Creating Accessible Files
Deep Blue Documents accepts many formats and places few restrictions on depositors. As such, files may vary in their accessibility features and their usability for people with disabilities. We strongly encourage all depositors to make their work as accessible as possible by following best practices, as this ensures ease of use and the broadest possible readership for their work. We have created guidelines for creating high quality, accessible PDFs, since most of the deposits to Deep Blue Documents are in this format.
Additionally, experts at the U-M Library have created a comprehensive guide for Dissertation & Thesis Formatting Assistance with Microsoft Word. (While the context of this guide is for dissertations, the many features described here will also help you format research papers, conference abstracts, case studies, and other complex documents).
Set Document Language
Setting the document language not only ensures that the spell checker will work properly, it enables accessible reading software, such as screen readers, to correctly navigate your document. To make multi-language documents more accessible, each language should be labeled with a separate language tag. This allows screen readers to read text in its appropriate language.
Learn how to set the Document Language for your Word document, or to specify your Document Language using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Include Alternative Text for all Images and Figures
Alternative (alt) text is a textual description of visual content which should be added to figures, graphs, tables, and images. Alt text is usually a sentence or two, similar to a caption, but intended to be more purely descriptive. Ideally, alt text should not repeat information found in a caption. For decorative images that do not convey any content of a page, leave the alt text blank.
Apply text alternatives to images using the “Alt Entry” in PDF documents. For more information, U-M's Describing Visual Resources Toolkit provides additional examples of effective captions, alt text, and long descriptions. U-M’s Formatting for All Readers Guide also provides tips on writing alt text.
Use the built-in “Styles” for Documents
For written documents, the structure (headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.) should be accurately indicated by tags and in the correct reading order. Both Microsoft Word and Google Docs offer built-in styles to mark up text.
The main title should be marked as “Heading 1,” section titles should be marked as “Heading 2,” subsections should be marked as “Heading 3,” and so on. Regular text should be marked as “Normal” and block quotes should be marked as “Quote." You can change the appearance of the Styles at any time. For instance, you can modify the Style applied to "Heading 2" once, and all text marked Heading 2 in your document will be updated.
Color Contrast Between the Foreground and Background Content
Text and other information should be legible, with sufficient contrast. When you are choosing colors for your document, make sure to provide high enough color contrast between the background and foreground for easy reading by most users. Tools including WebAIM’s Contrast Checker can determine if the contrast ratio between the foreground and background content meets accessibility standards.
Use the built-in “Check Accessibility” Tool
The “Check Accessibility” Tool is a built-in feature in MS Office applications and Adobe Acrobat (for PDFs). It scans your document for accessibility issues and suggests fixes. It is important to note that accessibility checkers cannot catch everything, but they can alert you to potential problems and suggest fixes or resources to learn more.
Image of the Accessibility Checker tool in Microsoft Word Control Ribbon
Image of navigation to the Accessibility Checker tool in Adobe Acrobat Pro via the "Tools" menu
In Microsoft, please follow their instructions for using the Accessibility Checker for Windows, Mac, and Web platforms. Learn more about creating and verifying PDF accessibility using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Get Help Ensuring Your Work is Accessible
There are many applications that offer more robust capabilities and that support a variety of other file formats. On the U-M Ann Arbor campus, you can get assistance installing and using them via the Adaptive Software and Hardware site, U-M Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, and Library Accessibility Services.
For additional help, U-M Information and Technology Services (ITS) provides live webinars and workshops. U-M’s LibGuide on Microsoft Word for Dissertations also offers guidance on formatting complex documents and papers.