Word accessibility checklist

2 min readAug 23, 2022

Content

Use simple language and avoid jargon
Explain what abbreviations and acronyms stand for and define specialist terms
Avoid using ALL CAPS, italics and underlines for text that isn’t a link
Use sentence case (This is sentence case) instead of title case (This Is Title Case) — sentence case is more readable
Use accessible sans-serif fonts such as Arial. Fonts should be a minimum 12 point size.
Limit the number of fonts and font colours that you use — this can make text harder to read
Use bullet points, numbered lists or headings to make the document more readable
Use heading styles rather than bold to create sub-headings. You do this by selecting the text, choosing the Styles icon in the toolbar, and selecting Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on.
Check that text is left aligned, not justified
Add descriptive hyperlink text instead of ‘click here’. For example, ‘Read our brand guidelines’ [all hyperlinked] is better than ‘Click here [hyperlinked] to read our brand guidelines’.

Check the colour contrast between the text and background
Add alt text to any images — this is text that describes the image for blind or visually impaired users. You can do this by selecting the image and choosing ‘Alt text’ in the toolbar. Find out how to write good alt text.
Avoid using images with text in them because not all users will be able to read the text in an image
Avoid using shape or colour alone to show meaning

Run the document through the Word accessibility checker. You do this by going to ‘Review’ and ‘Check Accessibility’ in the toolbar.