Accessible Document Design for Beginners

1Key 1: Provide document properties

Always assign document properties. If you removed the file from the file structure, could people easily tell what it contains?

• Make it easy for people to find what they need.
• Save the file with a descriptive name to identify it among many and make its purpose clear.

2Key 2: Use styles, not text tools

Use styles to create headings

Assistive technology cannot infer meaning from bold or underlined text, or even from font size. Built-in styles let assistive tech convey text to a reader quickly and accurately.

Heading levels matter

• Your title is Heading 1 (H1), or the Title style.
• Every major heading is Heading 2 (H2).
• You can create true subheadings for subsections: Heading 3 nests under Heading 2, and so on.

People using screen readers can move through headings to find relevant content and return to it. Levels set the reading order.

Use styles for emphasis too

Use the Strong style instead of the bold text tool. It makes your text bold and signals to assistive tech that it is emphasized. Modify styles to match style guides, other documents, or your preferences.

Make accessible paragraphs

Add space by setting paragraph spacing, not by pressing Enter.

1. In paragraph formatting, set Space After paragraphs to 14 pt.
2. To start a new paragraph, press Enter just once.
3. For a new line within a paragraph (better layout), press Shift + Enter—a soft return.

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3Key 3: Use only simple, accessible tables

These steps build a table everyone can navigate, with perceivable information in every cell. You cannot make complex tables accessible in Word. “Complex” tables contain merged cells, split cells, more than one level of headers, or tables within tables.

Always take these two actions

1. Build the table in your document—don’t paste a picture of one.
2. Mark your headers. Use the Table Design tab and check Header Row for your top row. If your left column also labels each row, check First Column too.

Design around your data: if the data is complex, split it up. Turn one complicated table into several simple tables, each with its own clear headers.

A table must be a perfect grid

• Every row has the same number of cells.
• Every column has the same number of cells.
• Every cell has data—no empty cells.

Avoid blank rows or columns

Empty rows and columns can make a screen reader think the table has ended, so it stops reading.

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4Key 4: Pair accessible images with text

Use visuals wisely

Strong visuals make your message clearer. Build in four habits:

• Use it with purpose. Every visual should make a point clearer, not just fill space.
• Keep it simple. Remove clutter so the main message stands out.
• Don’t rely on color alone. Pair color with labels, shapes, or text.
• Add alt text. Describe each image so screen readers can share it.

Insert images with built-in tools, not copy and paste

Insert > Pictures keeps the image in line with the text and lets you add real alt text. Copy and paste can lose the description or float the image out of order, and that broken order can follow into a tagged PDF when you export.

Combine related graphics into one object

If images belong together, group them into one object. Readers get one clear description instead of many pieces. For a complex chart, a few lines of alt text can’t explain everything—also give the key information as plain text nearby.

Set images to wrap “In Line with Text”

Floating or fixed images aren’t tied to the text beside them, so a screen reader can lose track of where they belong. “In line” keeps each image in the reading flow, so readers hear its alt text where it makes sense.

Avoid text boxes and images of text

Don’t trap words in a box or a picture.

• Images of text: the words won’t be read aloud, resize cleanly, or show up in a search.
• Text boxes: they float above the text layer, so a screen reader reads right past them. For callouts and labels, set off normal text with borders and shading instead.

Provide alt text for every image

Add alternative text to shapes, pictures, charts, SmartArt, and other objects, so a screen reader can describe what they show. Ask yourself why you used the image: if it carries meaning—including a mood or feeling—describe that meaning. If it doesn’t, mark the image decorative.

Writing great alt text

Write alt text and captions in plain language—clear, brief, and meaningful. Compare these descriptions of the same chart:

Not useful “A bar chart showing health plan enrollment from 2020 to 2026.”

Better “Enrollment in the high-deductible plan rose from 1,200 employees in 2020 to 4,500 in 2026. It’s now the most-chosen option.”

Another example, for an emissions chart:

Not useful “A bar chart showing emission levels from 1990 to 2050.”

Better “Greenhouse gas emissions peaked at 110 million metric tons in 2000; Washington’s caps aim to cut them to 5 million by 2050.”

The better version gives the reader the point of the image, not just its type.

Practice: summarize an image

A good summary is 1–3 short sentences that carry the meaning—the point a reader needs, not every detail. Aim for about 125 characters or fewer. Start from the facts in the data table, decide what matters, and say it plainly.

Two versions are below. Use the one that matches your course. Each has a visual map, the data behind it, and a prompt. Jump to Department of Ecology or Open enrollment.

Version A—Department of Ecology: county drought status

Write your summary of the drought map, using the data above as your source. Ask yourself: what is the overall picture, and is there an exception worth naming?

Version B—Open enrollment: health plan by county

Write your summary of the enrollment map, using the data above as your source. Ask yourself: what is the overall picture, and is there an exception worth naming?

Adding alt text in Word

1. Right-click the image.
2. Select “View Alt Text” from the menu.
3. In the Alt Text pane, write 1–3 short sentences that describe the image in a useful, brief way.

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5Key 5: Check color, contrast, and sensory cues

Color and sensory cues

For all users, for all use of color:

• Never rely on color to convey meaning. Duplicate the meaning with words.
• Symbols may reinforce the words but should never stand alone to convey meaning.
• Check all warnings and danger notices—anything that could lead to harm or loss if missed.

Ensure strong contrast between text and background

Check every text-and-background pairing with a free, easy contrast checker. Sentient Learning made one aligned to your standards: Sentient Learning color and contrast checker (sentient-learning.com/color-contrast-checker). Aim for at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

A word of warning: areas of silence

Vital elements never go in watermarks, headers, or footers. Assistive technology can pass over those areas, so anything essential—including classification and distribution authorization—must live in the main content.

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