausea or disorientation in individuals with vestibular disorders.
14. Graphs
    • If possible, provide the graph data in a table.
    • Describe the shape and layout of the graph in text (either on- or off-screen).
15. Videos
    • Provide caption files for videos. Some versions of PowerPoint allow you to add caption files within PowerPoint; others may require you to encode the caption files into the video file in advance.
    • Ensure the video has sufficient description of any visual content in the video. If the video does not adequately describe its visual content, consider adding any missing visual descriptions into an offscreen text box for screen reader users. 
16. Notes
    • ​Avoid using the Notes field to convey important information.
    • If you want to use Notes, consider duplicating that text in an offscreen content placeholder so screen reader users are more likely to encounter it.
17. Embedded narration
    • The narrator should describe all visual content audibly as they would in a normal presentation.
    • Provide an annotated transcript for the narration that contains all spoken content and note when each slide appears or when an animation activates.
18. Accessibility Checker
    • The accessibility checker in PowerPoint will identify some of the accessibility problems listed above.
    • The accessibility checker may also offer options for a way to fix the problem. 
19. Metadata
    • To improve searchability and accessibility, edit metadata.
      • PowerPoint in Windows: File --> Info --> Properties to add metadata
      • PowerPoint for MacOS: File --> Info 
20. PowerPoint as a PDF
    • PDF is often a better format to present PowerPoint presesntations electronically.
    • After successfully checking for and remediating the PowerPoint for any accessibiity issues, convert it into a PDF file. 

PowerPoint Accessibility Resources:

• Consult the Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility documentation.  
• Learn more about checking your PowerPoint for accessibility while you work.  

Refer to the Core Skills for Digital Accessibility when creating digital Word documents:

• Headings
  • Use built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) to create a logical structure.
  • Ensure heading levels follow a hierarchical order (no skipping levels, e.g., H1 → H2 → H3).
  • If possible (based on your style guide), make headings visually different (using font, size or orientation on the page)
• Alternative Text
  • Add alternative text (alt text) for all meaningful images, charts, and graphics.
  • Mark decorative images as decorative (no alt text needed).
  • Ensure complex visuals (e.g., charts) have a text explanation or data table alternative.
  • Images Tutorial
• Color Contrast
  • Maintain sufficient color contrast (minimum ratio: 4.5:1 between text and background).
  • Avoid using color alone to convey meaning (e.g., “items in red are required”).
  • AU Color Accessibility Chart
• Links
  • Use descriptive link text (e.g., “View the annual report” instead of “Click here”).
  • Avoid URLs as linked text, when possible.
  • Ensure bookmarks, hyperlinks, and cross-references work correctly.
  • Add a table of contents generated from headings for easy navigation.
• Lists
  • Use built-in bulleted or numbered lists (not manual symbols).
  • Numbered lists are used for ordered items
  • Bulleted listed are used for items that order is not important.
• Tables
  • Create simple tables—avoid merged or split cells when possible.
  • Include header rows in tables and repeat them on each page if the table spans multiple pages (check Header Row under Table Design)
  • If table has a Header column, check First column under Table Design.
  • Provide a table summary, heading or caption that describes its purpose.
• Text Readability
  • Use clear, readable fonts (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Verdana) with at least 11+pt size.
  • Use bold or italics sparingly
  • Avoid all caps for long sections.
  • Select colors with sufficient contrast to s upport individual with vision loss and reading disorders.

Ensure content flows logically from top to bottom

• Maintain a logical reading order (especially in multi-column layouts).
• Avoid using text boxes or floating elements that can disrupt reading order.
• Use page breaks and paragraph spacing, not repeated keyboard returns (i.e. hitting the Enter key multiple times) for spacing.

Use built-in Header/Footer tools to ensure screen readers can identify them.

• Headers and Footers are only visible in the Print Layout view and the Print Preview.
• Screen readers do not scan Headers and Footers. 

Document Properties (Metadata) should be added.

• Add a meaningful document title:
  • Word on a Windows computer (File → Info → Properties → Title).
  • Word on a Mac (File → Properties → Summary and enter the Title in the field).
• Include author, subject, and keywords for context and searchability.
• Check language settings so screen readers use the correct pronunciation.

Accessibility Checker

• Run Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker (Review → Check Accessibility and review the report). 
• Review and fix all flagged issues before finalizing the document.
• Test with a screen reader (e.g., NVDA, JAWS), if possible.

Export to PDF

• Use Save As, Export As, or PDF tool to export PDF.
• Do not use “Print to PDF”, this will delete all the accessibility work you have done in Word when converted to PDF. The accessibility tags will not generate in PDF using this method.
• Check your PDF’s Accessibility Tags Tree for errors.