The core principles are the same for all document types, but the individual steps vary depending on which tool you’re using and what the final format of the document will be.

Use Headings

Headings and subheadings should be identified as such using the built-in heading features of the authoring tool. Headings should form an outline of the page content (Heading 1 for the main heading, Heading 2 for the first level of sub-headings, Heading 3 for the next level of sub-headings, etc.). This enables screen reader users to understand how the page is organized and to quickly navigate to content of interest. Most screen readers have features that enable users to jump quickly between headings with a single keystroke.

Virtually every document authoring format includes support for headings and subheadings.

Proper Heading Structure

Headings should be hierarchical with a single Heading 1 as the main heading and then using Heading 2’s, Heading 3’s, etc.  Do not skip a level.

Here is an example of properly structured headings on a page:

Heading 1

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. 

Heading 2

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. Sociis morbi erat parturient vel ullamcorper ullamcorper parturient suspendisse a auctor scelerisque a non nam.

Heading 2

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. Sociis morbi erat parturient vel ullamcorper ullamcorper parturient suspendisse a auctor scelerisque a non nam.

Heading 3 (sub-topic under the above Heading 2)

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. Sociis morbi erat parturient vel ullamcorper ullamcorper parturient suspendisse a auctor scelerisque a non nam.

Heading 2 

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. 

Heading 3 (sub-topic under the above Heading 2)

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. Sociis morbi erat parturient vel ullamcorper ullamcorper parturient suspendisse a auctor scelerisque a non nam.

Heading 3 (sub-topic under the above Heading 2)

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. Sociis morbi erat parturient vel ullamcorper ullamcorper parturient suspendisse a auctor scelerisque a non nam.

Heading 4 (sub-topic under the above Heading 3)

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. Sociis morbi erat parturient vel ullamcorper ullamcorper parturient suspendisse a auctor scelerisque a non nam.

Heading 3 (sub-topic under the above Heading 2)

Condimentum natoque est iaculis a at ut suscipit amet magna leo convallis pretium a parturient. Sociis morbi erat parturient vel ullamcorper ullamcorper parturient suspendisse a auctor scelerisque a non nam.

Use Lists

Any content that is organized as a list should be created using the list controls that are provided in document authoring software. Most authoring tools provide one or more controls for adding unordered lists (with bullets) and ordered lists (with numbers). When lists are explicitly created as lists, this helps screen readers to understand how the content is organized. When screen reader users enter a list, their screen reader informs them that they’re on a list and may also inform them of how many items are in the list, which can be very helpful information when deciding whether to continue reading.

Add Alternate Text for Images

Users who are unable to see images depend on content authors to supplement their images with alternate text, which is often abbreviated as “alt text”. The purpose of alt text is to communicate the content of an image to people who can’t see it. The alt text should be succinct, just enough text to communicate the idea without burdening the user with unnecessary detail. When screen readers encounter an image with alt text, they typically announce the image and then read the alt text.

Most authoring tools provide a means of adding alternate text to images, usually in a dialog that appears when an image is added, or later within an image properties dialog.

Also, images that require a more lengthy description, such as charts and graphs, may require additional steps beyond adding alt text.

Identify Document Language

Leading screen reader software is multilingual and can read content in English, Spanish, French, and a wide variety of other languages. To ensure that screen readers will read a document using the appropriate language profile, the language of the document must be identified.

You should also identify the language of any content written in a language other than the document’s default language. With this information, supporting screen readers will switch between language profiles as needed on the fly.

Most document authoring tools provide a means of identifying the document language as well as the language of specific parts.

Use Tables Wisely

Tables in documents are useful for communicating relationships between data, especially where those relationships can be best expressed in a matrix of rows and columns. Tables should not be used to control layout. Authoring tools have other means of doing this, including organizing content into columns.

If your data is best presented in a table, try to keep the table simple. If the table is complex, consider whether you could divide it into multiple smaller tables with a heading above each.

A key to making data tables accessible to screen reader users is to identify column and row headers. Also, if there are nested columns or rows with multiple headers for each cell, screen readers need to be explicitly informed as to which headers relate to which cells.

When Exporting to PDF, Understand How to Preserve Accessibility

For a PDF document to be accessible, it must be tagged with an underlying structure that includes the features described on this page. There are right ways and wrong ways to export documents to PDF. Some authoring tools don’t support tagged PDF at all, while others provide multiple ways of exporting to PDF, some that produce tagged PDF, and some that don’t. To learn more read "Creating Accessible PDFs".

If you are having difficulty or you have unanswered questions, please contact the Help Desk through the ITS Service Catalog or call (518) 388-6400.