Creating Downloadable Files: Word, PDF, Excel and PowerPoint

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• Creating Downloadable Files Word, PDF, Excel
  and PowerPoint

A Web Accessibility Primer Usability for
Everyone Office of Web Communications
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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.

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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.

4
Word tables

• As discussed Use the simplest layout possible.
• Simplify (dont span, use one level)
• Label rows and columns clearly
• Define column/row width/height with percentages,
  not fixed with inches or centimeters.

5
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.

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Word image exercise

• Insert an image into a Word document (Insert gt
  Picture gt clip art gt search for and select a
  chart image).
• Highlight the image.
• Right click on image and select Format Picture.
• Select the Web tab and enter your alternative
  text. (Maybe pretend you are describing a real
  chart.)

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PDFs

• To PDF or to HTML that is the question

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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.

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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.

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PowerPoint

• Options for making content accessible include
• Post .ppt file as is.
• Post text content of file
• Save as Rich Text and copy/paste to make HTML.
• Or copy/paste Outline view into HTML.
• Save .ppt as a Web page
• With PowerPoint, though then need to upgrade the
  HTML.
• Use commercial conversion tool.
• Make HTML-based presentations.

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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
  PowerPoints Insert tool, rather than copying
  and pasting in from other sources.
• Group related images so can provide one alt-text.