Recipe for Creating Accessible Word Documents

Cooking with Carolyn

Learn how to create an accessible Word

document

Why? PDFs cannot be the sole source of presenting

online information (unless they have been remediated)

By default, PDFs are not accessible (and are difficult and time-intensive to make accessible)

Must provide PDF content in an alternative, accessible format (i.e. web page or Word document)

What’s the purpose of seminar?

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National Federation of the Blind (NFB) filed a

federal complaint against Penn State Settlement specifies what actions need to be

taken to remedy the situation

Accessibility: Hot Topic at PSU

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Information needs to be accessible to

everyone Provides benefits to everyone (those with and

without disabilities) Examples:

Curb cuts (navigation in physical world) Document headings (navigation in electronic

world)

Why is accessibility important?

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Content must be accessible so that it works

with a variety of products, such as: Assistive technologies (e.g. screen readers) Mobile devices Web browsers, etc.

Demonstration of a screen reader (used by those with visual impairments) View demo file

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Access to Information

Create accessible:

Headings Images Tables Charts Hyperlinks List Items

Use the Accessibility Checker Choose Word settings to create “accessible”

PDF

What we’ll learn today…

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Download and save exercise:

http://behrend.psu.edu/exercisefiles

OR

http://psbehrend.psu.edu/intranet/computer-center/exercise-files/exercise-files-for-training

Perform exercise

Exercise

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See last page in hand-out

Other resources: Web Resources for Content Editors PDFs and Alternative Formats

Best Practices and Resources

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Check the event calendar at Penn State’s

accessibility web site: http://accessibility.psu.edu/event

Other Training

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Seminars\HowToGuides\Accessibility-OfficeDocs\CreatingAccessibleWordDocs.pptx\07.23.14

Contact Carolyn Dudas (ddz@psu.edu, ext. 6458)

Questions?

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