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Course Design

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  • Backwards Design Basics
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  • Universal Design for Learning
    • UDL in Practice
      • Accessible Documents and Universal Design
      • Accessible Word Documents
      • Accessible PDF
      • Accessible PowerPoint
      • Accessible Excel
      • Accessible Videos
        • Using YouTube to Caption a Video
      • Accessible Canvas Design
        • UDOIT Accessibility
  • Copyright Guidelines
  • Designing Major Assignments
    • Getting Started with Assignment Design
    • Communicating Assignment Instructions
    • Providing Opportunities to Practice
    • Works Cited
    • BC Faculty Members' Creative Assignments
      • Nora Gross's Creative Final Project
      • Ángeles Picone's "Unessay" Midterm
      • Angela Ards's "Outsider Press Outlet" Group Project
  • Additional Course Design Resources

Accessible Word Documents

Updated on January 18, 2023

Microsoft Word has a number of powerful accessibility features. Making the most of those features does sometimes require a shift in habits or processes.

Major Points To Keep In Mind

  1. Select simple san serif fonts (e.g. Arial, Verdana, Calibri, Helvetica) to increase readability and default to 12-14 pt font
  2. Format text appropriately with titles, headings, and other styles
  3. Use the list and bullet features to organize content
  4. Add alternative text to images, graphs, and figures
  5. Add column header rows in tables and avoid blank rows or columns
  6. Ensure hyperlinked text is descriptive
  7. Provide transcripts or captions for embedded audio and video
  8. Use the built in accessibility checker

Other Points To Keep In Mind

  1. Provide a table of contents for longer documents
  2. Ensure sufficient color contrast between content and background
  3. Avoid using color as the only way to convey meaning. Check for this by asking if the graphic would make sense in black and white. 
  4. Avoid using watermarks

See The Following For More Comprehensive Guidance

  • WebAIM Guidance on Creating Accessible Word Documents
  • Microsoft Guidance on Creating Accessible Word Documents
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