Creating accessible Word documents, PowerPoints, PDFs, and more.
Microsoft PowerPoint is the recommended tool to create internal slide decks and presentations shared within the university. PowerPoint has accessibility tools like heading styles, alt text, an accessibility checker, and more.
Microsoft Word is the recommended format for internal documents shared within the university. Word has accessibility tools like heading styles, alt text, an accessibility checker, and more.
Excel software is highly visual and relies on spatial relationships, like rows and columns, which aren’t always conveyed clearly through assistive technology. Issues such as merged cells, missing headers, and unlabeled charts can disrupt the logical reading order.
Forms can pose accessibility challenges because they often rely on visual cues, complex layouts, or unlabeled fields that screen readers cannot interpret. Making forms accessible ensures that everyone can easily read, complete, and submit them independently.
When PDFs aren’t formatted correctly, they prevent screen readers from properly navigating them. Follow this comprehensive guide for creating and verifying accessible PDFs to ensure compliance with digital accessibility standards. It covers best practices for structuring documents, using alt text, ensuring proper reading order, and utilizing tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro and Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker.
This article is for faculty and staff who need to have a required PDF remedied for accessibility compliance. Use the process outline to request services from Allyant, an approved remediation vendor through the Minnesota State System Office.