web accessibility standards for word documentsmams.rmit.edu.au/sxj03wkc2fz7.docx · web viewweb...

Web Accessibility Standards for Word Documents

IntentArticulate the standards and techniques for producing accessibility-compliant documents of this

type.

Who uses this documentWeb Editors

Web accessibility standards for word processor documents and templatesThe minimum standard is WCAG 2.0 Level AA plus Success Criteria 1.4.8-9, 2.4.9-10, 3.1.3-6, plus the recommended practices for creating word processor documents and templates.

When to use this format onlineDo not use this format online unless it is:

Not possible to present the information as a web page

A template for downloading

A draft document for others to review or edit and there is no shared folder available on a

network drive. Restrict access to those who need to review or edit the document

Course material – but note that using non-web formats online may create accessibility

problems for some students. You may need to provide an accessible alternative.

How to prepare files in this formatUse Microsoft Office 2010 to create and check documents.

This version includes an Accessibility Checker tool.

Evaluation process and checklist

Purpose To ensure accessibility compliance of all word processor documents published online.

Responsibility Creators and maintainers of word processor documents and templates

When to use Before:

Distributing word processor templates.

Publishing word processor documents online.

If the document has already been published, download a copy to

check.

Methods and tools Visual check: look at the document to see if the checkpoint has been met.

Editorial review: read and evaluate the content to see if it complies with the checkpoint.

Use Word menu: follow the menu steps listed.

Evaluation tools:

Microsoft Office 2010 with Accessibility Checker

MS Word with readability statistics tool enabled:

File > Options > Proofing > Show readability statistics (runs at end

of spell checker)

Black and white printer

Colour contrast analyser (The Paciello Group)

1. Using the appropriate method, check the resource against each design checkpoint listed

below.

2. In the result column, note if the document passed the checkpoint by circling:

Pass

Fail

N/A = not applicable

3. If the resource fails any of the design checkpoints, make the necessary changes or seek

help from a web or multimedia specialist.

http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastAnalyser

GeneralThe document passes the Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker. [ Pass Fail N/A ]

Result Design checkpoint Method WCAG2.0 Success Criterion

Pass

Fail

N/A

Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker reports

that the file has no errors or warnings.

Use Word

menu:

File > Info >

Check for

Issues >

Check

Accessibility

File format, document template and metadataFile is a Word document (DOCX). [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

The document is:

Not able to be published in HTML format,

or

A document template, or

A draft for someone else to review or edit,

or

Course material.

It is best to publish resources online in HTML

format. Publishing a resource in another

format may create accessibility problems for

some users, and you may need to provide an

accessible alternative.

Visual check

Do not create a HTML web page by

converting Word documents to HTML by

using Save As > Web Page (or Web Page,

Filtered). HTML documents must be created

using a specialised web authoring tool.

The RMIT University template has been used to create Word document. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

RMIT University template has been

used.

Use Word menu:

File > Info >

Properties > Show

All Properties >

Template

The file properties contain accurate metadata (Title, Comments, Company, Author). [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

The file properties fields (Title,

Comments, Company, Author) are

descriptive and accurate. The

comments field should contain a

short summary of the document.

Use Word menu:

File > Info > Show

All Properties

2.4.2 Page Titled

Language and grammarDefault language is set to English (Australia). [ Pass Fail N/A ]


http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=hs3gbrli0tsq1

Pass

Fail

N/A

Language is set to English

(Australia)

Use Word menu:

Review > Language

> Language

Preferences…

3.1.1 Language of

page

The language of foreign words/phrases has been set. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Foreign language words/passages

have been specified.

Use Word menu:

Select text. Review

> Language > Set

Proofing

Language…

3.1.2 Language of

Parts

Content is written clearly and concisely using language appropriate for your document’s

audience and purpose. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Content is written clearly and

concisely using language

appropriate for the document’s

audience and purpose. For general

public documents aim for a Flesch-

Kincaid Grade Level between 7 to 9.

Editorial review

plus

Use Word menu:

File > Options >

Proofing > Show

readability statistics

(runs at end of spell

checker)

SC 3.1.3 Unusual

Words,

SC 3.1.5 Reading

Level

Content does not reference other content by position, size or colour alone. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Content is not being described by its

visual characteristics (position, size

or colour) alone. If a visual

characteristic is used, then it is also

referenced by its label or emphasis.

This enables users with a visual

impairment, who cannot see its

visual characteristic, to still be able

to locate the content. For example:

the key concepts in the essay

question have been emphasised in red.

Editorial review SC 1.3.3 Sensory

Characteristics

Acronyms and abbreviations are explained on their first occurrence unless they are common

(e.g., DVD, etc.). [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Acronyms and abbreviations (except

those in common use, e.g. DVD) are

expanded when first used.

Editorial review SC 3.1.4

Abbreviations

Unusual words have been defined inline and/or described in a glossary appendix.

Pronunciation is also provided. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

If jargon, idioms (e.g. Fred kicked

the bucket) or slang has been used it

has been defined inline and/or

Editorial review SC 3.1.3 Unusual

Words

described in a glossary appendix.

Pass

Fail

N/A

Glossary of unusual words contains

English respelling to assist with

pronunciation (e.g. WCAG 2.0 [wuh-

cag two point zero]).

Editorial review SC 3.1.6

Pronunciation

Pass

Fail

N/A

If emoticons (e.g. fright: =8-0 ) or

Leetspeak (e.g. newbie = n00b) is

used it is described in a glossary

slide.

Editorial review SC 1.1.1 Non-text

Content

Document structure (headings and lists)Content is broken up with clear and meaningful headings and sub-headings that are nested

sequentially. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Clear and meaningful headings and

subheadings are used. Headings

accurately describe the content

below.

Editorial review SC 1.3.1 Info and

Relationships,

SC 2.4.6 Headings

and Labels,

SC 2.4.10 Section

Headings

Word’s heading styles have been applied to reflect the document structure. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Heading styles and structure are

used appropriately (e.g. ‘Heading 1’,

‘Heading 2’). Do not create

Visual check plus

Use Word menu:

SC 1.3.2 Meaningful

Sequence,

SC 1.3.3 Sensory

headings by enlarging the font or

using bold.

View > Navigation

Pane

Characteristics,

SC 1.4.1 Use of

Color,

SC 2.4.10 Section

Headings,

SC 3.2.4 Consistent

Identification

Word’s bullet and numbered list styles have been applied correctly. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Lists are styled as ‘List Bullet’ or

‘List Number’ and are nested

correctly (e.g. List Bullet, List Bullet

2, etc.).

Do not use tabs or manually insert

numbers, symbols or images for

visual effect.

Visual check

T2: Using standard

text formatting

conventions for lists

SC1.3.1 Info and

Relationships

Fonts and emphasised textThe body text is 11pt or 12pt Arial font. Use of different font faces/sizes is minimal and no

decorative/italicised/light fonts are used. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

11pt or 12pt Arial is used for the

body text.

Visual check

Pass No more than two font styles are Visual check

Fail

N/A

used. Avoid using too many font

faces and font sizes. One or two font

faces are sufficient for most

documents.

Pass

Fail

N/A

No decorative (e.g. Freestyle Script

or Mystical), or light (e.g. Courier

New) font styles are used.

Visual check

Bold (or UPPERCASE) emphasis is restricted to single words or short phrases.[ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Emphasis is used sparingly (e.g.

single words or short phrases).

Visual check

Pass

Fail

N/A

Emphasis is achieved through bold

formatting or UPPERCASE lettering.

Visual check

Pass

Fail

N/A

Uppercase lettering is used only for

single words or short phrases, not

entire sentences or paragraphs.

Visual check

Italics formatting is used only for citing references. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

Italic formatting is used only for

citing references

Visual check

N/A

Underlining is used only for hyperlinks not for emphasis. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Underlining is used only for

hyperlinks

Visual check

If landscape page orientation is used, no single line of text exceeds 80 characters. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Each line of text is 80 characters or

below.

Use Word menu:

Review > Proofing

> Word Count >

Characters (with

spaces) is 80 or

below.

SC 1.4.8 Visual

Presentation

Alignment and spacingAll headings and body text are left-aligned (no indent on the first line of paragraphs).

Document contains no fully justified text. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

All body text is left-aligned. Visual check SC 1.4.8 Visual

Presentation

Pass

Fail

N/A

All headings are left-aligned. Visual check SC 1.4.8 Visual

Presentation

Pass

Fail

N/A

Document does not contain any fully

justified text.

Visual check SC 1.4.8 Visual

Presentation

Pass

Fail

N/A

First lines in paragraphs are not

indented.


Presentation

Default line spacing (1.5) and paragraph spacing (font x 2.25) has been used. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Line spacing is 1.5. Visual check SC 1.4.8 Visual

Presentation

Pass

Fail

N/A

Paragraph spacing is font x 2.25

(e.g. 11pt font x 2.25 = 25pt).

T1: Using standard text formatting

conventions for paragraphs


Presentation

Pass

Fail

N/A

Paragraph spacing is achieved

through Word styles, not by adding

empty paragraphs.

Do not use blank paragraphs (by

Use Word menu:

Format > Reveal

Formatting

SC 1.4.8 Visual

Presentation

using the Enter or Return key) to

add extra spacing.

or

Click Show/Hide on

the standard toolbar

Colour and contrastThere is a high contrast (4.5:1 or more) between text and background colours and adequate

contrast between colours in charts, graphs and images. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

High contrast colours are used for

text and background. Black text on a

white background is recommended.

Print page in black

and white

Use Colour contrast

analyser (The

Paciello Group) to

ensure

foreground/backgrou

nd colours pass AA.

SC 1.4.3 Contrast

(Minimum)

Pass

Fail

N/A

High contrast colours are used for

tables, graphs or charts.

Print page in black

and white

SC 1.4.3 Contrast

(Minimum)

No background images or watermarks are used. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

No background images or

watermarks are used.

Visual check




Foreground/background text colour (or font) is not used alone to convey meaning.

Colour is used in combination with emphasis (e.g. bold). [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Meaning is conveyed by more than

just colour (e.g. by bold formatting,

text description, or shading/pattern).

Print page in black

and white

SC 1.3.1 Info and

Relationships,

SC 1.4.1 Use of Color

TablesTables have a simple layouts, no complex tables (e.g. nested tables or tables with multiple split

or merged cells) are used.

Result[ Pass Fail

N/A

]Result

Design checkpoint Method WCAG2.0 Success Criterion

Pass

Fail

N/A

Only simple tables are used:

No multiple heading levels

No merged or split cells

Consider using a series of lists

instead of a table.

Visual check SC 1.3.2 Meaningful

Sequence

Tables have been created with the Insert Table option, not with tabs formatting the text into a

table-like layout. Table size is specified using percentages rather than centimetres. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

Tables are formatted using

Word styles, not TABS or drawn

Use Word menu:

N/A lines. Home > Paragraph >

Show/Hide ¶ (Ctrl

Shift 8)

Pass

Fail

N/A

Table sizes are set as

percentages. Do not use Fixed

column width default option.

Use Word menu:

Table Tools > Layout

> Table > Properties

> Preferred width:

Measure in Percent

or


> Cell Size > AutoFit

> AutoFit Window

Table headers are short and descriptive. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Table headers are short and

descriptive.

Visual check

Table headers in the first row/column have been set as Header Row and First Column. They

appear at the top of each page if the table spans more than one page. Shading and colour

alone are not being used to communicate a header row/column. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Where headers are in the first

row/column it is set as a table

header

Use Word menu:

Table Tools > Design

> Table Style Options

> Header Row/First

SC 1.3.1 Info and

Relationships,

SC 1.4.1 Use of Color

Column

and



> Row > Repeat as

header row at the top

of each page

Tables have descriptive table captions that appear above the table. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Table captions provide a

descriptive overview of the table.

They have been inserted above

the table via Right-click > Insert

Caption…

Editorial review SC 1.3.1 Info and

Relationships

Table summary provides an overview of the table data/layout. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Table summary provides an

overview of the table data and

some basic instructions on how

to navigate the table.

For example the summary for a

bus schedule table might be:

“Intersections are listed in row 1.

Find the intersection closest to

your starting point or destination,

then read down that column to

Editorial review

Use Word menu:



> Alt Text >

Description

SC 1.3.1 Info and

Relationships

find out what time the bus

leaves that intersection. Service

begins at 4:00 AM and ends at

midnight.”

If a table has been used for layout the reading order is correct when read left to right, top to

bottom. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Y

N

NA

Reading order of layout tables

(left to right, top to bottom)

matches the visual reading

order.

Visual check SC 1.3.2 Meaningful

Sequence

ColumnsSingle column layout is used. [ Pass Fail N/A ]

Result

N/A

]Result


Y

N

NA

Single column layout is used.

Multi-column is only allowed

where absolutely necessary.

Visual check

Column formatting (not tables, tabs or text boxes) has been correctly used if multiple columns

are required. There are no more than two columns. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

A maximum of two columns is

used.

Visual check

Pass

Fail

N/A

Columns have been formatted

using Word styles, not tables,

tabs or text boxes.

Use Word menu:

Home > Paragraph >

Show/Hide ¶ (Ctrl

Shift 8)

Pass

Fail

N/A

Columns are separated by

adequate column spacing.

Visual check

Use Word menu:

Page Layout > Page

Setup > Columns >

More Columns… >

Spacing

Pass

Fail

N/A

Column text flows continuously. Visual check

Images and drawing objectsImages and drawn objects used add value to your document and are not images of text.

Clip art and animations have been avoided. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Images and drawn objects add

value to the content.

Editorial check

Pass Document does not contain any Visual check SC 1.4.5 Images of

Fail

N/A

images of text. The RMIT University

logo is an exception.

Text,

SC 1.4.9 Images of

Text (No Exception)

Drawn objects are grouped into a single image when appropriate.

Images are anchored to the text they relate to positioning them on the page [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Drawn objects are grouped into a

single image.

Visual check

Pass

Fail

N/A

Images and drawn objects are

wrapped ‘In Line with Text’. This

ensures that if the text moves, the

image will move with the text.

Visual check

Images have an equivalent text alternative and a caption using the caption style. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Images and drawn objects have an

equivalent text alternative.

Editorial check plus

Use Word menu:

Right-Click > Format

Shape… > Alt Text >

Description

SC 1.1.1 Non-text

Content

Pass

Fail

N/A

Images and drawn objects have an

appropriate caption.

Editorial check

Pass

Fail

N/A

Captions use Word’s caption style.

Caption appears above image.

Use Word menu:

Home > Styles >

Styles Dialog Box

Launcher (bottom

right)

Complex images (e.g. charts and drawings) have suitable text alternatives to describe the

information they communicate. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Key points from charts and

drawings have been described in

the body of the document.

Editorial review SC 1.1.1 Non-text

Content

Pass

Fail

N/A

Charts are not images but chart

objects where users can access the

underlying Excel data. This is

essential for visually impaired users

who cannot see the chart.

Use Word menu:

Chart Tools > Design

> Data > Edit Data

SC 1.1.1 Non-text

Content

Embedded images have been compressed to keep the file size small. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Images have been compressed

and cropped areas deleted.

Use Word menu:

Picture Tools >

Format > Adjust >

Compress Pictures >

Use document

resolution

ASCII art has been placed in a separate text box with an appropriate text alternative. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]

Result


Pas

s

Fail

N/A

ASCII art has been placed in a

separate text box with an appropriate

text alternative. This allows screen

reader users to understand what the

ASCII art picture is and skip the

picture.

Visual check plus

Use Word menu:

Right-Click > Format

Shape… > Alt Text >

Description

SC 1.1.1 Non-text

Content

Text boxesText boxes are not used. [ Pass Fail

N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

No text boxes are used. For

formatting effects around text or

images, use border formatting or

the caption style.

Visual check

FormsDocument is not a form. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

No forms are used.

Forms should be created in

HTML. Forms can be created in

Word only if they are for internal

use only or if they will be

converted to PDF. Do not

publish forms created in Word to

the public facing web sites.

Visual check

If a Word form must be created, it has descriptive form labels, provides input examples and

communicates the required fields. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Form field labels clearly and

accurately describe what needs

to be entered by the user.

Editorial checks 3.3.2 Labels or

Instructions

Pass

Fail

N/A

Where appropriate form fields

labels provide an example of the

format the user should use (e.g.

DD/MM/YYYY).

Editorial checks 3.3.2 Labels or

Instructions

Pass

Fail

N/A

Required fields are labelled with

a “*” and the following appears

before the form starts:

“Fields marked with * must be

completed.”

Visual check 3.3.2 Labels or

Instructions

LinksHyperlink menu (Ctrl k) has been used to create descriptive links (e.g. School of Applied

Communication) rather than click here or the URL. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

In body of document, link text uses

meaningful words, not URLs. URLs

can be used in references and

bibliographies.

Editorial checks SC 2.4.4 Link

Purpose (In Context),

2.4.9 Link Purpose

(Link Only)

Pass

Fail

N/A

Links to files other than web pages

identifies the format, size of the file

and number of pages/duration as

part of the link text.

Visual check SC 2.4.4 Link

Purpose (In Context),

2.4.9 Link Purpose

(Link Only)

Linking to documents on the webThe link to the document identifies the format, size and number of pages (e.g. International

Student Mid Year Orientation Program (DOC, 50 kb, 3 pages)). [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Link to document includes the

format, size and number of pages.

Editorial checks SC 3.2.1 On Focus

For long documents an option is provided to download the document in parts (e.g. by chapter or

by separating the main content from appendices). [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Provide an option for downloading

the document in parts (e.g. by

chapter or by separating the main

content from appendices).

Visual check

References and navigationFootnotes, not endnotes, have been used. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Footnotes are used rather than

endnotes.

Visual check

If the document is long it has a correctly generated table of contents. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Longer documents have a properly-

generated table of contents.

Visual check SC 2.4.5 Multiple Ways

MacrosDocument does not contain macros. [ Pass Fail N/A ]


Pass

Fail

N/A

Macros may create accessibility

problems depending on how they

are used. If a macro generates or

manipulates content after the

document has opened, it may be

necessary to provide an accessible

alternative for some users.

Visual check

References WebAIM: Microsoft Word

Microsoft:

Create accessible PDFs

Creating accessible Word documents

Rules used by the Accessibility Checker

Office.com: Word: Type or edit text in a different language

Wikipedia: Pronunciation respelling for English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronunciation_respelling_for_English

http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/word-help/type-or-edit-text-in-a-different-language-HA010354782.aspx

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/rules-used-by-the-accessibility-checker-HA101823437.aspx