Knowledge into practice

Documents people can use.

Build accessibility into the source, then check the file your readers actually receive. Learn practical ways to improve Word documents, PDFs and presentations, and record a focused publishing review.

Start a document reviewExplore three examples

Make accessibility part of publishing

1. Start with the task

For information people need to search, navigate or read on a phone, consider publishing HTML. Use a downloadable format when the task benefits from it, and maintain equivalent content where you offer alternatives.

Section508.gov PDF publishing guidance discusses this choice in a U.S. federal context. The same format questions are useful elsewhere.

3. Check the final version

Export can change structure. Inspect the distributed file and test reading, navigation and any fields in the application people will use. Combine a checker with manual observations and user feedback.

Use Section508.gov PDF testing training for a concrete PDF review process.

Understand the guidance: W3C WCAG2ICT guidance explains how WCAG 2 principles and criteria can apply to non-web documents and software. It is informative guidance, not a new set of requirements. Section508.gov materials describe U.S. federal practice. Confirm the standard and scope that apply to your project; this worksheet is a selected manual review, not a WCAG, PDF/UA or legal conformance certificate.

Three small changes with a clear purpose

Link meaning

Tell readers what opens

Before: “For the workshop handout, click here.”

After: “Download the workshop packing checklist (Word, 24 KB).”

The link itself names the resource. Update the format and size to match the actual file; a useful label still needs a working destination.

Table relationships

Separate unrelated comparisons

Before: One table merges region names across attendance, travel costs and staff comments.

After: Use an attendance table with Region, Registered and Attended columns. Put travel costs in a separately titled table and comments in a list.

Keep the original relationships and units, define each header, and read the result with table-navigation commands.

Slide sequence

Make the argument followable

Before: A screen reader encounters “38%”, then a decorative arrow, then the slide title.

After: “Travel survey”, then “38% of 120 respondents used the shuttle”, then the chart’s meaningful alternative, then the proposed action.

Set that sequence in the reading-order controls and test it. Repositioning objects visually does not establish the reading order.

Manual document review

Review one delivered format

Open your document in its own application and follow the instructions below. This page does not open, upload or automatically scan a file.

Each format has its own draft, including the shared checks. Switching format retains your entries in this open page. Drafts are not saved to browser storage and are lost when you close or refresh; export each report you want to keep.

Use “No issue found” only for what you tested in the recorded environment. Explain “Not applicable”. Leave unknown items “Not checked”. All fields are optional; entries describe observations, not a compliance score.

In each evidence note, record the page or slide, steps, what you observed and the next action. Explain why an item is not applicable.

With JavaScript enabled, review 10 checks for your selected format.

Shared publishing checks

Record these observations separately for each delivered format.

01. Choose a usable publishing format

Try this: Try the reader’s main task: find a rule, compare options or complete instructions. Record why a download is useful and whether an HTML version would make this task easier.

Look for: A reader can reach the needed information in a usable format. Keep equivalent versions current and easy to find; choosing HTML does not automatically make content accessible.

Read: Section508.gov PDF publishing guidance

02. Give images their purpose in words

Try this: Compare each image with the surrounding explanation. Inspect its alternative in the authoring tool or PDF tags. For a chart, follow the route to its explanation and data.

Look for: Meaningful information or an image’s action is conveyed. Mark purely decorative content appropriately. Complex graphics may need an adjacent description or data table beyond a short alternative.

Read: W3C image purpose decision tree

Try this: Read each link in its sentence, then use a screen reader’s link list where available. Follow a sample to confirm the destination and check that its label is still accurate.

Look for: Link text and its associated context explain the destination. Replace vague wording when readers would otherwise have to open the link to discover its purpose.

Read: W3C writing guidance

04. Check text contrast and color meaning

Try this: Measure text against its actual background, including charts and shaded cells. Review a chart or status message without relying on color: is its meaning also available in words, patterns or another visible cue?

Look for: For WCAG AA text contrast, ordinary text needs 4.5:1 and large text 3:1, subject to exceptions. Large means at least 18 pt or 14 pt bold. Add text or another cue when color alone carries meaning.

Read: W3C contrast guidance · W3C use of color guidance · W3C WCAG2ICT guidance

05. Identify the language of the text

Try this: Inspect the document’s default language and a passage in another language. Read those passages using the intended application and screen reader. Record the settings and pronunciation you observed.

Look for: The language settings describe the content, including language changes where supported and relevant. Verify the exported file again; do not assume a proofing setting survived conversion.

Read: Section508.gov document language training · Adobe PDF accessibility verification

06. Read the actual file people will receive

Try this: Open the final published version in the recorded reader application. Navigate headings or slides, read a table, follow a link, and use a screen reader for meaningful sequence. Run the application’s checker, then investigate its manual-review items.

Look for: Record what was tested and remaining gaps. A clean checker result is not a complete accessibility evaluation; include manual checks and people with disabilities in broader review.

Read: Section508.gov PDF testing training · Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility guidance

Format-specific checks

Word document

07. Build a navigable structure

Try this: Inspect the navigation pane and paragraph styles. Use built-in heading and list features, then navigate through the hierarchy with a screen reader.

Look for: Sections have useful names and a logical heading hierarchy. A bold paragraph is not a substitute for a heading style; typed bullet characters are not a structured list.

Read: Microsoft Word accessibility guidance

08. Simplify and test data tables

Try this: For each table, read across and down using a screen reader’s table commands. Inspect header settings. Split a difficult merged-cell layout into smaller tables when that preserves the relationships.

Look for: Headers make data relationships understandable. Use tables for data, with a simple structure; layout, merged cells and nested tables need special attention.

Read: Microsoft Word accessibility guidance

09. Keep the main reading sequence intact

Try this: Read a page with text boxes, columns, headers or footers. Check where objects are announced and whether essential instructions are available in the main body.

Look for: The reading sequence preserves meaning. Do not leave information needed for the task only in a header, footer or visually positioned object that readers may miss.

Read: Microsoft Word accessibility guidance · Section508.gov document authoring guides

10. Export structure, then verify the PDF

Try this: Fix the source, run its checker and use a PDF export option that preserves document structure tags. Open the PDF to inspect tags, reading order, links and alternatives; record the export option and reader.

Look for: Structure survives conversion and the exported PDF is manually checked. A generic print-to-PDF path may omit tags. Keep the corrected source so future versions do not recreate the same barriers.

Read: Microsoft accessible PDF export · Section508.gov PDF remediation training

PDF

07. Check real text and OCR accuracy

Try this: Try selecting and searching a distinctive sentence on scanned pages. Compare copied or extracted text with the image, including names, numbers and reading sequence. Review OCR errors rather than only its confidence flags.

Look for: Text is available and accurate. OCR can create searchable text, but does not guarantee correct text, document tags or an accessible PDF. Continue with structural and manual reading checks.

Read: Section508.gov scanned document training

08. Inspect tags and meaningful order

Try this: Inspect the tag tree and compare it with a screen reader reading the page. Check headings, lists, table header relationships and the sequence of multi-column content.

Look for: Tags represent the content’s structure and reading order. Decorative artifacts do not interrupt reading; meaningful text is not accidentally hidden as decoration. Auto-tagging needs review.

Read: Section508.gov PDF remediation training

09. Check the title and navigation

Try this: Inspect document properties and the displayed title. Follow bookmarks in a long document, and use keyboard navigation to activate a link and return to reading.

Look for: The title identifies the document. Available navigation reaches the correct sections and links; the keyboard order remains understandable.

Read: Adobe PDF accessibility verification · Section508.gov PDF testing training

10. Operate interactive form fields

Try this: Using test data, move through every field by keyboard and with a screen reader. Check names, instructions, required states, choice groups and any error recovery. Record submission behavior without sending real data.

Look for: Fields expose useful names and instructions; the reading and tab order work together. If there are no interactive form fields, record Not applicable with that reason.

Read: Adobe PDF accessibility verification

Presentation

07. Name each slide and use real structure

Try this: Review the slide outline for useful, distinguishable titles. Inspect text placeholders, lists and any data table; read table cells with assistive technology when supported.

Look for: Slides can be identified by title. Use built-in layouts and list features; table headers explain the data. A picture of text or a table loses this structure.

Read: Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility guidance · Section508.gov slide layout training

08. Follow the slide’s intended reading order

Try this: Open the Reading Order pane where available. Compare its sequence with the intended explanation, then check with a screen reader. Move items with the pane’s controls; do not rely only on their visual position.

Look for: A title, explanation, graphic and conclusion are encountered in a sensible order. Exclude purely decorative objects without hiding meaningful information.

Read: Microsoft slide reading order guidance

09. Review embedded audio and video

Try this: Play media with and without sound. Check caption accuracy and timing, alternatives for meaningful visual information and keyboard access to playback. Determine the appropriate alternatives for the actual media type.

Look for: Captions include meaningful sound as well as speech. Provide needed visual description and transcripts as appropriate. A transcript is not a universal replacement for synchronized captions or required audio description.

Read: W3C audio and video guidance

10. Test the delivered deck and handout

Try this: Review the final deck in the audience’s application. If sharing a PDF or video, open that export and recheck structure or media alternatives. Record whether captions and other tracks survived.

Look for: Every distributed version receives its own review. Some PowerPoint export paths omit media tracks or captions; PDF tags and reading order also need checking after conversion.

Read: Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility guidance · Microsoft accessible PDF export

Document accessibility review

Continue learning

Use the alt-text lab to draft alternatives, the chart and diagram builder to explain complex information, and the contrast checker to measure color pairs.

Primary references: W3C WCAG2ICT guidance; Section508.gov document authoring guides; Adobe PDF accessibility verification; Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility guidance. References checked September 2026. Product menus vary by version and platform; use the linked instructions for your environment.