Accessible Documents
All electronic documents—including word processing documents, PDFs, presentations, publications, and spreadsheets—created or distributed by SLCC employees must be accessible. Follow a few basic steps to ensure that your document is readable by individuals with disabilities. Accessible documents should contain:
Headings
Headings and subheadings should to be identified using the built-in heading features of the authoring tool. This enables screen reader users to understand how the page is organized and to quickly navigate to content of interest. Most screen readers have features that enable users to jump quickly between headings with a single keystroke.
Alternative text for images
Alternative text describes the content of the images for screen readers. Users unable to see images depend on authors to supplement images with alternative text. If images are purely decorative and contain no informative content, they do not require a description. However, they may still require specific markup so screen readers know to skip them.
Self-describing links
When creating a hyperlink in your document, use text that describes what users will see when they click on it. Never use "Click Here," "Here," or long URLs.
Examples of good link text:
Examples of bad link text:
- Click here for a list of Accessibility articles
- http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/noClickHere
- SLCC Accessibility homepage
Screen reader users can pull up a list of links on a page and navigate through that list. The link text should be able to stand alone independently of its context. Links like "click here" and "more" are meaningless out of context.
Lists
Content organized as a list should be created using the list controls that are provided in document authoring software. Most authoring tools provide one or more controls for adding bulleted or numbered lists. When lists are explicitly created as lists, this helps screen readers understand how the content is organized. When screen reader users enter a list, their screen reader informs them that they're on a list and may also inform them of how many items are in the list.
Why do documents need to be accessible?
Print disabilities can include visual impairment such as blindness or low vision, as well as learning and reading disabilities. Additionally, physical disabilities can make it difficult to hold a book or turn pages. Individuals with print disabilities frequently rely upon a screen reader to read text on the screen. Other ways of accessing content can include screen magnification software and alternative mouse and keyboard input devices, along with adjustments such as changing screen colors and increasing contrast.
Electronic text in a computer file or on a web page is accessible to people with print disabilities as long as simple accessibility standards are followed.
Online training
Watch an online training video to learn about creating accessible content using headings, lists, links, and media.
Other issues to consider
Tables
Tables in documents are useful for communicating relationships between data, especially where those relationship are best expressed in a matrix of rows and columns. Tables should not be used to control layout.
If your data can be presented in a bulleted or numbered list, use a list format instead of a table. If your data is best presented in a table, try to keep the table simple. If the table is complex, consider whether you could divide it into multiple smaller tables with a heading above each.
Be sure to clearly identify column and row headers in your tables.
Colors
People who are color-blind or have low vision or other print disabilities may not be able to perceive certain colors. Information should not be conveyed solely through color; text, shapes, patterns, or other visual indicators should be used in addition to color to convey information. Color should provide sufficient contrast.