Southern New Hampshire University

Creating an Accessible Word Document (macOS)

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Accessibility is not only for people who are blind or deaf. That’s not the case: Disabilities affect about 1 billion people worldwide, and people with disabilities access the internet in various ways. Some use a mouse and keyboard, while others navigate with a keyboard alone. Users with vision disabilities might use assistive technologies like screen readers and magnifiers. In contrast, people with mobility conditions might use head pointers, trackballs, or eye-tracking systems to control their web browsers.

Apply Accessible Design because Accessibility provides a better experience for all users.

  • Avoid using all capital letters.  
  • Choose a San Serif font 
  • Ensure embedded, r linked media is accessible.  
  • Apply Hierarchy of Heading Structure 
  • Include ample white space between sentences.  
  • Use bold font to emphasize rather than using excessive italics and underlines.   
  • Run the Accessibility Checker.  


How to Run the Accessibility Checker in Word

  1. Select the "review" button.
  2. Select the "check accessibility" button.
Microsoft word home review ribbon to use accessibility checker.

Describe all visual objects with an Alternative Text (Alt Text).  

  • Explain “why” the image relates to the content. The Alt Text is read aloud by screen reading software. Review the following article to learn more about How to create Alternative Text. 
Results from the accessibility checker.

Review the following article for more in-depth information: How to Use the Accessibility Checker in Word (Desktop Mac)

How to Add Alternative Text (Alt. Text) to Images in the Word

Describe all visual objects with an Alternative Text (Alt Text). 

  •  Explain “why” the image relates to the content. The Alt Text is read aloud by screen reading software

Right click on the image.

SNHU logo with the right-click menu.

Select "Edit Alt. Text..."

SNHU logo with the right-click menu with a box around edit alt text.
  1. Type in what the photo is of. For this logo example, you could put "Southern New Hampshire University logo."
  2. If it is decorative, you can select the box. It could be marked as decorative for this one due to possibly no relevance to the PowerPoint, depending on what it is on.
The alt text box with the “Southern New Hampshire University Logo” in the box.

Use a Color Contrast Checker

Avoid using color as the only means of representing information.   

Use sufficient contrast for text and background colors. Review the following articles to learn more about: 

How to Add Accessible Properties

Select “File” from the Top of Your Mac Screen.

File option from the top of Mac desktop.

From the Drop-Down Menu, Select “Properties…”

The drop-down menu from file and close of the properties button.

From the Pop-Up, Select “Summary.”

The summary option of properties button.

Please fill in as much information as you can.

All of the information that can be added to the properties.
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