Accessibility is crucial to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand your content. When you are sharing documents, it’s even more important to consider accessibility first.
Here are five strategies to make your documents more accessible.
1. Use Clear and Simple Language
Clear and simple language reduces mental effort, improves accessibility, and appeals to a larger audience.
How can I incorporate clear and simple language into my documents?
Incorporate clear and simple language into your documents by:
- Avoiding jargon and complex sentence structures
- Using short sentences and paragraphs.
- Using active voice instead of passive voice.
What tools can help me write with clear and simple language?
Here are three tools to help you get started:
- Hemingway Editor: This tool highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and adverbs, encouraging you to simplify your writing.
- Grammarly: While primarily a grammar checker, Grammarly can also suggest ways to simplify your language and improve readability.
- Readable: This tool provides readability scores and suggests ways to improve your writing’s clarity.
2. Use Headings and Subheadings
Using create a clear and well-structured headings and subheadings makes your document a breeze to navigate and read.
How can I incorporate headings and subheadings into my documents?
Incorporate headings and subheadings into your documents by:
- Using a logical hierarchy to organize your headings from the most general to the most specific.
- Using clear and concise headings that accurately reflect the content of the section.
- Using a consistent style, including font size, font weight, and spacing
- Tagging your headings as heading using your word processors built-in styles.
What tools can help me add headings and subheadings into my documents?
Take some time to learn how to use the following tools in your preferred document editor:
- Built-in Heading Styles: the built-in heading styles automatically format your headings and create a table of contents.
- Outline View: this view allows you to organize your document hierarchically, making it easy to see the structure of your headings and subheadings.
3. Use Descriptive Alt Text for Images
Descriptive alt text makes images accessible to people with visual impairments by providing a textual description of images. In documents, images must have descriptive alt text or be marked as artifacts.
How do I incorporate alt text into my documents?
Incorporate alt text into your documents by:
- Providing descriptive alternative text for all images using the document editors image properties tools.
- Describing the image content and its purpose.
- Avoiding using generic descriptions like “Image of a person.”
- Providing long descriptions within the text for complex images.
What tools can help me write descriptive alt text?
Writing effective alt text requires careful consideration and human judgment. The best approach is to consider the image’s context and purpose and write a concise, descriptive, and accurate alt text.
- Use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to generate an image description, then edit as needed to fit your content’s purpose and context.
- Review the Describing Complex Images series available on Webguide for additional tips and tricks
4. Test Your Documents
Lastly, you should always test your documents for accessibility using automated tools and assistive technology.
How do I incorporate accessibility testing into my documents?
Incorporate accessibility testing by:
- Using accessibility testing tools within your document editor’s platform to identify and fix accessibility issues.
- Planning enough time to complete accessibility testing and reviews.
- Reviewing your documents with assistive technology users.
- Using a screen reader to experience your document from a user’s perspective.
What tools can help me complete accessibility testing?
The following tools can help you get started with accessibility testing:
- MS Accessibility Checker – built into every Microsoft Office product, the accessibility checker can quickly help you identify
- Grackle – this Google Suite Add-on provides accessibility scans for your Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets.
- Adobe PDF Accessibility Checker – this tool available in Adobe Pro can help you identify potential barriers in your PDF documents
5. Provide Alternative Formats
Tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro DC can help you create accessible PDFs but this approach may require specialized and knowledge for content creators.
Even if a PDF is fully accessible, there can still be barriers for readers who use assistive technology like screen readers.
How do I provide alternative formats of my documents?
Provide users with the most access to your content by offering alternative formats of your documents, such as:
- HTML webpages of content – either locate the HTML version of a document or create it using a web publishing platform
- Plain text versions of documents
- Audio or video transcripts if appropriate
What tools can help me create alternative formats of my documents?
Consider the following tools to help you get started:
- WordPress – if your content is going on BoiseState.edu, you can use WordPress to publish a web alternative. See Webguide: Shifting from Print to Digital
- Canvas – if you are publishing content within Canvas, consider adding adding the content to the Canvas editor or linking to a web alternative if one is available.
- Explore exporting options – depending on the tool you are using to create your documents, you may be able to export as another accessible format.
Take Action
Visit the Take Action page for even more ways you can make your content accessible for all!