Jeff Luman, Texas Tech University
jeff.luman@ttu.edu
We share documents every day—reports, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs. If these files aren't created with accessibility in mind, we are building barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing our information.
The good news is that Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat have built-in tools that make creating accessible documents straightforward. The key principle is simple: start with an accessible source file, and the PDF you export from it will inherit that accessibility.
Word
Reports & Letters
Excel
Data & Spreadsheets
PowerPoint
Presentations
PDF
Final Distribution
Think of accessibility as a pipeline. Start at the source, and carry it through to the final output.
Build your document in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint using built-in accessibility features like heading styles, alt text, and table headers.
Before exporting, go to Review > Check Accessibility in your Office application. Fix all errors and warnings.
Use File > Save As > PDF or File > Export > Create PDF/XPS. Ensure "Document structure tags for accessibility" is checked.
Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Use the Accessibility tools to check tags, reading order, and fix any remaining issues.
Word documents are the most common source files for PDFs. Building accessibility into your Word document is far easier than trying to fix a PDF after the fact.
Use the Title, Subtitle, and Heading 1–6 styles from the Styles gallery on the Home tab. Do not create "fake" headings by simply making text bold or larger. Screen readers rely on these styles to navigate the document's structure.
Organize headings in logical order: Heading 1, then Heading 2, then Heading 3. Do not skip levels (for example, jumping from Heading 1 to Heading 3).
Right-click any image, shape, chart, or SmartArt graphic and select Edit Alt Text (or View Alt Text). Write a brief, meaningful description of the image and its purpose. If an image is purely decorative, mark it as decorative.
Do not begin alt text with "Image of..." or "Picture of..." as the screen reader already announces it as an image.
Avoid link text like "Click Here" or "Read More." Instead, use the title of the destination page as your link text. A screen reader user scanning a list of links needs to know where each one goes.
Tables should only be used for data. If you must use a table, keep it simple—no merged cells, no split cells, no nested tables. Always define a Header Row on the Table Design tab.
Choose sans-serif fonts like Arial or Calibri. Use the Automatic font color setting for high-contrast compatibility. Ensure color is not the only way you convey meaning—pair it with bold, labels, or symbols.
Use the Bullets or Numbering buttons on the Home tab to create lists. Do not create "fake" lists by typing dashes or numbers manually, as these won't be recognized by screen readers.
Pro Tip: Avoid placing critical information in headers or footers. Screen readers typically skip these areas.
Spreadsheets present unique accessibility challenges. Screen readers navigate cell by cell, so clear structure and labeling are essential.
Screen readers start reading from cell A1. This should be the title of your table or a brief description of the sheet's content. For complex sheets, include instructions or an overview in A1.
Select your data and use Insert > Table to create a formatted table. Ensure "My table has headers" is checked. On the Table Design tab, check the Header Row box. Give each table a descriptive name instead of the default "Table1."
Rename sheet tabs with descriptive names (for example, "Q3 Revenue" instead of "Sheet1"). Delete any blank worksheets—they confuse screen reader users who may think they contain hidden content.
Screen readers track their position by counting cells. Merged or split cells cause the reader to lose count and can't provide accurate location information. Keep table structures simple and straightforward.
A blank row or column can signal to a screen reader that the data table has ended. If you need spacing, adjust row height or column width instead. If a blank cell is unavoidable, type "N/A" or "Intentionally Blank."
Add alt text to all images, shapes, and charts. For charts, use descriptive titles, axis labels, and data labels. Choose high-contrast table styles that alternate between white and a dark color.
Select important cells or ranges and go to Formulas > Define Name. This lets screen reader users quickly jump to key data using the Go To command (Ctrl+G).
Presentations rely heavily on visual design, which makes accessibility especially important. A screen reader reads slide elements in a specific order, and without proper setup, that order can be confusing.
Slide titles are how screen reader users navigate a presentation. Even if you want the title hidden visually, use the Accessibility ribbon to add one. Each title must be unique and descriptive.
The reading order determines the sequence a screen reader uses to announce slide content. Go to Home > Arrange > Selection Pane (or use the Accessibility ribbon's Reading Order pane). Items are read from bottom to top in the Selection Pane, so the first item a reader should encounter should be at the bottom of the list.
Built-in layouts have pre-configured, accessible reading orders and placeholder positions. Avoid creating content by placing free-floating text boxes, which can disrupt the reading order. Use the layout placeholders instead.
Right-click any image, shape, chart, or SmartArt and select Edit Alt Text. Describe the content and purpose concisely. Mark purely decorative images as decorative.
Use 18pt or larger sans-serif fonts. Ensure high contrast between text and slide backgrounds. Use Office's built-in themes, which are designed with accessibility in mind. Never rely on color alone to convey meaning.
Any video embedded in your presentation must have captions. PowerPoint supports closed caption files (.vtt format). Go to Playback > Insert Captions to add a caption track.
Use simple table structures with headers. Make hyperlink text descriptive. Avoid "Click Here"—use the destination page title instead.
Microsoft Office has a built-in Accessibility Checker in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Always run it before exporting to PDF.
Go to Review > Check Accessibility. The Accessibility pane opens on the right side, listing all issues found in your document. In newer versions of Office, the checker runs automatically in the background and shows a reminder in the status bar.
Issues are categorized into three levels:
Errors: Content that is very difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to access. Fix these first.
Warnings: Content that might be difficult for some users. Review and fix where possible.
Tips: Suggestions for improving the experience, even though the content is technically accessible.
Click on any issue in the pane. The Checker explains why it's a problem and provides a step-by-step fix. Many issues can be resolved directly from the pane.
Once your source file is accessible, exporting a tagged PDF is straightforward. The key is ensuring that the document structure tags are included.
Go to File > Save As.
Choose PDF as the file type.
Click Options (or More Options).
Ensure "Document structure tags for accessibility" is checked. This is the most important setting.
Click OK, then Save or Publish.
Excel follows the same export process, but you should also consider the following before exporting:
Important: Never use "Print to PDF" (the printer driver). It creates a flat image with no tags or structure. Always use Save As > PDF or Export > PDF.
Even well-structured source files can produce PDFs that need some cleanup. Adobe Acrobat Pro provides the tools to check and fix accessibility issues.
If the PDF has no tags, go to All Tools > Prepare for Accessibility > Automatically Tag PDF. Acrobat analyzes the content and creates a tag tree. For best results, tag during export from Office.
Go to All Tools > Prepare for Accessibility > Accessibility Check. This produces a detailed report categorizing issues as Passed, Failed, or Needs Manual Check.
Open the Reading Order tool to see numbered content regions. Drag and reorder elements so they follow a logical sequence. Tag or retag any incorrectly identified elements.
Go to File > Properties. Set a descriptive Title (not the filename). Set the Language to English. Ensure "Display Document Title" is selected in Initial View.
Tags in a PDF are like HTML elements for a webpage. They define the structure—headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, figures—so screen readers can interpret the content correctly.
<Document> — Root element of the tag tree
<H1> – <H6> — Heading levels
<P> — Paragraph
<L>, <LI> — List, List Item
<Table>, <TR>, <TH>, <TD> — Table, Row, Header Cell, Data Cell
<Figure> — Image (requires alt text)
<Link> — Hyperlink
<Artifact> — Decorative/non-content element (page numbers, watermarks)
Open the Tags panel from the left sidebar in Acrobat Pro. This shows the document's full tag tree. You can:
The Reading Order tool is the fastest way to check and fix reading sequence and basic tagging issues in a PDF.
Go to All Tools > Prepare for Accessibility > Reading Order. A dialog box opens and the page displays numbered, highlighted regions showing the current reading sequence.
Each highlighted region is numbered. Read through the numbers on the page to verify the content flows logically. The sequence should follow the same path a sighted reader would take: typically left to right, top to bottom.
Use the Order panel (left sidebar) to drag and drop elements into the correct sequence. Alternatively, select a content block in the Reading Order tool and use the dialog buttons to reassign its tag type.
Select a content region and click one of the buttons in the Reading Order dialog to assign its type:
Tip: Use Show Table Cells and Show Tables and Figures checkboxes in the dialog to visualize how Acrobat has interpreted your tables and images.
After running the Accessibility Check in Acrobat, you'll see a report. Here are the most common issues and how to resolve them.
Use these companion guides for step-by-step checklists when creating accessible documents.
A checklist-style quick reference for creating accessible Word documents and Excel spreadsheets.
A checklist-style quick reference for creating accessible PowerPoint presentations.
A checklist-style quick reference for remediating PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
These tools supplement the built-in accessibility checkers in Office and Acrobat.
Built into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Built into Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Verify your text meets WCAG 2.1 contrast standards.
Test your documents with real assistive technology.
The most important thing you can do for document accessibility is to build it into your workflow from the beginning. An accessible Word document produces an accessible PDF. Fixing issues in the source is always easier than remediating a PDF after the fact.
Thank You!
For more information please email jeff.luman@ttu.edu
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