Thank you for joining the Algonquin College accessibility tutorials.
Today we will be discussing how to create accessible
Microsoft Word documents. True headings are a
feature included in Word that provide a means to create a meaningful sequence
for users assistive technology, rather than just centered or bolded text.
Here we have my script for the Accessibility in Microsoft
Office Suite presentations
without any headings. To make it easier to navigate
I'm going to add true headings. To make text into a heading,
select the text and then choose the heading type you'd like
from the Quick Styles gallery in the Styles group of the Home tab.
To view the Navigation tab, click on the View tab
and then check the Navigation Pane box in the Show group.
The navigation pane will display all your headings
and, as the name suggests, allow you to navigate easily throughout your document.
Make sure that use the headings
in the correct order, so that Heading 2 is the sub-heading of Heading 1.
After inputting true headings, creating a table of contents is easy.
A table of contents is just another tool to create structure
and easy navigation for your Word document. Start by clicking
at the beginning of your document, where the table of contents will be.
Then scroll up to the References tab and then Table of Contents.
You can choose any style you'd like from the drop-down menu that appears.
A table of contents is inserted based on the headings that you included.
Named styles are also found in the Quick Styles gallery.
If you click on the drop-down arrow you will see options near the end,
such as Quote and Book Title.
So say this little bit of text here required emphasis.
We'll select the text and then go find
Emphasis in the Quick Styles gallery. There we go!
Named styles provide meaning and consistency in your formatting
and are applied in the same way as true headings. If you wish
you can modify any of the headings or named styles using the Change Styles
drop-down menu.
Next we will look at hyperlinks. When including hyperlinks in your document,
remember that hyperlinks should provide context for the link,
rather than just the URL. So, for example,
if you wanted to add a link to the Microsoft Office website
avoid writing this, "Click here to access the Microsoft Office website"
with the link or this, "For more information
about Microsoft tools click here."
Instead, "For more information about Microsoft tools us
please visit the Microsoft Office Website" is the best way to incorporate a
hyperlink.
Avoid creating blank spaces. Extra spaces,
tabs and empty paragraphs may be perceived as blanks
by people using screen readers. After hearing "blank" several times, those users
may think that they have reached the end of the information.
Instead, use formatting, indenting
and styles to create white space. To use formatting to add
white space around a paragraph, remove any existing
white space around the paragraph. Select the text
and then right click and choose Paragraph. Select values for
Indentation and Spacing to create white space.
Also, if you would like to start a new page
at the end your paragraph, go to the Insert tab
and click on Page Break in the Pages group.
Whenever you insert an object into Word it defaults to being an in-line object.
In-line objects keep their position on the page
relative to a portion of text. On the other hand,
floating objects retain their position based on the page
and should be avoided. To ensure that your objects
are properly positioned, select the object
and click the Page Layout tab. Select Position in the Arrange group
and then scroll to In Line with Text. You can also choose to wrap
either In Line with Text or Top and Bottom.
Word includes many features that can aid in structuring documents to make them
accessible.
Try using true bulleted and numbered lists when creating lists
by clicking the icons in the Paragraph group of the Home tab.
And also try numbering your pages to allow for easy navigation and referencing.
Select the Insert tab and find the Header & Footer group.
Click the Page Number drop-down menu to choose from the various styles
of page numbering available. Thank you for joining us
in learning how to create accessible Word documents.