Accessible Documents

All content hosted on UHD web pages must be accessible. This includes linked PDFs, presentations, Word and Excel documents, videos, audio, URLS, and official social media posts. 

Accessible Document Basics, Templates, Checkers

Microsoft Office 365 has a built-in accessibility checker.  You can run the checker in each application.
Note: you can have a document or presentation pass a checker but still fail Adobe PDF's accessibility checker

• Rules for the Accessibility Checker in MS Office
• Accessible Microsoft Office Templates (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Microsoft Office Accessibility Center - Resources for People with Disabilities
• Accessible Document Basics (pdf) by Erin McCully of Southwestern Community College
• Five Habits of Creating Highly Accessible Documents

Accessibility for Microsoft Excel

• Make your spreadsheets accessible
• Use the Accessibility Checker in Excel
• Creating Accessible Excel Documents 
• Creating Accessible Excel Spreadsheets

Accessibility for Microsoft Word

• Creating Accessible Word Documents with Examples on How to Fix Errors 
• WebAim: Creating Accessible Word Documents Guide
• WebAim: Converting Word to PDF
• Create Accessible Tables in M.S. Word
• Five Habits for Creating a Highly Accessible Documents

Accessibility for Microsoft PowerPoint

The most common accessibility issues with PowerPoint missing slide titles and incorrect reading order. 
Note: If you save your PowerPoint to a PDF with these issues, it will fail Adobe Acrobat's accessibility checker every time.  

• Creating Accessible PowerPoint Presentations
• Using the Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint to Correct Issues
• Create Slides with an Accessible Reading Order
• Make Your PowerPoint Accessible to People with Disabilities

Accessibility for Microsoft Publisher
(Consider Digital Alternatives for Newsletters such as Canva or Adobe Express)

• Microsoft Publisher - Accessibility
• Accessible Documents with Microsoft Publisher
• Accessibility for Microsoft Publisher 

Accessibility for Microsoft Visio
Application for making diagrams

• Make Your Visio Diagram Accessible to People with Disabilities
• Making Accessible Flowcharts
• Make Accessible Visio Projects

Accessibility for Adobe InDesign

• Creating Accessible Documents with Adobe InDesign (pdf)

---

Alternatives to Using Publisher or InDesign to Make PDFs for Newsletters: Adobe Express and Microsoft Sway Provide Accessible Options

Adobe Express

Adobe Express is free to use for anyone, you do not need a paid Adobe account. You will need to create an account on Adobe's site. Most Adobe Express templates are free, or you can start from a blank project.

For an online newsletter, choose "webpage" as the project. Note: Once the project (newsletter) has been published, it creates a unique link. If you return to the newsletter to make changes then re-publish, you will have a NEW link that will need to be shared.  Suggestion: Once the newsletter has been reviewed and approved, then publish the link. 

Microsoft Sway

Sway is available to all UHD staff and faculty through Office 365. Login to office.com with your UHD credentials.  Select the dotted square in the upper left of the screen and choose "Sway" from the list of applications.  You can start with a blank project or alter the newsletter template. Sway can covert PDFs, Word documents, and PowerPoint presentations into publicly viewable websites. 

• How to Convert an Adobe PDF to Microsoft Sway
• Transform an M.S. Word Document to a Sway Web Page
• Embed Content into Microsoft Sway
• Sway Essential Training  - LinkedIn Learning (requires UHD or LinkedIn Learning login)

---