Creating accessible documents in microsoft word 2016. The fastest and easiest way to make sure your pdf is accessible is to run the accessibility checker first. Word 20 windows version now that your word document has. This is the most important step in making your document readable by. Creating accessible documents in microsoft word answers. It is possible to create an accessible form in ms word, but if your ultimate format will be pdf, it is best to add the form elements after converting to pdf. By default this produces a pdf that preserves the documents. Word to pdf convert your doc to pdf for free online. When creating an accessible pdf, it works best to start with an accessible document such as a word document and then convert to pdf using adobe acrobat pro. This will help ensure that the pdf is accessible as possible, and will make it easier to update the document moving forward. To benefit the most from this guide, you should be familiar with many of the common word processing features of microsoft word 20. Create accessible pdfs from microsoft word documents. See how to create accessible pdf documents for tips on accessible pdfs. Starting with an accessible word document, a goal when exporting to pdf is do so in a way that preserves the accessibility features of the word document, including heading structure, alternate text for images, and markup that explicitly identifies lists, tables, document language, and other content that is important for accessibility.
What is the correct way to handle footnotes when looking toward the 10417058. Create accessible pdf files new york state education. Prior to conversion, run the microsoft word accessibility checker to ensure the document is free of accessibility errors. Text wrapping is a useful feature in word, but to be accessible, text wrap must be set to in line with text instead of wrapping the text around the image. The accessibility of these pdfs typically depends on the program or code creating the file. Accessible word, pdfs, powerpoint and excel documents we create and correct documents to increase access for people with a disability, especially for people who are blind or have low vision. Accessible pdf documents pdf documents are widely used due to their compatibility across multiple platforms. An accessible pdf can be as good or better than an accessible word document depending on needs.
Post documents as pdfs because they are more accessible than word documents. Make your word documents accessible to people with. Creating accessible pdf documents university of nevada, reno. How to create accessible word documents web access. Take a few moments to get acquainted with these steps to ensure that forms you create are fully accessible to everyone. Such protections must be removed prior to conversion. Creating accessible ms word documents explore access. By using the builtin features within word, you can avoid many of the common accessibility mistakes. Many faculty prefer to put documents online as pdfs, though. Use styles in word to format the text in the document. This action will convert the document into one large imagelosing all text and accessible features.
When you save a word file as pdf, there are a few steps you can take to ensure that your pdf file retains the accessibility features you. Microsoft word is a commonlyused application among individuals with a variety of disabilities, and is reasonably accessible. Check each of the following topics to create an accessible powerpoint using office 365. We can apply accessibility techniques to your word, pdf and html documents. Converting to pdf many word documents end up as pdf files.
Microsoft word to pdf accessibility for online course content. Making documents accessible disability support resources. Converting a microsoft word document to an accessible pdf. If you take a proactive approach toward accessibility and design your documents correctly in word, then the repair work in the pdf may be. Creating accessible documents in microsoft word microsoft word is a commonlyused application among individuals with a variety of disabilities, and is reasonably accessible. The best way to make an accessible pdf from a word document is to use the acrobat ribbon that is installed when you install acrobat pro. When saving your microsoft word document to a pdf, be sure to check best for electronic distribution and accessibility in the save as pane.
Publishing accessible documents how to publish on gov. Adobe acrobat will import accessibility attributes, such as document language, headings, alt text and table properties, upon conversion. Once youve addressed any issues found by the accessibility checker, office will use that information to create accessibility tags in the pdf. Microsoft word to pdf accessibility for online course. As of word 2011, it is unfortunately not yet possible to export to accessible pdf from a mac. At successful course completion participants will be able to explain the importance of creating accessible documents and perform the steps necessary to create accessible word documents. Annual report pdf annual report doc partners for inclusive communities. This guide will focus on making a microsoft word document accessible. An easy way to make an accessible pdf document is to make an accessible word document and save it as a pdf. Microsoft word 2007 adobe acrobat ribbon and group show or activate pdfmaker in microsoft word if you dont see the pdf toolbar buttons in microsoft word, you must show or activate the pdf toolbar. For steps, see creating accessible documents in microsoft word starting with an accessible word document, a goal when exporting to pdf is do so in a way that preserves the accessibility features of the word document, including heading structure, alternate text for. Quick start guide howto instructions from microsoft. See options below for pdf files regarding image over texttext over image.
Similarly, any content requiring mathematical symbols or formulae will be more accessible to screen readers in word if the. Mar 19, 2019 commonlook office is a plugin for word and powerpoint that will take you step by step through your document to address and fix any accessibility issues it finds and then, as the last step, itll create a fully tagged, 100% accessible pdf. Accessible word documents microsoft word provides many builtin features that help make documents accessible. A pdf is a graphical file that is an exact image of the document originally created by another application e. Accessible word, pdfs, powerpoint and excel documents. The first step in creating an accessible pdf from microsoft word is to ensure that the original word document is accessible. In that case, you will need to convert your word document into an accessible pdf portable document format. Make accessible pdf files with adobe acrobat xi pro. Creating accessible pdfs using microsoft word 5 creating accessible tables 5081194. For example, create an accessible pdf when needing to keep content from a scientific paper in its original format or when you need students to fill out a fillable form. How to create accessible word documents fresno unified web.
Make sure that you have the right version of acrobat for your version of word. You only need to convert your word document to an accessible pdf when part of the learning objective is based on how the document is formatted. Creating pdfs with these programs will also save you a lot of time, compared to editing your pdf directly in a pdf editing program like adobe acrobat pro. It is recommended to use microsoft word or adobe indesign to create your pdf documents, as these programs allow you to save your original document to an accessible pdf format. Some accessibility will carry over from word to pdf. As explained in the overview of accessible documents, tables can be very difficult for screen reader users to understand unless they include markup that explicitly defines the relationships between all the parts e. To use the templates from word, excel, or powerpoint, just search for accessible templates in the search for online templates box. If you have a different version of word, you can locate the appropriate instructions on the webaim website by using the link provided above.
Word has limitations when it comes to making tables accessible. I am tagging a pdf document so that it can be fully accessible and 508 compliant. Use one of the following methods to show or activate pdfmaker. Create accessible pdfs using microsoft office this page also contains links to training and demo videos. Creating an accessible microsoft word document web. Go to file save as and select pdf from the choices provided. How to make hyperlinks accessible this module explains how to make an old word document readable by assistive technology, such as screen readers. Authoring and evaluation features that make it easier to create accessible documents. To make an accessible pdf document, start by creating an accessible document in microsoft word and then use save as to convert it to a pdf.
Then save the word document as a tagged, accessible pdf document. Consider accessibility before you convert a document to pdf. This document will focus on developing a pdf form from an original microsoft word document. For this documentation, we will be using microsoft word to produce an accessible pdf. Word also offers the accessibility checker that locates elements that might cause problems for people with disabilities. Commonlook office is a plugin for word and powerpoint that will take you step by step through your document to address and fix any accessibility issues it finds and then, as the last step, itll create a fully tagged, 100% accessible pdf. For steps, see creating accessible documents in microsoft word starting with an accessible word document, a goal when exporting to pdf is do so in a way that preserves the accessibility features of the word document, including heading structure. This way, the speech synthesizer software will read the table in a manner. In line with text sets the imageobject reading order in relation to the text. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you provide more accessible microsoft word documents for your. Use an outside resource to create an online flipbook see the comparison chart to determine which option might work best for. If you will be exporting word documents into pdf format, do as much work as possible in word first before exporting to pdf.
Save microsoft word file as accessible pdf teaching innovation. Pdf portable document format is an open standard for formatting documents. Using the correct pdf creation choice can make all the difference. Creating accessible documents in microsoft word accessible. Save microsoft word file as accessible pdf teaching. There are some simple design principles and steps to take in writing word documents to make sure that everyone can access them. An accessible word document does not allow for anchored images or objects. Apr 17, 2019 an accessible word document does not allow for anchored images or objects. If you have changed a word document into a pdf, the pdf will be as accessible as the word document it was created from, which is usually at least readable, but it may have reading order problems or lack headings.
Below are a few important steps to start making your word documents accessible. Pdf creates files that look the same when printed as when exchanged electronically. What is the standard for handling footnotes when tagging a. Color contrast for word documents meets accessibility guidelines for text, styles, and objects by default. Adding accessibility tags to pdf files makes it easier for screen readers and other assistive technologies to read and navigate a document, with tables of. When you share a pdf file, almost everyone can read it using free adobe reader software or the adobe reader mobile app. Assigning headings in documents is an important accessibility feature. Both formats are rather cumbersome when it comes to creating forms. Weissenberger, university of iowa microsoft word is one of the most popular applications in the world, widely used to create worksheets, articles, syllabi, and other documents.
One of the top complaints from students who use screen readers is that their courses have pdf files that arent accessible. You can take a perfectly structured word document, print to pdf and end up with an untagged and completely inaccessible pdf. Word 20 windows version now that your word document has been checked, you are ready to save it as a pdf. This handson workshop covers the process of creating accessible documents in microsoft word. This topic gives you stepbystep instructions to make your word documents accessible to people with disabilities. There are issues saving from word for mac in an accessible format. It shows how to remove the old formatting, so that you are able to apply new, accessible styles and formatting. How to create 508 compliant adobe pdf documents dau.
However, in order for word documents to be fully accessible, authors must follow the core principles. In the article contents you will find links to various versions of word for windows and mac. The make accessible action walks you through the steps required to make a pdf. At a high level, the process of creating accessible pdfs consists of a few basic stages. Creating accessible pdfs from microsoft word accessible. Creating a pdf from microsoft word begins with creating an accessible word document. Accessible word document office 2019 pdf document structure styleheadings headings.
Word 2010 for windows creating accessible documents. To begin, drag and drop your doc or docx file in the word to pdf converter. To check accessibility of a document in word, follow these steps. Creating accessible documents assistive technology. How to create accessible word documents fresno unified. Learn the fundamentals of how to create accessible word and pdf documents in this highly interactive computerbased workshop. Word has the advantages of user familiarity and more flexiblereliable inbuilt texttospeech from office 2010 onwards. Read more on converting a word document to accessible pdf in webaims acrobatpdf article.
Accessible pdf documents south dakota state university. The text within word documents can be read by assistive technologies such as screen readers and braille devices. If you receive a pdf that is untagged, or where the tag structure is incomplete or incorrect, it is usually best to return to the source document, make the necessary accessibility repairs, and then recreate the pdf. Also, word itself has some accessibility issues for example with tables and how theyre read but these issues can be fixed in the pdf. Make sure to use heading styles in word rather than just making the font larger or bold to look like a heading. Advocate for the use of authoring tools and document converters that enable users to easily create accessible documents.
Accessible pdf remediation 247 accessible documents. Making fillable forms accessible for screen readers. While the accessibility of these pdfs also depends on the programs used, the person who creates and converts the file has great control over the outcome. As needed, add fillable form fields and descriptions, and set the tab order. Creating accessible documents word and pdfs disability. You can create an accessible word document in word 2011, but if you ultimately need to export the document to pdf that final step must be taken in windows. Even if you generate an accessible pdf file from an authoring application such a word processor or desktop publishing program, you should then follow the steps in this guide in order to identify any items that may have been missed in the initial conversion, or to add pdf accessibility features that were not provided by the authoring tool. Content must be properly tagged so that a screen reader can know what kind of information the content. Suitable for anyone who uses microsoft office and adobe acrobat dc, well teach you how to ensure your digital documents are accessible to everyone, including people with disability or impairment. Publish your document as an accessible word, excel, or powerpoint document. Word to accessible pdfs pdf accessibility and compliance. If the source document is unavailable, you can use acrobat to convert a pdf back to a word, excel, or powerpoint file. Click here to learn about accessible documents use this. When designing a document, it is important to use styles to ensure correct.
If youre creating a pdf by scanning a paper document, use optical character recognition ocr to make the pdf accessible to screen reader users. Pdf forms most pdf forms start in another file format, such as microsoft word, quarkxpress, or indesign, etc. Accessible pdf files can be created without installing the adobe acrobat addin. Accessible document practices in microsoft word todd m. Pdf forms can also be developed from scratch within adobe designer. Word has many features builtin that help people with different abilities to read and author documents. Using adobe acrobat pro, you can take the following steps to improve the accessibility of an existing document. The core principles outlined here apply to all document types, but the individual steps may vary depending on which tool you are using to create your document. Once the save is complete, it should open in adobe acrobat pro.
Guide to the essentials of creating accessible pdfs with. Adobe acrobat x accessibility accessible pdf from microsoft word 11 figure 14. Creating accessible documents the steps in this procedure were put together using word 20 on windows. Pdf accessibility guide state center community district. If the text in your pdf is an image and not selectable text, convert it to text.
Cite examples of ms word features that will create better pdf documents. Before yu activate the save button, activate the options button and make sure that headings are used for bookmarks. Pdf accessibility converting documents to pdfs webaim. Once you have an accessible word document, export it to a pdf in a way that preserves the accessibility features of the document. If you have the option to create your forms in html, this is an easier and more accessible option. Click the check for issues button, then check accessibility. Before saving, select options and ensure that the document structure tags for accessibility option is selected.