Creating Accessible PDFs with MS Office

You want accessible content because it increases student success. Luckily there is software that is common on most all campuses that can help. Microsoft Word, and most all MS Office Programs, have an Accessibility Checker that will allow you to create accessible documents. With both you can also convert your documents into PDFs so that they work better of online courses.

Here is how to create accessible PDFs in MS Word in 4 simple steps (and this can also apply to PowerPoint).

1.  Create a word document that is accessible with the “Accessibility Checker" 
2.  You simply have to save the document as a PDF.
   
   Saving a word document as an accessible PDF is easy.
   To save a file with the PDF file extension, either:
•  select “Export” and then choosing “Create PDF”, or
•  Select “Save as”, or “Save”, and changing the file type to PDF.
3.  Choose the “Options” button.
   
   In the “Option” pop-up window be sure to select the option, “Document structure tags for accessibility”.
   
   If you use more accessible fonts, such as Verdana, you should be fine. (You may consider selecting ISO 19005-1 Compliant PDF/A option if you have a non-standard font. It will ensure fonts can be read by a screen reader and not represented as an image (or bitmap). This option is preferable for creating documents that you would like to archive.)
4. Save the file as a PDF. 

If you follow these simple rules, you can ensure that your documents are accessible. You did this with only Microsoft Office using Word.

Help spread the word and increase the accessibility of content! Please feel free to share this information and end inaccessible documents.