Body
♿ How to Create Accessible Word Documents for NEO A&M College
A step-by-step guide for creating ADA/Section 508-compliant Microsoft Word documents using built-in accessibility tools, ensuring your content is usable by everyone.
📌 Before You Begin
- Microsoft Word is installed (part of Microsoft 365, available to all NEO A&M staff and faculty)
- You are signed in with your NEO A&M College account (username@neo.edu)
- You have a document you are creating or editing
- Estimated time: 15–30 minutes depending on document length
🏷️ Section 1 — Use Heading Styles for Structure⏱ ~3–5 min | Microsoft Word (all versions)
Screen readers use heading styles to navigate documents. Using proper headings — instead of just making text bold or large — is one of the most important accessibility steps.
- Click on the text you want to make a heading (e.g., a section title).
- In the Home tab, look at the Styles group on the ribbon.
- Click Heading 1 for your main document title, Heading 2 for major sections, and Heading 3 for sub-sections.
- Apply heading styles in logical order — do not skip levels (e.g., do not jump from Heading 1 directly to Heading 3).
💡 Tip: You can customize heading appearance by right-clicking a style in the ribbon and selecting Modify — this keeps accessibility intact while matching NEO branding.
⚠️ Note: Never use bold or large text alone to simulate a heading. Screen readers cannot detect visual-only formatting — only proper Heading styles create true document structure.
🖼️ Section 2 — Add Alt Text to Images⏱ ~2–3 min per image | Microsoft Word (all versions)
Alt text describes images for users who cannot see them. Every meaningful image needs alt text.
- Right-click on an image in your document.
- Select Edit Alt Text... from the menu. A panel will open on the right.
- Type a clear, concise description of what the image shows (e.g., "Bar chart showing Fall 2025 enrollment by department").
- If the image is purely decorative, check Mark as decorative instead of writing alt text.
- Close the panel and repeat for all images in the document.
💡 Tip: Keep alt text under 125 characters. Focus on the purpose of the image — e.g., "NEO A&M College logo" is better than "Blue and gold circular image."
⚠️ Note: Do not rely on Word's auto-generated alt text — it is often inaccurate. Always write your own.
📊 Section 3 — Create Accessible Tables⏱ ~3–5 min | Microsoft Word (all versions)
Tables should be used for data, not layout. Accessible tables have clearly defined header rows so screen readers can interpret data correctly.
- Insert a table via the Insert tab → Table.
- Click inside your table, then click the Table Design tab in the ribbon.
- Check the Header Row box in the Table Style Options group.
- Type your column headers in the first row (e.g., Name, Department, Extension).
- Right-click the header row → Table Properties → Row tab → check Repeat as header row at the top of each page.
💡 Tip: Keep tables simple — avoid merged cells or nested tables, as these are difficult for screen readers to interpret.
⚠️ Note: Never use a table just to visually arrange text or images on a page. Use tables only for actual data.
🔗 Section 4 — Use Descriptive Hyperlink Text⏱ ~1–2 min | Microsoft Word (all versions)
Screen readers read hyperlink text aloud. Links that say "click here" or show a raw URL are not meaningful out of context.
- Highlight descriptive text for your link (e.g., NEO A&M College IT Help Desk).
- Press Ctrl + K (or go to Insert → Link) to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog.
- Paste or type the URL in the Address field.
- Confirm the Text to display field shows your descriptive text, then click OK.
💡 Tip: Good link text describes the destination — e.g., "View the NEO A&M College Student Handbook" instead of "Click here" or a raw URL.
🎨 Section 5 — Choose Accessible Fonts and Colors⏱ ~2–3 min | Microsoft Word (all versions)
Text must have sufficient color contrast and be readable without relying on color alone to convey meaning.
- Use a minimum font size of 12pt for body text. Use sans-serif fonts such as Calibri, Arial, or Aptos.
- Ensure sufficient contrast — dark text on a white or light background is best. Avoid light gray text on white.
- Never use color alone to convey information — always pair color with a label or symbol.
- Avoid using all-caps for large blocks of text — it is harder to read for users with dyslexia.
💡 Tip: Check color contrast at webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker — aim for a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text.
⚠️ Note: Approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of color vision deficiency. Never use color as the only way to communicate important information.
✅ Section 6 — Run the Accessibility Checker⏱ ~2–5 min | Microsoft Word (all versions)
Microsoft Word has a built-in Accessibility Checker that scans your document and flags errors, warnings, and tips.
- Click the Review tab in the ribbon.
- Click Check Accessibility in the Accessibility group. A panel will open on the right.
- Review the list of Errors (must fix), Warnings (should fix), and Tips (consider fixing).
- Click any issue in the list — Word will jump to that element and show Recommended Actions.
- Work through all errors and warnings, then re-run the checker to confirm they are resolved.
💡 Tip: Enable Keep accessibility checker running while I work in the checker panel — this adds a live indicator in the Word status bar so you catch issues as you type.
⚠️ Note: Passing the Accessibility Checker does not guarantee full ADA compliance — it catches common issues but cannot check everything. Always review your document manually as well.
🚪 Need Help?
If you need assistance creating accessible documents or have questions about ADA/Section 508 compliance, contact the NEO A&M College IT Help Desk:
- 📞 Phone: (918) 540-6099
- 📧 Email: neosuport@neo.edu
- 🚶 Walk-in: IT Department, Library Administration, 2nd Floor, Room 216