Getting Started

Creating accessible documents doesn’t have to be stressful. Taking it step by step and watching for common accessibility barriers can make the process more manageable. Use the process below to assist you in creating accessible documents.

  • Plan a Heading Structure

    All document content should have a logical heading structure. A logical heading structure should outline your main topic, its subsections, and more specific sections. Think of a document heading structure like a map. For instance:

    1. Distance Education - country (Heading 1)
      1. Getting Support - state (Heading 2)
        1. Contact Information - county (Heading 3)
        2. After Hours - county (Heading 3)
      2. Canvas - state (Heading 2)
      3. Resources - state (Heading 2)

    Use these general guidelines when creating a heading structure:

    • Documents should only have 1 heading 1 - country.
    • You can have as many heading 2s as you need, and as many heading 3s as you need per heading 2. Similarly, in a country, you can have as many states as you need, and as many counties as you need per state.
    • Headings should not be duplicated, unless they are heading 3s or lower and under different heading 2s. Similarly, 2 states may have counties that are named the same, but 2 states cannot be named the same or 2 counties in a state cannot be named the same.
    • Keep all content in a section related. Similarly, do not put a county in the wrong state.
    • Heading levels should not be skipped. Similarly, a country would not have a multitude of counties without any states.

    When creating a heading structure, it should always feel intuitive, so users have an easier time navigating and accessing content.

  • Ensure High Contrasting Colors

    Users with visual impairments may have a difficult time reading low contrasting colors. For instance, red on green or yellow on white. Because of this, you should always ensure that your text and background meet sufficient color contrast requirements. You can do this by using WebAIM's Color Contrast Checker.

    This applies to images of text, true text, graphs, charts, tables, etc.

  • Ensure Alternative Text for Images is Sufficient

    Images can either be decorative or informative. Decorative images are either background elements, visually appealing elements, or redundant elements. If the information in the images is already in nearby text, it does not need alternative text - it can be marked as decorative.

    The best way to determine if your alternative text is sufficient is by reading the nearby text and only the alternative text of the image. If there is missing information that is still in the image, then it needs to be in the alternative text or in the nearby text. For instance, if you are placing an image of a flyer in an email with alternative text "flyer" with no other context, it tells a user relying on assistive technology nothing. The flyer would require an accessible file type or text nearby that contains all of the text in the image.

  • Use Sufficient Font Size

    Documents should contain a minimum font size of 11 or 12 so it is easier to read. Anything below 11 can be challenging to read for users with vision impairments.

    Heading 1 should be the largest text on the document. Heading 2s should be smaller than Heading 1, so on and so forth, but not to where a heading level is smaller than the paragraph text.

  • Provide Descriptive Link Text

    Descriptive links guide users by clearly explaining what they’ll learn when they access the site. Instead of general phrases like “click here” or “link,” choose text that describes the destination.

    Good Examples:

    Bad Examples:

  • Testing your Document

    To Test your document:

    • Use a screen reader to read the document and use the hot keys to ensure that your content is semantic. Some hot keys for NVDA include:
      • H - next heading
      • K - next link
      • L - next list
      • I - next list item
      • T - next table
    • Navigate using only the tab key on your keyboard to test links, buttons, and forms.