Creating accessible documents ensures that all Hawkeyes can fully engage with our content. Small changes—like using high-contrast text or including alternative text for images—can make a big difference. Explore the resources below to learn how to create accessible documents.
5 things that help make documents accessible
Whether you're sharing a syllabus, memo, or event flyer, these five steps will help make your documents usable by all:
Use heading styles: Follow a logical heading order (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) to organize content. This helps assistive technology navigate easily and makes scanning easier.
- Provide descriptive alt text for any images: Alt text describes images for users who can’t see them. Keep alt text short and meaningful.
Use descriptive links: Instead of "Click here," use meaningful text like "Read the accessibility guide."
Check color contrast: Use tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to make sure that colors in your document have enough contrast (e.g., dark text on a light background).
Run the accessibility checker: Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat have built-in tools to spot and fix issues. View these quick videos on how to use these tools.
Resources by document type
General document information
Different document formats pose different accessibility challenges and opportunities. Articles in this collection will showcase tips and techniques accessibility across a spectrum of document formats, tools, and technologies.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is one of the most popular applications in the world, widely used to create worksheets, articles, syllabi, and other documents. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you provide more accessible Microsoft Word documents.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most popular presentation tools in use today. PowerPoint lets you create engaging presentations and interactive materials for print, digital sharing, and in-person presentation.
Adobe Acrobat Pro (PDF)
Adobe Acrobat Pro lets you create PDF documents from a variety of sources. PDFs are easy to distribute, and remain faithful to the design and layout of the original.