When I talk to companies about digital accessibility, the conversation almost always starts with the website. Documents come later, and usually in a whole pile: statements, forms, presentations and spreadsheets that have been created over the years in Word, PowerPoint and Excel and are sent out as PDFs or uploaded to the website.
In this guide, I’ll show you where accessible documents are actually created: not just when you export them as PDFs, but right from the source file. You’ll learn which habits end up causing the most work later on, how to set up Word, PowerPoint and Excel properly, how to recognise a good template, and where automatic checking reaches its limits.
In a nutshell: accessible documents in six steps
- Use style sheets for headings and body text, rather than manually making text large and bold.
- Provide alternative text for images and diagrams.
- Use proper lists and tables with headers, without merged cells.
- Ensure there is sufficient contrast and never rely on colour as the sole means of conveying information.
- Specify the document title and language in the properties.
- When exporting to PDF, retain the structure and check the result using a screen reader.
What makes a document accessible
A document may look neat and tidy, yet still be unusable for many people. A screen reader does not read out the layout, but rather the underlying structure. A line that is simply set in large, bold type may look like a heading, but to a screen reader it is just normal text. Someone who is blind and navigating a twenty-page document jumps from heading to heading. If these headings are missing, the only option is to listen to the whole document from start to finish.
Accessible documents are therefore designed in such a way that their structure and content remain understandable even without visual input: headings are marked as headings, tables have headings, images have alternative text, and the reading order is correct. This benefits not only people who use a screen reader, but also those with visual impairments who use high magnification, and anyone who wants to skim through a document quickly.
There is one distinction I think is important here: ‘low-barrier’ and ‘barrier-free’ are not the same thing. A document processed automatically breaks down barriers and is therefore ‘low-barrier’. It is only ‘barrier-free’ once a person has checked it, for example using a screen reader. This is because no software can reliably determine whether alternative text truly explains a diagram or whether the reading order makes sense.
Where most documents are produced within companies
This depends heavily on the sector and the individual company. For our clients, these are usually customer statements – in other words, administrative documents. They are produced in large numbers, sent directly to customers and contain precisely the information that everyone needs to understand: amounts, deadlines and contract details.
Depending on the organisation, other areas may also be involved, such as presentations and brochures from the marketing department, or forms and job advertisements from the HR department. My advice: decide who within the organisation is responsible for the digital accessibility of documents. As long as each department deals with this on its own, every document will be produced according to its own set of rules.
For public bodies, this is a mandatory requirement in any case: the BITV 2.0 explicitly applies to documents published since 23 September 2018. Organisations covered by the Accessibility Enhancement Act (BFSG) should also take into account documents that customers receive as part of the services they provide.
The habit that ends up creating the most work later on
The most costly habit is simply failing to take digital accessibility into account during the creation process. This means a document is first finalised and then has to be made accessible afterwards. Anyone who has ever inherited a template is familiar with the typical consequences:
- Headings that are simply formatted in bold and large font, but do not have a heading style applied.
- Spacing created by blank paragraphs rather than paragraph spacing.
- Tables created using tabs, or tables used solely for layout purposes.
- Text boxes that float freely on the page and end up in the wrong place in the reading order.
- Images and diagrams without alternative text; in the worst case, a table presented as a screenshot.
Each of these shortcuts saves a few seconds during creation but ends up costing time later on for every single document. It is therefore best to integrate digital accessibility directly into the process: through properly set-up templates, a quick check before approval, and a team that knows what matters.
Accessible Word: how to set up documents correctly
Headings and style sheets
Use the appropriate style sheet for each heading – i.e. Heading 1 for the section title, Heading 2 for sub-sections, and so on – without skipping levels. Adjust the appearance in the style, not in the text. This also creates a table of contents automatically, and the navigation pane in Word shows you straight away whether the structure is correct.
Lists, tables and spacing
Bulleted lists should be created using Word’s list function, not by typing a hyphen. Tables should only be used for data, not for layout. Mark the first row as a header row, avoid merged and empty cells, and ensure the header row is repeated on every page for long tables. Spacing is created using paragraph spacing; page breaks are created using a page break, not by inserting multiple blank lines.
Images, diagrams and alternative text
Every image containing information requires alternative text, which you can add via the image’s context menu. For a diagram, this should describe the message, not the visual appearance. Mark purely decorative images as ‘decorative’ so that screen readers skip them. It is best to position images ‘in line with text’ so that they appear in the correct place in the reading order. I explain in detail how to write good alternative texts in the guide ‘Writing Alt Texts’.
Links, language and document titles
A link should indicate where it leads: ‘Application for payment by instalments’ rather than ‘click here’ or a long address. Set the document language correctly and mark passages in foreign languages so that the screen reader changes the pronunciation. Enter a meaningful title in the document properties. This is the first thing that is read aloud when the document is opened.
Practical tip: In Microsoft 365, Word, PowerPoint and Excel include their own accessibility checks. These identify missing alternative text, tables without headers or poor contrast, and are a good first step before any document is finalised. However, they do not tell you whether the document is understandable to a human reader.
Accessible PowerPoint: Slides that work when read aloud
In presentations, the problem usually lies in elements placed randomly. What looks logical on the slide is read out by a screen reader in the order in which the objects were created. Here’s what you should bear in mind:
- Use the slide layouts from the slide master instead of dragging text boxes onto blank slides. The placeholders provide the correct structure.
- Give each slide its own unique title. Even if it is not meant to be visible, it is needed for navigation.
- Check the reading order of the objects. PowerPoint provides a dedicated section where you can set the order.
- Provide alternative text for images, graphics and charts.
- Do not convey information solely through colour or animation, and ensure videos are subtitled.
Practical tip: Access Read checks whether your PDFs meet the machine-verifiable requirements of PDF/UA free of charge and without the need to register, with up to five files per check. Access Doc then formats any issues identified by the check to make them accessible.
Accessible Excel: Tables that make sense
To a screen reader, an Excel file is simply an area made up of cells. For it to make sense, it needs some context:
- Give each worksheet a unique name and delete any empty sheets.
- Start the data in the top-left cell (A1) and avoid using empty rows and columns as visual separators.
- Format data ranges as a table with a header row so that column headings are read aloud when navigating.
- Avoid merged cells.
- Never use colour as the sole source of information, such as ‘red means overdue’. Include a column with the status in text form.
- Give charts a title and alternative text.
How we can tell whether a team has set up its templates properly
We can tell from the document structure. We do not work within our clients’ systems, but through our interactions with them – particularly in support – it quickly becomes apparent how a team works. Where templates are set up properly, documents consistently feature proper headings, proper lists and tables with headers. Where every document has been formatted manually, each one looks slightly different, and each one requires its own reworking.
This is where the greatest benefit lies: once a template has been set up correctly, its structure is passed on to every document created from it. Anyone who produces hundreds of statements or letters each month can resolve this issue in one place rather than in each document individually.
From Office document to accessible PDF
Most documents leave the company as PDFs. To ensure that the structure from Word is retained, use ‘Save As’ or ‘Export’ to save as a PDF and enable the document structure tags for accessibility in the options. Using ‘Print as PDF’ causes this structure to be lost. I explain what else needs to be checked in the PDF afterwards in the guide ‘Creating accessible PDFs’.
There’s one thing you should bear in mind: automatic conversion is never 100 per cent accessible. It produces a document with minimal barriers. To ensure a document is fully accessible, it needs to be checked by a human, for example using a screen reader.
Is this possible for every document?
Yes. We always design documents to be low-barrier or fully accessible; we have yet to come across a document where this isn’t possible. With Access Doc, we systematically remove barriers in documents. If a 100 per cent accessible document or an accessible template is required, we can deliver that too.
There are, of course, special cases, particularly when it comes to colours. Many corporate identity schemes use light brand colours that do not provide sufficient contrast for text. The WCAG require a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. In such cases, it is worth working with the design team to find a solution that keeps the brand recognisable whilst still being legible for everyone – for example, using a darker shade of the brand colour for text, whilst retaining the light colour for background areas.
Comparison: Approaches to accessible documents
| Path | What it does | Where it has its limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Correcting within Office itself | Full control over every document | Time-consuming per document; requires expertise within the team |
| Automatic conversion | Fast, even for large volumes | The result is accessible, but not fully accessible without human review |
| Accessible templates and training | New documents are created correctly from the outset | Existing documents remain unchanged |
| Processing with human review | Accessible documents, tested using assistive technologies | Particularly worthwhile for documents used by many people |
How ifdb supports you in this
With Access Doc, we make your documents accessible without your team having to set up a project to do so. Where a document or template needs to be 100 per cent accessible, we also carry out additional manual checks, including using a screen reader. With the Access Academy, your team will learn how to create documents correctly from the outset, so that digital accessibility becomes part of the process rather than requiring rework every time. Both solutions integrate seamlessly into your existing workflows: they are resource-efficient, legally compliant and cost-effective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the built-in check in Word sufficient?
It is a good first step and detects many technical errors, such as missing alternative text or tables without headers. However, it cannot assess whether alternative text is understandable or whether the reading order makes sense. This requires a human review.
What is the difference between ‘low-barrier’ and ‘accessible’?
An accessible document has had the main barriers removed, typically through automated processing. A document is only considered accessible once it has also been checked by a person, for example using a screen reader.
Do I also have to make old documents accessible?
For public bodies, Office files published before 23 September 2018 are exempt from BITV 2.0, provided they are not required for ongoing administrative procedures. As a general rule, start with the documents that your customers are using today. You can find out how to proceed with large back catalogues in the guide ‘Accessible Annual Reports and Public Authority PDFs’.
For PDFs that can no longer be regenerated from the source file, there is a separate procedure: our guide to accessible PDFs explains what matters here.
My advice to teams who produce documents every day
“This affects you. Because even if you aren’t subject to the law, it’s always advisable to make documents accessible or to design them to be accessible from the outset. Digital accessibility is so much more than people realise at first glance.”
