Accessible Document Basics
Start here if you want to learn the basics of how to create accessible documents, and how to check your own documents to ensure that they鈥檙e accessible using built-in document accessibility checkers.
But before that鈥� Have you attended our Equal Access: Creating Accessible Digital Documents training yet? This training session covers accessibility features of 鈥� and best practices for 鈥� PDFs, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, and includes hands-on practice. It鈥檚 open to students, staff, and faculty.
Register for Creating Accessible Digital Documents
Below are some fundamental accessibility features and best practices that are common across most types of documents, and where to find them in most document editing programs. Additionally, most documents can be checked for accessibility during the creation process, which you can find in the 鈥淎ccessibility Checkers鈥� section.
ALT TEXT
Definition:
ALT TEXT is detailed, hidden information for assistive technology users that explains what images look like for those who cannot see them. Images that provide meaningful information or context to a document and aid in its understanding should be given alt text. Images that are used purely for decoration such as borders or separators that are only used to make the document more visually appealing should be marked as decorative.
How to add alt text:
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Method 1
- Right-click on the image
- Select 鈥淓dit Alt Text鈥︹€� from the context menu
- Enter a brief description of the image in the box provided, OR
- Mark the image as 鈥渄ecorative鈥� if the image only adds decoration to the page and is not informative
Method 2
- Click on the image
- Select the 鈥淧icture Format鈥� tab that appears in the top menu
- Select the 鈥淎lt Text鈥� button to enter the image鈥檚 alt text or mark it as decorative
Adobe Acrobat
Method 1
- Open the Accessibility toolbar What if I don鈥檛 see the Accessibility toolbar?
- Select 鈥淪et Alternate Text鈥�
- Follow the on-screen prompts to provide all images in the document with alt text, or mark them as decorative
Method 2
- Open the Accessibility toolbar What if I don鈥檛 see the Accessibility toolbar?
- Select 鈥淩eading Order鈥�
- Right-click on the image
- Select 鈥淓dit Alternate Text鈥︹€� from the context menu
- Add an alt text description to the image or mark it as decorative
Tips:
- Alt text descriptions should be limited to 1-2 brief sentences. Longer descriptions should be placed as text on the page itself, or linked to in an Appendix or external source.
- Phrases such as 鈥淚mage of鈥︹€� or 鈥淧icture of鈥︹€� are unnecessary unless they provide extra context for correctly understanding the image (e.g., 鈥淧encil sketch of鈥︹€� or 鈥淥il painting of鈥︹€�).
- Think about how you would describe an image as if you were explaining it to someone over the phone. What details are the most important? What would help them to best understand what the image is conveying? Is it providing information, eliciting an emotion, or simply decorating the page?