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Scope
This includes documents that are shared with others for use in the course of their work or study and so includes papers prepared for meetings, committees, guides, presentations.
Written documents and presentations
Documents which are prepared for institutional use such as meeting and committee papers, reports, presentations, guides, manuals etc. must be prepared using the guidance on structuring and formatting documents.
Staff should use the Microsoft Office accessibility checker to check the accessibility of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and take action to address inaccessibility.
Documents should be made available in advance of meetings to allow time for disabled users to access the content.
PDFs
Use of PDF ensures that documents look identical everywhere which is the opposite of what is needed by readers who may want to change the presentation to suit their accessibility needs or preferences. For this reason, Microsoft Office versions of files should be provided instead of, or in addition to, PDFs.
Images
Images and graphics in online documents must be accompanied by text description explaining what the image/graphic is depicting, for use by visually impaired people who use screen-readers. These text descriptions are referred to as ‘alt-text.’
You should not use images of text unless this text forms part of a logo or branding. If you do need to use an image of text, then the alt-text must repeat the text information from the image.
Images should be of good quality and able to be magnified without degradation - note that images with high resolutions retain image quality when enlarged
Colour contrast is also important, it can be difficult for some people to see and read. Where possible select images with good colour contrast.
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