WTF Moments: Making all your documents and communications accessible

Straightforward steps to ensure your content is easy to read and understand.

Accessibility benefits everyone. Photo by Ben Kolde on Unsplash

Content

• Make your design (layout, pictures, fonts, and colours) simple and clear
• Content must be accurate, clear, and concise.
• Avoid using unnecessary jargon and technical terms.
• Use short words and short sentences where possible.
• Follow the advice in the how to write Plain English guide so your content is easy to understand.
• Tools like the Hemingway Editor can help you write clearer, more accessible content.

Being professional is about clear communication, not long words.

Page structure

• Use a page title at the top. This helps users find what they want and see they are in the right place. Intranet search results show page titles. They are also the first thing a screen reader reads out when the user lands on a page.
• Add meaningful headings to divide up the text. This helps users follow the topics on the page. Make sure your headings reflect the page structure.
• Use subheadings and bulleted lists to help users find what they need. Bullets are easier to read than blocks of text.
• Space bullets and paragraphs so they are clearly separate.
• Make sure font sizes are at least 12pt for content and 16pt for headings.

Using links

• Links or buttons must clearly describe where they go to. Do not use ‘click here’. This does not describe the link’s destination.
• Where possible, use colour, underlining and bold to make links obvious.
  - For example: “book a space on the digital communication accessibility training”. This makes it easy for people (and screen-readers) to find and use links.

Pictures and videos

• Some pictures add meaning to text. Examples include infographics. For people who cannot see these images, use ‘alt-text’ to explain the picture.
• To edit alt-text in Microsoft office:
  - Right click on the image
  - Click “View Alt Text”
  - Select add the description in the toolbar.
• Always include subtitles and a transcript on videos for people who cannot see or hear the video. Transcripts should include a description of what is happening, not just what is said.

Document format

• Share Presentations and documents before meetings so screen reader-users can review the content before you present. Make sure they have enough time to read it.
• Avoid PDF documents. They do not work well with screen readers. They also cannot be changed to help the reader. For example, a reader might want to:
  - make the font bigger
  - increase the space between lines
  - change the background or the font.
• Only use PowerPoint for presentations. They are not naturally accessible.
• Use Excel for data. To help people who are neurodiverse or using a screen reader, use both graphs and data tables.