Accessible Documents: MS Word Strikes Back!

1. Accessible Documents: MS Word Strikes Back!

2. Who I am.. Rebecca Stringer-Krein is Web Key IT’s Financial Controller, Resident Document Doctor, and Chief Coffee Drinker. She often doubles as Vivienne’s teaching assistant, and can sometimes be found rocking back and forth in a corner mumbling about the lack of logic in MS Word.

3. What we will cover (very quickly) • Do my documents really have to be made accessible? • Some quick things to think about • Source document issues • An example • Some tips & tricks

5. Why? • It’s a legal requirement • Australia was one of the first countries to ratify the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities • The federal government has made it a requirement for all federal and state (mostly) government agencies to WCAG2.0 AA by 31 December 2014. This also applies to documents. • We need to consider the tools people use to browse the web (screen readers and keyboard access) • You can ‘sell’ this as “Quick Download”, “Quick Print”, “Accessible”. This is great for people on slower Internet or in regional areas too.

6. Who is your audience, really? While you may be aware of the ‘1 in 5 Australians have a disability’ statistic, have a thought about everybody else.. • ‘1 in 5’ only encompasses those people who have reported a disability. • Australia, like many other countries, has an aging population. • You may have people accessing your website or online documentation, or working for your organisation who have challenges. They have no obligation to report those challenges to you, but you still have an obligation to make your information accessible to them.

7. Simple, Easy Things to Think About…

8. Source Documents These examples were created in InDesign, then published in PDF, then converted to Word for the purposes of document rectification: InDesign/PDF Word Conversion

9. Common problems – Reading Order

10. Common Problems - Graphics

11. Common Problems – An Example • A screen reader cannot get into the graphic • There is no alternative text • There is no actual quantitative data available

12. An Example, continued… Step 1: Apply Alt Text Step 2: Write a Descriptive Statement and Put the data into a simple table. Use ‘Insert Table’!

13. An Example, continued…

14. Something Else to Consider..

15. Interactive forms • You can easily create interactive Forms in MS Word, it does not need to be in PDF • Lock it down! • Save it as a Template • User fills it in and submits (send via email)

16. Simple Tips & Tricks • Infrastructure first! • If you are using Word, set up Heading styles and brand guidelines items first. Does a Table of Contents work? • If you are using InDesign, attach Heading characteristics to the styles you are using, rather than relying on font size/colour. • Double-check that your brand guidelines for colour and style meet accessibility standards. (you can download the Colour Contrast Analyser from www.paciellogroup.com)

17. Simple Tips & Tricks • Logic! • Close your eyes and listen to your document if you can • Really think about where your breakout boxes are. If the screen reader jumps to the box in the middle of a passage, is it going to make sense? Maybe you need a few lines of text to introduce it before you move on to the next section in your Body Text? • Is that graphic a distraction or is actually supposed to impart information?

18. Simple Tips & Tricks • Maps and Tables • Think about the information you are trying to give. • Could you put the same information contained in a complex table or map into a simple table, or a couple of simple tables? • Could you write a long-form description that can be accessed via hyperlink (that takes you to an appendix) so that your report still reads the same for a sighted person, but gives others the more detailed description they need?

19. The End… Thank-you so much for thinking about the accessibility of your documents.