Transcript III. Creating Downloadable Files: Word, PDF, Excel and PowerPoint A Web Accessibility Primer: Usability for Everyone Office of Web Communications.

III. Creating Downloadable Files:
Word, PDF, Excel and
PowerPoint
A Web Accessibility Primer: Usability for Everyone Office of Web Communications
Word – Headings and Lists
• Organize the text with headed sections and lists.
• Use real headings and real bullet list “styles”.
– So machines (screen readers) can recognize them.
– Many other advantages too.
Word – heading exercise
• Open Word and create a new document. Either type or
copy and paste 6 lines of text into the document, with
hard returns after each (i.e., hit enter). Gibberish or
random words are OK.
• Then make the first line into the built-in Heading 1 style.
Make the third line Heading 2 style. And make the fifth
line Heading 3 style.
Word – tables
As discussed… Use the simplest layout possible.
– Simplify (don’t span, use one level)
– Label rows and columns clearly
– Define column/row width/height with percentages, not
fixed with inches or centimeters.
Word – describe images
As discussed… describe all images.
– Unless they are only for decoration.
– Either describe the image in the regular document
content…
– … or add alternative text to the image.
Word – image exercise
1. Insert an image into a Word document (Insert > Picture >
clip art > search for and select a “chart” image”).
2. Highlight the image.
3. Right click on image and select “Format Picture.”
4. Select the “Web” tab and enter your alternative text.
(Maybe pretend you are describing a real chart.)
PDFs
To PDF or to HTML: that is the question
Makes PDF easier
Makes PDF harder
few or one author(s)
multiple authors
having advanced technical skills
having limited technical skills
creating a new file
working with existing PDF
having original source file
having only the PDF file
simple layout
complex layout
PDF Strategies
•
Needs to be text, not scanned image of text.
•
Follow accessibility guidelines for source file.
•
Keep layout simple. E.g., maximum 2 columns.
•
In Acrobat, before converting from source file, go
to Settings, and check “Enable accessibility”.
•
Tag the PDF content.
•
Evaluate your PDF using Acrobat tools.
Excel
Challenging to make Excel spreadsheets accessible
•
Keep tables simple.
•
Explain formulas.
–
–
•
Save as image and add alt-text
Or provide text description
Describe charts.
–
No alt-text option for charts in Excel, so need to explain
within spreadsheet.
PowerPoint
Options for making content accessible include:
•
Post .ppt file as is.
•
Post text content of file:
–
–
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Save .ppt as a Web page:
–
–
•
Save as Rich Text and copy/paste to make HTML.
Or copy/paste Outline view into HTML.
With PowerPoint, though then need to upgrade the HTML.
Use commercial conversion tool.
Make HTML-based presentations.
PowerPoint - strategies
•
Use existing slide layout boxes.
•
Provide slide notes for slides that have more than text.
•
If converting to HTML, add charts or tables using
PowerPoint’s “Insert” tool, rather than copying and
pasting in from other sources.
•
Group related images so can provide one alt-text.