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
- Select "review" button.
- Select "check accessibility" button.
![Review ribbon of the Microsoft online.](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/553/516/original/56fa55f4-f3a9-43cb-832c-01a057b157ce.png)
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.
![Online accessibility checker showing missing alt. text.](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/553/518/original/382f986c-0a3c-4049-be83-7e44d136147c.png)
![Alt. reason and how for fixing missing issues.](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/553/520/original/515bb989-b81d-49be-afad-cbf958c7f75a.png)
How to Add Alt. Text to Images in Word
Describe all visual objects with an 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.
Select "Edit Picture Alt Text" in the search bar.
![SNHU logo with the right clicking menu.](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/553/522/original/5f74e206-c6e9-4213-a610-6fe2fce03460.png)
Type in what the photo is of. For this logo example, you could put "Southern New Hampshire University logo."
![Alt. text box to add needed information.](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/553/525/original/0acc5cdc-c82f-4737-b6d1-13ebedfbee33.png)
Run the Color Checker Tool of your choice to double-check for Color Contrast Accessibility
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: